Mustang Daily Staff Report
sports@mustangdaily.net
The Cal Poly volleyball team had a huge challenge ahead when it lost two of its best players coming into the year. Two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America middle blocker Jennifer Keddy underwent outpatient surgery on her shoulder during the offseason, benching her for the entire year. Kristina Graven, the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year during her first season at Cal Poly, transferred to St. Mary’s in February.
In turn, new head coach Sam Crosson’s tenure as head coach of Cal Poly’s women’s volleyball team has gotten off to a bit of a rocky start. The Mustangs started the season 1-13 (0-2 Big West) and are currently riding a 10 match losing streak after a 3-2 loss to Cal State Bakersfield yesterday.
However, the Mustangs’ poor start can certainly be attributed to a difficult schedule. The team has played 13 of its 14 matches on the road, and its lone home match is coincidentally the team’s only win thus far. Four of the Mustangs’ losses have come at the hands of teams ranked inside of the top 20 of the AVCA Poll, including No. 3 USC, No. 9 Texas, as well as two losses against No 16 San Diego. Cal Poly also lost to Notre Dame, which ranks just outside the top 25 of the AVCA Poll.
There certainly is reason for optimism, especially considering that the Mustangs have received significant contributions from underclassmen this season. Coming into Tuesday’s match, freshman Hannah Schleis had 49 kills in just 25 sets this season, and freshman Nicole Kessler lead the team with 154 digs.
When Crosson was hired in January, he made it known that it was his goal to make Cal Poly a nationally recognized program. With standout freshmen and a squad that returns 13 players next year and matches against highly ranked programs, Crosson and the Mustangs still have time to turn around the season.
They’ll return home this weekend to host UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, and will host both Hawaii and Cal State Northridge the following week.