In a direct battle for a spot in the Big West Championship Finals, top-seeded Cal Poly lost 3-2 to second-seeded Long Beach State in a two-day conference tournament on Thursday, April 25th. Friday, April 26th.
The Mustangs (29-6) entered the tournament looking for revenge after ending their streak of winning consecutive conference titles last year.
Cal Poly got off to a strong start on the first day, defeating both CSU Northridge and UC Davis 5-0 to earn the No. 1 seed in Pool B.
The next day, the Mustangs faced Long Beach State (28-9), the No. 2 seed in Pool A, but ultimately lost in a close game.
Long Beach State made it to the finals, but lost to Hawaii in the final game and did not win the Big West Championship title.
Thursday vs. CSUN
Cal Poly faced CSUN (16-21) early Thursday morning in the first game of the day.
The No. 3 and No. 4 pair got their first win in a dominating fashion, giving the Mustangs an early 2-0 lead.
Moments later, the No. 5 duo of junior Abby Reynard and junior Madison Nichols finished the game 21-11, 23-21, securing the victory for Cal Poly.
The success continued as the 2nd and 1st place pair defeated their respective opponents and earned a sweep against the Matadors.
Thursday vs. UC Davis
Cal Poly picked up another dominant victory after defeating UC Davis (18-17) in their second matchup of the tournament.
As in the first match, all Mustang pairings won in straight sets.
First, the No. 2 duo of junior Piper Furch and freshman Erin Inskeep earned Cal Poly's first win against the Aggies, 21-14, 21-12.
Currently at 28-4 on the season, the pair is two wins away from breaking the program record for most wins in a single season.
The next pair of opponents to defeat were No. 3 and No. 4, and the Mustangs were scheduled to advance to the semifinals.
Cal Poly's No. 1 and No. 5 tandem finished the day strong, dominating the Aggies 5-0.
The Mustangs returned to the beach on the second day of competition to take on No. 8 Long Beach State for a spot in the Big West Championship finals.
Friday vs. Long Beach State University
Cal Poly took to the court late Friday morning to play Long Beach State for the final time in the Big West Championship.
The Mustangs got off to a slow start, trailing 2-0 by No. 1 and No. 5 Beach, but fell behind.
The No. 4 duo of freshman Logan Walter and senior Piper Ness led Cal Poly to a 21-16, 21-18 victory, extending its winning streak to an astonishing 21 games.
Graduate student Lindsey Sparks and freshman Quinn Perry scored the tying goal, defeating their opponents in an exciting 21-18, 28-26 game.
Felch and Inskeep were under pressure to give the Mustangs a win, but the duo ultimately fell short in a three-set contest.
Cal Poly will end its journey in the Big West if it doesn't win the championship title, but the Mustangs' journey is far from over.
On Sunday, April 28, Cal Poly was selected as the No. 5 seed in the At-Large Selection for the NCAA Championship.
For the fourth time in program history, the Mustangs will travel to Gulf Shores, Alabama to take on the best team in the nation on Friday, May 3rd.