Granted, it’s not every day a team finds itself sparring back-to-back top-10 opponents, much less four elite programs, in the same weekend.

But still, after ending a stormy weekend in Hawaii with a 1-4 record, the No. 10 Bears were hungry for a win on their home court.

Armed with a young team and reliable talent, Cal found its footing in the Battle of the Bay tournament, completing a successful home sweep against Sacramento State, UC Davis, University of San Francisco and University of the Pacific.

The Bears’ campaign to defend their territory began early Friday morning against Sacramento State. Sophomore Bella Adishian made her Cal debut against the Hornets. Teaming up with junior Grace Hong, the pair was able to set the tone for the weekend early, going 21-10 and 21-12 in two sets, respectively.

One of Cal’s more consistent and dominant duos — and current AVCA/CBVB National Pair of the Week — junior Emma Donley and senior Portia Sherman dominated the Hornets in straight sets (21-13, 21-11), contributing to the 5-0 shutout.

Later that afternoon, UC Davis proved to be a bit of a struggle for the home team. Seeing closer sets and tougher competition, senior Gia Fisher and junior Ava Haughy dropped their first set against the Aggies — and Cal’s only of the entire weekend. The lost set was a wake- up call, as the pair completed a reverse sweep with a 2-1 win (18-21, 21-15, 15-7).

The back-and-forth with UC Davis continued, with the Bears edging by 2 points in some sets, creating tension and close calls throughout the Clark Kerr Sand Courts.

On the sunny Saturday that followed, Cal continued its dominance.

The first duel of the day was against USF.

For seniors Amelia “Mila” Vugrincic and Jenna Colligan, the court was theirs as they held their crossbay opponents in green to just 16 points across two sets (21-10, 21-6).

Redshirt freshman Giselle Lau — who also saw the sand for the first time as a Bear— and sophomore Elle Evers saw a close first set with USF, 21-19, before breezing past the Dons in the second, 21-11.

Evers also had an assertive showing against the University of the Pacific. Paired with graduate student and Yale transfer Mila Yarich, the duo went 2-0 and held the Tigers to just 22 points in their match.

Cal’s No. 1 pairing, Donley and Sherman, took the court against the Dons and Tigers, further solidifying the chemistry they’ve built as partners. On both sides of the ball, Donley and Sherman’s communication and agility contributed to the shutout against USF (21-10, 21-9) .

In one of the last matches of the regional tournament, the pair attracted lots of eyes as they took on the Tigers duo freshman Sam Holley and graduate student Valentina Varani. The two ended the evening with a straight set win, holding their opponents to just 18 points.

With the win against UOP, Donley and Sherman’s record improved to 8-0 this season. Although the season is just starting, Cal volleyball veteran and head coach Meagan Owusu has consistently built teams with chemistry at the forefront, which Donley notes is integral to the Bears’ success.

“We’re such a close knit team, and everyone really gets along with everyone,” Donley said. “So just to have them back each other up, it’s really great to see everyone supporting everyone.”

With the confidence boost, the blue and gold will head to Los Angeles next week to face more top-ranked programs, including No. 4 USC and No. 12 LSU, in the MPSF Coast To Coast Classic.

Hoping to avenge the narrow loss to the Trojans from last week and fare well against other elite programs, Donley emphasized just how crucial the upcoming week will be for the Bears.

Practice and getting reps in the sand are only half of the battle.

“When it comes down to it, those big games really come down to mental challenges,” Donley said.