Cal Poly Volleyball is now 3-0 in the Big West Conference after a 3-0 sweep (25-18, 25-23, 25-18) against the UC Irvine Anteaters on Sept. 28.
The Mustangs (10-5, 3-0 Big West) not only extended their recent win streak to five games, but have swept their last nine Big West opponents dating back to last season. Junior outside hitter Maia Dvoracek led the game in kills (16) for the second game in-a-row and earned 18 points in the three sets.
At the start of the first set, Cal Poly and UC Irvine (3-12, 0-3 Big West) took turns earning points, but UC Irvine quickly went on a four-point run to take the lead at 4-8. The Mustangs answered on the attack and finally led the match at 14-12 after trailing the whole game. Cal Poly extended their advantage with a five-point run and kept the lead the rest of the set. A kill by senior outside hitter Jessica McRoskey ended the set with a final score of 25-18.
The Anteaters scored two points into the second set, but Cal Poly followed suit to tie the score 2-2. The Mustangs surged ahead and lead most of the game by four points. However, UC Irvine quickly tied the game with a 4-0 run after three Cal Poly attack errors. The Mustangs went on to win the set with a score of 25-23 after UC Irvine was unable to capitalize on their lead by making four errors in the last five points.
The Mustangs started the third set with a three-point run and led by five points for the rest of the match. UC Irvine failed to break up the Mustangs’ momentum as the third set ended much like the first at a final score of 25-18.
Cal Poly returns from their road trip to host UC Riverside at Mott Athletics Center on Friday, Oct. 4. The match will begin at 7 p.m.