Competing head-to-head for a spot in the Big West Championship finals, No. 1 seed Cal Poly lost to No. 2 seed Long Beach State, 3-2, in the two-day conference tournament on Thursday, April 25, and Friday, April 26.
The Mustangs (29-6) came into the tournament looking for redemption after breaking their streak of earned conference titles last year.
Starting off the first day strong, Cal Poly swept both CSU Northridge and UC Davis 5-0 and claimed the first seed in Pool B.
The next day, the Mustangs took on Pool A’s second seed, Long Beach State (28-9), and ultimately fell in a nail-biting match.
Long Beach State continued into the finals but failed to win the Big West Championship title after losing the last game to Hawai’i.
Thursday vs. CSUN
Cal Poly faced CSUN (16-21) in the late morning on Thursday for their first match of the day.
The No. 3 and No. 4 pairings dominantly earned their first wins, securing an early 2-0 lead for the Mustangs.
Shortly after, the No. 5 duo of junior Abbey Reinard and junior Madison Nichols finished their match 21-11, 23-21, and secured the victory for Cal Poly.
The success continued as the No. 2 and No. 1 pairings defeated their respective opponents, earning a sweep against the Matadors.
Thursday vs. UC Davis
Cal Poly performed another sweep after taking down UC Davis (18-17) in their second tournament matchup.
Similarly to their first match, all the Mustangs’ pairings won in straight sets.
To get things started, the No. 2 duo of junior Piper Ferch and freshman Erin Inskeep secured Cal Poly’s first win against the Aggies 21-14, 21-12.
Now at an overall 28-4 for the season, the pairing is only two wins away from breaking the program record for wins in a single season.
Up next to take down their opponents were the No. 3 and No. 4 pairings, and the Mustangs were then scheduled for the semifinals.
Cal Poly’s No. 1 and No. 5 tandems finished the day strong and swept up the Aggies 5-0.
The Mustangs would return to the sand on the tournament’s second day to face No. 8 Long Beach State for a shot at the Big West Championship finals.
Friday vs Long Beach State
Cal Poly took to the courts late Friday morning to battle against Long Beach State for the last time in the Big West Championship.
The Mustangs had a slow start to the match, falling behind in a 2-0 lead by Beach at the No. 1 and No. 5 spots.
The No. 4 pairing of freshman Logan Walter and senior Piper Naess put Cal Poly back on the board, clinching a 21-16, 21-18 win and extending their streak to an impressive 21.
Graduate student Lindsey Sparks and freshman Quinn Perry tied the score after taking down their opponent in an exciting 21-18, 28-26.
Ferch and Inskeep were pressured to bring it home for the Mustangs, but the duo ultimately fell short in a three-set showdown.
Cal Poly would finish its journey in the Big West without a championship title, but the Mustangs’ journey is not over yet.
On Sunday, April 28, Cal Poly was chosen as the No. 5 seed in an at-large selection for the NCAA Championships.
For the fourth time in program history, the Mustangs will head to Gulf Shores, Ala. to compete against the best in the nation on Friday, May 3.