Ryan ChartrandThe No. 14 Cal Poly volleyball squad (2-1) opened its 2007 season at the Shocker Volleyball Classic, hosted by Wichita State on the weekend of Aug. 24-26.
The Mustangs faced unranked Kansas State and could not bring home a victory in their season opener for just the seventh time in 29 seasons, as they fell 3-2; 30-25, 20-30, 23-30, 30-25 and 15-11 on Friday Aug. 24.
“They were the Big 12 newcomers of the year who dominated that match . that’s why the preseason polls don’t mean anything,” head coach Jon Stevenson said of the Wildcats.
Junior outside hitter Ali Waller led the pack with 19 kills and eight blocks while opposite Kylie Atherstone added 15 kills. Middle blocker Jaclyn Houston smacked 14 kills, posted eight blocks and hit .542, a match-best. Chelsea Hayes, setter, assisted 57 times and had 19 digs while libero Kristin Jackson contributed with a team-high 20 digs. Despite these valiant efforts, the Wildcats prevailed in five close games.
Stevenson said his team “failed their first test,” in their opening match. He made some personnel changes before the following two matches and was rewarded with victorious results.
The Mustangs trumped North Texas 30-10, 30-18 and 30-14 on Saturday, Aug. 25th. at Koch Arena. The victory was the second time since 2001 that the squad defeated a team by 20 points in a single set.
Waller threw down a match-high 13 kills and Atherstone added 10 digs and eight of the team’s 23 blocks. Hayes choreographed 31 assists.
“We understood what we were doing and played harder,” said Stevenson of the second game.
Waller and outside hitter Ashleigh Bertoni manufactured 13 kills each, Houston blocked 10 Shocker attempts and Bertoni hit a match-high .367 to help Cal Poly finish the tournament with its second straight sweep as they knocked out host Wichita State, 30-25, 30-23 and 30-24 on Sunday, Aug. 26.
The Mustangs never trailed by more than three points at any point of the match. Sophomore reserve setter Hailey Fithian was just three assists shy of her career high as she posted 23 in the match.
Stevenson said this tournament will definitely prepare his squad for conference play and he believes they will have to play “error- free volleyball” from here on out.
The Mustangs took a mandatory rest day, according to NCAA regulations on Monday, Aug. 27 and will be back on the court Aug. 31-Sept. 3 at No. 1 Nebraska’s Holiday Inn Downtown Classic.