CORVALLIS, Ore. – California volleyball closed out its weekend with another milestone victory on Sunday afternoon, taking down Oregon State in a five-set nailbiter, 3-2, at Gill Coliseum to improve to 14-7 (3-7 Pac-12) on the year. This marked the Golden Bears' first win over the Beavers (7-13, 2-8 Pac-12) – and first Pac-12 road win – since 2019.
 
Senior libero Tara DeSa paced the court with 25 digs to bring her career total to 1,195, eighth-most in program history. Junior setter Annalea Maeder posted a court-leading 48 assists, coming within six of Cal's program No. 9 mark, and added another ace to bring her collegiate total to 95 (six behind the Bears' career No. 10 entry).
 
Two Cal players earned double-doubles, with freshman Xuemeng (Maggie) Li recording 17 kills and a career-high 17 digs for her eighth such match of the season and senior Sam Taumoepeau posting 13 kills and 13 digs to go along with three blocks, three aces and two assists. Cal's biggest strength on Sunday was its blocking, totaling 16 as a team for the second time this year to mark the first season since 2018 that a Cal volleyball team has posted 16 or more blocks in multiple matches. Ava Mehrten and Mikayla Hayden starred with eight blocks each, while sophomore Sophie Scott – the eighth-ranked blocker in the conference last year – saw her most court action all year and added another six stops.
 
The Bears started off the match slow, eventually finding themselves in an 11-point hole at 17-6, Beavers. A later 7-2 comeback run was not enough as Oregon State took the first set, 25-17, but Cal had by then found their confidence and attacked Set Two with a vengeance. The Blue & Gold posted three blocks in its next 10 points, then continued to build its lead up to six points before going on a 9-0 run to close out the set by a lopsided 25-11 margin; that sequence included two aces from freshman Sophia Johnson, as well as three blocks (one solo) from sophomore Mikayla Hayden.
 
Hayden continued to impress in the third set despite the Bears playing from behind, recording three kills and a block in Cal's first six points to keep the deficit at one. Although Oregon State kept a steady scoring pace to hold the Bears at bay, a 3-0 run in the second half (powered by two kills from Taumoepeau) tied up the score at 17 apiece. The Beavers needed a 3-0 run of their own to retake momentum, eventually clinching Set Three at 25-21.
 
Cal's defense kicked its efforts up a notch in the fourth, holding Oregon State to just .053 and forcing seven ties in each team's first 10 points. The Bears followed up by building their lead to four points, taking advantage of a slew of errors by the home team and posting five kills on the way to an 18-14 advantage. Following that, they recorded another three kills and three blocks to fend off a Beavers comeback attempt, with a Hayden slam finally sealing the score at 25-21 to send the match to a fifth set. A desperate defensive battle ensued for the finale, with Cal going up 9-6 early thanks to two aces and five kills; Oregon State quickly put together four consecutive points to take a one-point lead, but Scott responded with three straight blocks (with the help of Mehrten and Taumoepeau) to regain the advantage at 13-11. One last gasp from Oregon State tied up the score for the last time before Mehrten ended it, posting a kill and a block with Hayden for the 15-13 final.
 
UP NEXT
The Bears head back on the road next weekend for their first pair of Pac-12 rematches, starting with No. 17 Arizona State (19-3, 7-3) in Tempe, Arizona, on Friday night and ending with Arizona (6-15, 1-9) in Tuscon, Arizona, on Sunday afternoon.
 
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