SAN LUIS OBISPO – California volleyball hoped to take the momentum from Wednesday night's reverse sweep over Vanderbilt into their second road trip of the season, facing a tough Cal Poly team Friday night at Mott Athletics Center to kick off the Mustang Invitational. Unfortunately for the Golden Bears (3-3), it was the Mustangs (5-3) who came out on top, winning in straight sets for their second-consecutive sweep (25-21, 25-22, 25-17).
 
Senior Mikayla Hayden continued her streak of standout play with 11 kills on .563 hitting and three blocks, while freshman Annemarie O'Gara posted the best night of her young career with five kills and zero errors (.500) as well as three blocks of her own. Freshman setter Maria Știrbu, who started her first collegiate match, collected 30 assists on the night, while classmate Francesca Popescu paced the team with nine digs.
 
Cal Poly's Big West-leading offense hit .385 on the night, paced by three double-digit kill performances. Mustang setter Emme Bullis recorded a double-double with 32 assists and 10 digs as well as a court-leading five blocks.
 
Both teams had problems at the service line, with the Bears posting 12 service errors and the Mustangs 10.
 
Despite Hayden's perfect 5-for-5 offensive efficiency in the first set and a pair of three-point Cal runs, Cal Poly pulled ahead for good on a mid-set five-point sequence that allowed them to hold the Bears at bay and take a 1-0 set lead. Cal never led in the second set and had just one late three-point streak as the Mustangs reached set point, but the Bears ultimately fell short after closing the gap to two. Cal Poly's offense kicked into another gear in the last set, hitting a blistering .533 while holding Cal to just .147 despite three early kills from senior Peyton DeJardin. Not even an ace and two kills from junior Ashley Li later in the set could help the Bears swing the momentum in their favor; finally, Cal Poly's Kendall Beshear posted her 14th kill of the night to close out the match.
 
UP NEXT
The Bears continue play at the Mustang Invitational on Saturday, taking on San Jose State (2-3) at 1 p.m. PT.
 
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