VERMILLION, S.D. – California closed the day with as much parity with which it began.
 
Unfortunately, the result was unfavorable as the Golden Bears gave up their first game of the season 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 23-25) to the Coyotes of South Dakota (4-1, 0-0 Summit League) in a closely-contested match underscored by 47 tie scores and 19 lead changes.
 
In a game where every touch mattered, each of the four sets were tied at 23-23 before either team was victorious.
 
"To go deuce points in all the sets just shows you how competitive it was and how difficult it was to score a point for both sides," said head coach Jennifer Dorr. "It was a really good job by South Dakota; they were hustling all over the floor when we were making some great shots and they'd stick their arms out and get it.
 
"It's deflating when that happens to continue to grind on," Dorr continued. "That was a real lesson for us. We got outworked. We don't like how that feels – it leaves a bitter taste. We have to use it as motivation going forward and give us a little bit of a chip on our shoulder."
 
Despite Bear quartet Carmen Annevelink (15), Preslie Anderson (14), Mima Mirkovic (12) and Bailee Huizenga (11) each recording double-digit kills, Cal was unable to collectively overcome 27 errors.
 
Overall, Cal (4-1, 0-0 Pac-12) edged USD 57-54 in kills, 54-47 in assists and 73-66 in digs, but fell below the mark with .196 hitting percentage.
 
"We talked about transition points," Dorr said. "We'd make a dig and then make an unforced error either with the set or the attack. It was really frustrating that we weren't working hard enough in transition or prepared enough in transition to earn that real point. That's something we'll work on this week in practice.
 
"Again, it comes back to outhustling your opponent, which is something we didn't do over the stretch."
 
The Bears close out their time in the Midwest with an early match against Northeastern at 7:30 a.m. (PT).