Cal Poly Beach Volleyball dominated all four of its opponents in the first tournament of the season hosted by McNeese State University on Friday, February 23rd and Saturday, February 24th in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
On Friday, the Mustangs (4-0) defeated Tarleton State (1-3) and Nicholls State (1-3) in two-set matches each. Cal Poly continued its winning streak into Saturday, defeating Texas A&M – Corpus Christi (3-1) and McNeese State (1-3).
Friday vs. Tarleton State University
Cal Poly debuted four freshmen and four new pairs and started the weekend with a 2-0 win.
After missing all of last season due to injury, redshirt sophomore Ella Connor returns to the sand court at the No. 1 spot. Accompanying her there was sophomore Izzy Martinez.
The new duo got off to a dominant start for the Mustangs, defeating Tarleton State's No. 1 pairing 21-9 in the first set and 21-12 in the second.
In this game, four freshmen made their debut in the following slots: Erin Inskeep, Quinn Perry, Sydney Terrell, and Katie Clevenger.
The Mustangs proved formidable against their primary rivals, winning each set.
Friday vs. Nicholls State University
Hours after defeating Tarleton State, the Mustangs took on Nicholls State again. Cal Poly kept the momentum going and dominated the court.
Even in the new race, their top three positions remained unchanged and they continued their winning streak.
The fourth place was taken by another rookie duo. For the third year, Madison Nichols and Abby Reynard transferred. Scores 21-11, 21-17 kept the Mustangs going.
Sophomore Emma Zufferato and Terrell moved from fourth to fifth place and finished the day undefeated with a 21-13, 21-6 win.
Saturday vs. Texas A&M – Corpus Christi
Cal Poly opened the second day of the tournament with a 4-1 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on the McNeese Sand Courts.
The No. 1-4 rankings remained unchanged from Friday's game against Nicholls State, but Cal Poly introduced a new duo to its final squad.
The Mustangs also had two players make their debuts, with graduate transfer Lindsey Sparks and freshman Logan Walter taking the court at the No. 5 spot. The Sparks were national champions, and at UCLA he was also an All-Pac-12 honoree.
Sparks and Walter took down the Islanders 21-16, 21-16 to earn their first victory as Mustangs.
Throughout the entire tournament, only one duo lost a set. The No. 3 pair endured a grueling three-set thriller, but seniors Piper Ness and Perry won 21-13, 14-21, 15-11.
Saturday vs. McNeese State University
The Mustangs won the final game of the tournament against host McNeese State University, 5-0.
Conner and Martinez started the match with a 21-10, 21-13 win. The duo racked up an impressive 21 kills and ended the weekend with an overall score of 4-0.
Felch and Inskeep won in straight sets, 21-9, 21-7, giving the second place team a final score of 4-0.
The following teams won each set, with No. 4 Nichols and Reynard and No. 5 Terrell and Zferrato achieving a combined score of 3-0.
After a successful weekend, the Mustangs must now turn their attention to next weekend, where they will face their toughest opponent yet.
Cal Poly will face No. 2 UCLA on Friday, March 1st at 12 p.m. and No. 8 UCLA at 2 p.m. The Mustangs will then play defending national champion No. 1 USC at 10 a.m. and No. 14 Grand Canyon University at 10 p.m. Saturday, March 2 at 2 p.m.
