The UCI Women’s Volleyball team (13-7, 6-4) defeated the Cal Poly Mustangs (10-9, 7-2), 3-1, at the Bren Events Center on Saturday, Oct. 22.
The Anteaters came into the first set on fire as they responded to the first two Mustang points with six points of their own. This forced a Cal Poly timeout to stop the momentum. The Mustangs answered with a rally of their own, tying the game at 8-8. However, back-to-back kills from junior middle blocker Onye Ofoegbu kept the Anteaters in the lead.
Cal Poly eventually overcame their early struggles to take the lead 18-16. UCI then proved their offensive strength when they tied up the game at 19 points with a hit by Ofoegbu. Her hard hits pushed through the Mustang’s blocks forcing yet another Cal Poly timeout. However, it didn’t throw off the Anteaters as they came out of the timeout, winning the set 25-21.
The second set started differently as Cal Poly got the jump on UCI and took an early lead. UCI slowly gained points but looked outmatched by the taller Mustang team. As UCI fought to get back in the game, freshman libero Campbell Jensen threw herself over the scoreboard in order to save the ball but was unsuccessful. The failed dig gave the Mustangs an 8-4 lead.
UCI slowly regrouped to take a 10-9 lead, but this didn’t last long. The Mustangs took control once again off a kill and two UCI errors to take a 12-10 advantage. As the fight continued, a rally occurred but Cal Poly ended it with a tip over the net. The Mustangs went on to score the next two points to take an 18-14 lead, however, a pair of UCI kills and a Mustangs service error tied the game at 21, prompting another Mustangs timeout. Out of the timeout, the Mustangs scored the final four points of the set to earn a 25-21 victory.
Neither team let the other gain any edge at the start of the third set. A challenge was called on a hit that went out of bounds by Cal Poly, who claimed the ball had been touched by UCI. The final call went in the favor of the Mustangs, giving them a 5-3 lead. Once both teams went back to the game, another play was challenged by UCI head coach Ashlie Hain, but again, the final call was in the favor of the Mustangs. This gave them a 10-7 lead with UCI out of challenges for the remainder of the match.
Still, the Anteaters swept in and took the lead back for good, causing a Cal Poly timeout with UCI leading 12-10. The Anteaters continued to push the tempo, taking a 19-16 lead and forcing another Mustangs timeout. After the timeouts, Cal Poly caught some momentum with their kills that went through the Anteaters’ defense, but their momentum was cut short as coach Hain called for a timeout. UCI kept their lead and capitalized on two of the final four points to take the set 25-23.
Set four started rough for the Anteaters as they couldn’t answer the first four points made by Cal Poly. The offense struggled and with UCI down 3-9, coach Hain called a timeout to ease the Anteater’s nerves. UCI fought back as a rally ensued, which ended as UCI redshirt junior middle blocker Kiani Stanton tipped the ball over the net, in just the right place where no Mustang could reach it.
The Anteaters fought back, eventually taking a 22-20 lead. They never looked back, finally winning the set 25-20 and taking the match 3-1. With the win, UCI improved to 6-4 in the Big West Conference, two spots below the Mustangs who hold an 8-2 record in the conference.
Next up, the Anteaters will play the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, CA.
Seattle Barron is a Sports Intern for the fall 2022 quarter. She can be reached at skbarron@uci.edu
