RENO, Nev. – California volleyball will enter Pac-12 play without a single loss on its record as it closed out its nonconference slate with a 3-1 win over host Nevada on Saturday at the Wolf Pack Invitational. The Golden Bears (11-0), who clinched their best start since 2011's 13 consecutive wins, have yet to play a five-set match this season.
 
Redshirt sophomore Ava Mehrten was named Tournament MVP following an inspired outing in which she more than doubled her single-match career high in both kills (19) and blocks (nine).
 
"Ava has put in a lot of hard work," said interim head coach Crissy Jones Schoonderwoerd. "She is a very positive person and pushes everyone around her to compete every day. She is an athlete with a strong desire to get better – she often comes in for extra reps, watches film and does everything she can to be the best player she can be."
 
Freshman Xuemeng (Maggie) Li and senior Sam Taumoepeau also joined Mehrten on the All-Tournament Team. They, along with junior Annalea Maeder, each recorded a double-double on the day – Li with 16 kills and 12 digs; Taumoepeau with 11 kills and 13 digs; and Maeder with 47 assists and 17 digs. Junior Ellie Hamm was also a major contributor to Cal's defensive efforts, posting a career-high nine blocks of her own.
 
Although the Bears lit up the stats sheet, their latest entry in the win column did not come without a serious fight from the Wolf Pack, who fell to 4-7 on the year despite standout performances from middle blocker Jordan Schwartz (11 blocks), setter Tehya Maeva (32 assists, 10 digs) and outside/opposite hitter Sia LiiLii (16 kills). Nevada jumped out to a 1-4 lead to start off the match, managing to fend off any of Cal's attempts at a comeback until a block from Mehrten and Hamm gave the Bears their first lead of the match, 10-9. From there, the Blue & Gold clawed its way to a 15-12 score at the first timeout, but the home team posted another five points to the Bears' one to take back the advantage, 16-17. Another lead change (courtesy of two Nevada errors, two Cal kills and an ace from Maeder) brought the score to 21-18; one long back-and-forth series later, a kill from Taumoepeau gave the first set to the Bears, 25-21.
 
An error from the Wolf Pack gave Cal the advantage to start off the second, but five consecutive errors from the Bears to give Nevada a 2-7 lead established the tone for the set, in which Cal was held to just .064 hitting. Two straight kills from Li helped the Bears tie it up at 10-0; later, she posted another kill and a service ace to tie the score at 14 apiece, followed by a solo block from Mehrten to put Cal on top. After that, however, several Cal errors and six Nevada kills swung momentum in Nevada's favor just enough to give them the set win, 23-25, despite a late 4-0 run from the Bears.
 
Set Three was Mehrten's time to shine, as she recorded nine of her 19 kills to help Cal regain the set advantage, 2-1. The Bears and the Wolf Pack forced 12 ties in yet another close-fought battle, which Nevada looked to have eventually taken over after stretching out to a 14-18 lead; Maggie Li's 15th kill, however, sparked a 6-0 Cal run that could not be stifled by even a host timeout halfway through. From there, the Bears kept ahold of their advantage as Mehrten was responsible for all three of the team's points in its next scoring run to bring the score to 24-20. One kill from Taumoepeau later to set the score at 25-21, and Cal was headed to the fourth with momentum firmly on its side.
 
The Bears' defense kicked into high gear to close out the match, posting eight blocks and holding Nevada to -.267 hitting on the way to a 25-15 fourth set win. Mehrten recorded two blocks and three kills to help bring the score to 10-4; a 3-0 run later increased the Bears' lead to 10 points at 15-5. Cal's next 4-0 and 3-0 runs brought its advantage up even further to 23-9, but one last gasp from Nevada – a 0-5 streak – forced the visitors to regroup. Finally, it was sophomore Mikayla Hayden who tipped over her sixth kill of the day to clinch the match and officially keep Cal undefeated in nonconference play.
 
UP NEXT
Cal opens Pac-12 play on Tuesday at Haas Pavilion with the Big Spike against rival Stanford, who is currently ranked fifth in the nation. First serve is currently scheduled for 7 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Networks.
 
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