BERKELEY – California volleyball responded in the best way possible to being swept in its last outing, taking to the court Sunday afternoon with a newfound fire and defeating visitor NC State in straight sets, 25-19, 25-21, 25-14, to earn its first ACC win as a program and improve to 9-7 (1-3 ACC) on the year while snapping a four-match losing streak.
 
"Our passing was fantastic today," head coach Jen Malcom said. "Today just shows that when everyone is on task, good things can happen."
 
Sophomore Xuemeng (Maggie) Li once again led the Bears' offense, posting 13 kills on .367 hitting to lead both teams while also pacing the Bears with two service aces; junior Natalie Lau, meanwhile, added 34 assists to surpass 400 on the season.
 
As a team, Cal recorded 11 total blocks, led by sophomore Sawyer Thomsen's six, while senior Ellie Hamm and freshman Kate Mansfield each contributed five to help hold the Wolfpack (7-5, 2-2) to just .126 offensive efficiency – their lowest hitting percentage of the year. Senior Gianna Bartalo recorded a match-high 14 digs to further aid the Bears' defensive efforts.
 
"Our communication was very effective and our gameplan went really well," Li said. "I'm just really proud of everyone."
 
Cal's offense was at its best in the first set as the Bears hit .303, with Li posting four kills. Despite dropping the first point, Li's first ace of the day gave the Blue & Gold a 2-1 lead that the home squad never relinquished. NC State was forced to call its first timeout after a kill from DeJardin brought the score to 9-5 but were able to close the gap to just one point at 14-13, then again at 15-14. It was Thomsen who responded with the next kill to increase Cal's advantage once again, which they were able to increase thanks to a slew of Wolfpack errors. Junior Peyton DeJardin ultimately clinched the set for the Bears with her second kill of the match.
 
Both teams hit very well early in the second set, but the advantage once again went to Cal as the Bears finished at .300. The Wolfpack forced five ties but only took the lead once, stringing together three-consecutive points after Mansfield posted the first score (and kill) of the set. Cal stayed in control but was unable to stretch its own lead to more than three points until the very end, with a block from Thomsen and Lau putting the Bears up two sets to none.
 
The Bears' block came out in full force in the third set, with both Thomsen and Hamm recording solo stops in addition to another three two-person stuffs. Li's six kills powered Cal's offense, which included four runs of three-or-more points; it was the first of these, a six-point streak punctuated by a desperate NC State timeout, that broke open the set for the Bears and led to victory. DeJardin once again made her mark by slamming down her ninth kill of the day to bring the score to 23-12 – an 11-point difference, the largest of the match. Cal eventually went to Li at match point and she delivered with kill number 13, sending the crowd into an uproar and the Bears racing to embrace each other in triumph at the center of the court.
 
UP NEXT
Cal stays at home next weekend, welcoming Boston College (7-9, 0-4) Friday night and Syracuse (12-4, 0-4) Saturday night to Haas Pavilion.
 
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