LONG BEACH, Calif. — Cal Poly volleyball kept its Big West record unblemished Saturday evening, sweeping Long Beach State (25-12, 25-17, 25-22) inside the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
The Mustangs (10-6, 6-0 Big West) have won six in a row and sit alone atop the conference standings. With five sweeps in their last six Big West matches, the Mustangs are off to their best start to Big West play since 2019. Cal Poly has one perfect conference season (16-0) in program history, under now-associate head coach Sam Crosson in 2017.
The Mustangs seized control from the opening serve, cruising to a 25-12 opening win on the back of 16 kills to just two errors (.414). The second set unfolded much the same way, with the Mustangs holding the media timeout edge before closing on a long run to take a two-set lead. Long Beach State (12-4, 4-2 Big West) made a push in the third, trading points with Cal Poly early and drawing within one point late. The Mustangs answered, closing the set on a 7-5 run to finish the sweep.
Cal Poly hit .378 for the match, committing just 11 errors on 98 swings, its eighth time this season hitting the .300 mark. Four Mustangs recorded at least eight kills. Emma Fredrick put down 15 kills on 28 attempts while hitting .393, and Kayla Murdoch added 10 kills on 17 swings with a .412 clip. Kendall Beshear chipped in 10 kills and seven digs, while Charlotte Kelly posted eight kills without an error, hitting .800.
In eight of the last ten matches, sophomore middle blocker Kelly has notched errorless hitting efforts, and she has hit above .300 in 11 of 16 total matches thus far. She currently paces the Mustangs and the Big West with a .431 hitting percentage.
The Mustangs also controlled the net, recording 7.5 total blocks. Breklyn Pulling highlighted that effort with four blocks, including two solo stops, while Murdoch added five block assists. Reigning Big West Setter of the Week Alexis Haury provided yet another double-double with 34 assists and a personal season-high 15 digs. Elif Hurriyet paced the back row with nine digs, and freshman Noe Vanacht added seven digs and two service aces.
The sweep completed a third straight undefeated weekend for Cal Poly, which also beat Cal State Fullerton in straight sets Friday. Across the two matches, Fredrick totaled 19 kills on 55 attempts while hitting .182, adding two aces and eight digs. Murdoch was efficient throughout, recording 20 kills on 40 swings for a .325 attack percentage to go along with five blocks. Pulling contributed 11 kills while hitting .526 and posted a team-high six blocks across the two victories.
Now atop the Big West table by two matches, the Mustangs will put their perfect 6-0 start to the test by hosting both opponents from Riverside: the new kids on the block, California Baptist, on Friday (6 p.m.) and conference mainstay UC Riverside on Saturday (4 p.m.).