BERKELEY – The Cal volleyball team wasn't about to feel good about its loss to No. 14 Washington on Sunday.

Not now, anyway.

The Bears, despite playing without two starters, still did a lot of good things against one of the top teams in the country before falling 26-24, 26-24, 25-17 at Haas Pavilion. There were some frustrating moments for Cal, most notably having a 24-20 lead in the first set only to watch the Huskies score six in a row to win it.

"There are all the negative emotions that come with a loss – you are frustrated, disappointed and angry," Cal head coach Matt McShane said. "But I think once we have a chance to realize what we just did, we will be optimistic and anxious to play again."

The Bears played without senior team captain Christine Alftin and junior setter Mackenzie Albrecht, each of whom missed the match because of injuries. That forced Cal to switch from a 6-2 offense (two setters) to a 5-1 (one setter), with freshman setter Isabel Potter playing the entire match.

Without Alftin, it also gave an opportunity for sophomore Maddie Haynes to receive some more playing time, and she responded with eight kills at a .400 hitting percentage.

"I'm angry but I'm also thrilled," McShane said. "We're so close to being a very, very good team."

The Bears (12-9, 3-7 Pac-12) came out sharp to begin the match, ultimately opening up a 17-11 lead. After the Huskies trimmed the deficit to 22-20, Cal got kills from freshman Preslie Anderson and senior Antzela Dempi to give them three set points. But Washington, which leads the Pac-12 in blocking, came up with three huge blocks to spark the comeback and win the set.

The second set was close throughout and this time it was the Bears who staged a comeback, although it fell just short. Trailing 23-20, some tough serving from freshman Mima Mirkovic helped Cal score three in a row to tie it up. The Bears staved off one Washington set point on a kill by Haynes, but the Huskies registered another block to end the set.

Dempi led the Bears with 11 kills. The Pac-12 leader in aces, she failed to record an ace for just the fifth match this season.

Junior Carmen Annevelink added eight kills at a .389 hitting percentage while sophomore libero Emma Smith had 13 digs. The loss also snapped Cal's nine-match winning streak at home.

The Bears will be back on the road next week, beginning with a visit to Arizona on Friday. The match begins at 6 p.m. and airs on the Pac-12 Networks.