For the first time since 1985, the 16th-seeded Cal Poly Mustangs have progressed to the third round of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament. The Mustangs advanced to the program's fifth NCAA Volleyball Regional matchup after sweeping both Xavier and Purdue in the first and second rounds in Athens, Ohio. Cal Poly's trip to the Sweet 16 marks the first Big West Conference representative since 2002 when UC Santa Barbara reached the elite field. The Mustangs, riding a 14-match win streak, reached the postseason after earning their second straight Big West Championship with a 15-1 record.
Cal Poly heads to Stanford, Calif., to compete in a Pac 10-filled Regional that includes No. 1 Stanford, No. 8 UCLA and Oregon. The Mustangs have the grueling task of taking on No. 1-seeded and host Stanford in the Sweet 16 showdown on Friday, Dec. 7 at 9:00 p.m. No. 8 UCLA and Oregon play the earlier match scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The winner of both contests face-off in an Elite Eight outing the following day at 8:30 p.m. The Stanford Regional will be televised live on ESPNU.
Cal Poly heads into this weekend's matchup looking to avenge an early-season 3-0 (30-20, 30-28, 30-28) loss to the Cardinal at the Stanford Invitational. Stanford, who reached the Sweet 16 with wins over Santa Clara and Sacramento State, holds a 9-8 advantage in the all-time series with the Mustangs.
In a regional field where the Mustangs own an overall mark of 17-20, Cal Poly has dominated the series with the Oregon Ducks (7-2), which has been dormant since September 4, 1998. Cal Poly isn't as lucky when up against the UCLA Bruins, as they trail the overall series 10-1. The Mustangs' lone victory came in the last meeting between the two teams back on November 27, 1985.
The Big West Conference holds a 35-28 (.556) record in regional matchups, while Cal Poly has struggled in later rounds of the NCAA Tournament with a 1-4 mark. The Mustangs, who are 7-3 at home and 6-3 on neutral ground in postseason play, have yet to post a road win in the NCAA Tournament (0-7).
Cal Poly was one of two Big West schools that received a bid to this year's NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament, Long Beach State being the second representative. Making their 21st consecutive NCAA appearance, the 49ers defeated UNLV, 3-2, in the first round before dropping a five-game thriller to host and fifth-seeded USC in the second round. Having won three national championships ( 1989, 1993, 1998), Long Beach State is now 47-19 (.712) all-time in postseason play.