BERKELEY – California volleyball closed out its opening weekend with a sweep over visiting San Francisco on Sunday afternoon in the 40th meeting between the two squads, exactly one year after they last met at Haas Pavilion. After forcing the home team to five sets in 2024, the Dons (0-2) were determined to make a statement – but it was the Golden Bears (2-0) who triumphed once again, 29-27, 25-16, 25-16, to take a 38-2 all-time series advantage.
 
As a team, Cal hit .252 to San Francisco's .081. Senior Mikayla Hayden put on an outstanding all-around performance, notching a match-high 12 kills (.417) and matching her career single-match best with eight blocks. For the second match in a row, freshman Arissa Carbonara posted 10 kills, while senior Peyton DeJardin led both teams with three aces and added a team-high 11 digs.
 
Senior setter Natalie Lau crossed the 1,000-career assists mark in the second set, having started the match at 981 total. She finished with 29 on the day, bringing her career total to 1,010, and posted six kills on seven attacks with no errors (.857) to double her previous single-match best.
 
The match also saw the season debuts of fourth-year middle blocker Sophie Scott and second-year opposite hitter Grace Agolli, both of whom sat out the entire 2024 season due to injury.
 
"Obviously, I was really excited - I was always ready to go," Scott said. "I put in a lot of time and effort off the court, I've been working my butt off, so it was just a surreal feeling to be back out there with my team."
 
Cal faced its biggest challenge in the first set despite outhitting the Dons .304-.179 as a team, which included seven kills from Carbonara. The Bears got things started with a block from Hayden and sophomore Dominique Phills but quickly found themselves behind thanks to three service errors and a three-point run from the visitors. The home squad never found itself down by more than two points, battling furiously to force 18 tie scores and six lead changes before finally emerging victorious thanks to the efforts of Phills (who forced a kill through the hands of two San Francisco blockers) and Hayden (who combined with Phills for the set-sealing block).
 
Finding its momentum, Cal dominated the second set, holding the Dons to a -.033 hitting percentage and jumping out to an immediate 4-0 start before going on a nine-point run shortly afterwards. Down 2-14, San Francisco put together a pair of their own four-point sequences, but Cal responded by scoring five consecutive points late in the set with a pair of consecutive Hayden blocks to stretch the Bears' lead back out to 10 (23-13). Lau clinched Set Two for the Bears with her fourth kill of the day, dumping the ball decisively over the net.
 
The Dons scored the first two points of the third set but were overtaken for good by Cal after the Bears went on an 11-2 run, scoring the last eight points of the sequence. San Francisco responded by taking the next three points, but it was the last time that the Dons would score more than two straight for the rest of the match, as Cal stalled any subsequent efforts with stout defense and a disciplined offense that committed just one attack error in the second half of the set. Finally, for the second-straight contest, it was DeJardin who sealed Cal's win, rocketing the ball down the sideline to find the floor.
 
California Tournament – All-Tournament Team
Cal – Sophia Johnson (MVP)
Cal – Natalie Lau
San Diego State – Zara Lawson
San Francisco – Anica Bobic
 
 
UP NEXT
Cal will head to Lincoln, Neb., for the Ameritas Players Challenge next weekend, playing in a neutral-site match against Wright State (2-1) Saturday at 9 a.m. PT before squaring off against top-ranked Nebraska (4-0) on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT.
 
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