Erik Chu
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Saturday
The Cal Poly women’s volleyball team had its two game winning streak ended by UC Irvine in a 25-23, 25-20, 25-18 sweep on the road Saturday night.
Freshman outside hitter Raeann Greisen once again had a monster game, leading the Mustangs with 15 kills. Taylor Nelson also added 32 assists.
In all three sets, the Mustangs (7-8, 2-3 Big West Conference) were competitive. However, the Anteaters managed to pull away with devastating runs.
In the second set, with the Mustangs leading 8-7, the Anteaters pulled away with an 11-3 run that the Mustangs could not recover from.
Cal Poly will host a pair of Big West opponents next weekend, beginning with Cal State Northridge on Oct. 17. The Mustangs host Long Beach State on Oct. 18.
Friday
The Cal Poly women’s volleyball team (7-7, 2-2) picked up its second straight Big West win with a 25-22, 25-16, 22-25, 25-21 victory at Cal State Fullerton (6-11, 0-4) on Friday evening.
Behind the play of freshman outside hitter Raeann Greisen, Cal Poly dominated the match early on, winning the first two sets with a score of 25-22 and 25-16. Griesen recorded a match-leading 16 kills and had five key kills to help the Mustangs win the second set.
The Titans rebounded to win set No. 3, but Cal Poly bounced back in set No. 4 once again behind five more kills Greisen. A 7-2 run helped the Mustangs recover from an early 2-0 deficit, and eventually win the set 25-21.
Other key contributors included freshman setter Taylor Nelson — who recorded 42 assists — and freshman middle blocker Savannah Niemen, who added seven blocks.
Nieman’s seven blocks were key in the Mustangs’ defense, which flourished and held Cal State Fullerton to a woeful .119 hitting percentage.