BERKELEY – California volleyball hoped to avenge its October loss in Seattle with a win over Washington on Friday night, but this result mirrored the last as the Huskies (14-10, 5-8 Pac-12) prevailed over the Golden Bears (15-9, 4-9), 3-1, in Haas Pavilion.
 
For both teams, the standout statistic of the match was service aces, with each squad posting 10. Freshman Sophia Johnson was responsible for four of those, setting a new career high; redshirt sophomore Paige Morningstar also set a new career mark with two of her own. Reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week Xuemeng (Maggie) Li added another two to Cal's total, while senior Tara DeSa and junior Annalea Maeder notched one apiece.
 
In addition to the two aces, Li recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 11 kills and 12 digs. Maeder similarly earned double figures in two columns with 30 assists and 15 digs – her eighth such match this year. Sophomore Mikayla Hayden also heavily contributed on offense with 10 kills; meanwhile, DeSa's team-leading 16 digs raised her career total to 1,240, moving her up to seventh in program history.
 
The Bears started off hot early, with the first point of the day going to redshirt sophomore Ava Mehrten off a rally-stopping kill. The Huskies were forced to take an early timeout after Cal's first 3-0 run, which brought the score to 10-6, and shortly afterward clawed their way back to tie the score at 13 apiece. Stellar serving from Johnson triggered a 5-0 run that brought Cal to its biggest lead of the night at 19-14; UW responded with a 5-point run of its own to eliminate the gap before the two teams started exchanging points. After a subsequent drawn-out battle that included five more ties, it was Washington that came out on top, 27-25, to take Set One.
 
Cal's offense came to life in the second set, keeping just ahead of the Huskies both early and late thanks to four kills apiece from Li, senior Sam Taumoepeau and sophomore Sophie Scott. The visitors took the lead on two separate occasions, bookending a 19-point sequence that included four draws and triggering a Bears timeout. This time, it was Cal's turn to come out on top of a set-ending struggle, with two kills from Scott forcing two UW timeouts in three late points; one more error from the Huskies clinched the set for the home team, 25-22.
 
Although the Bears scored first in the third off a block from Scott and Mehrten, Washington quickly found itself up by nine points and managed to keep the Blue & Gold strongly at bay with a decisive 25-16 set win. Cal found a spark in the fourth set thanks to sophomore Peyton DeJardin, who entered the game with her team down by two early and posted three quick kills to tie up the score at 7-7, but a trio of four-point runs in favor of the Huskies allowed them to stay ahead of a late comeback effort to take Set Four, 25-17, and the match.
 
UP NEXT
The Bears will welcome No. 9 Washington State (18-6, 8-5) to Haas Pavilion on Sunday at noon.
 
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