VERMILLION, S.D. – California left no room for hope on Saturday morning– for its opponent at least.
 
Undoubtedly tired of back-and-forth nail biters that defined Friday's play at the South Dakota Classic, the Golden Bears (5-1, 0-0 Pac-12) posted a decisive 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-19) sweep over the Howlin' Huskies of Northeastern to close out the weekend 2-1.
 
The Bears held the Huskies (2-4, 0-0 CAA) under 20 points in each set and led 44-34 in kills and were once again led by Mima Mirkovic's high-flying net play. The sophomore posted a match-high 14 kills, just a pair shy of her season best, which she earned in the Bears' 3-1 win over Northern Colorado to open the weekend.

Cal suffered a devastating 3-1 loss to host-team South Dakota Friday night, their first defeat of the season, in a closely-contested battle decided by two points each set.

"It was a good experience for our team, especially our younger players, to learn how to bounce back and prepare for a new opponent after a tough loss," head coach Jennifer Dorr said after her first road trip at the helm. "Learning to win on the road is so important and I'm happy we got that opportunity this weekend."
 
As impressive, was play of freshman Makana Meyer who added eight kills, which was the most of any player on the Huskies squad.
 
Preslie Anderson continued strong play throughout the weekend and amassed seven kills, an ace and solo block against Northeastern, while senior Carmen Annevelink added another seven kills.
 
Freshman setter Jade Blevins led Cal with 18 assists, adding three aces to the fold.
 
Cal opened the day with improved communication and focus, outhitting the Huskies 18-11 in the first set and limiting its east coast foe to just 18 points and its first under-20 score of the weekend.
 
While Mirkovic led the set with six kills, Meyer and Anderson added three kills each to give the Bears significant momentum early on.
 
Cal finished stronger than it began hitting .381 in the final set, after starting with .368 attack percentage in the first.
 
Cal will head to Portland for its final preseason tournament on Sept. 7-8, where the Bears will face Gonzaga, Portland State and Fresno State.

 

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2018 South Dakota Classic All-Tournament Team
Hayley Dotseth, South Dakota, MVP
Kortney Lockey, Northern Colorado
Mima Mirkovic, California
Taylor Wilson, South Dakota
Preslie Anderson, California
Anne Rasmussen, South Dakota
Gabrielle Eyl, Northeastern

 
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