Box Score
LOS ANGELES — Big West champion Cal Poly upended the No. 5 seed BYU Cougars in a five-set thriller in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship on Thursday at the Galen Center on the campus of Southern California.

Cal Poly (26-7) registered 64 kills with a hitting percentage of .313, while also recording 72 digs while outblocking their opponents from Provo 12-5. The Mustangs maintained a 7-4 edge at the service line including the night's final point to claim the win, taking sets 1, 4 and 5 to advance. This marks the Mustangs fourth Power 4 win of the season, twice taking down ranked foes from the Big 12.

By defeating fifth-seeded and 22nd-ranked BYU in the Kentucky quadrant, the Mustangs await the winner of Princeton and No. 4 seed USC on Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. Cal Poly has now won their first round game in consecutive NCAA appearances, taking the win over Georgia in 2019.

Cal Poly secured the first set with a decisive 25-19 win. The Mustangs were led by sophomore outside hitter Kendall Beshear, who contributed two critical blocks that stifled BYU's momentum, and Big West Championship MVP Chloe Leluge, who delivered key kills, including one that tied the score at 10-10. Redshirt senior setter Emme Bullis facilitated the offense with multiple assists, setting up Charlotte Kelly and Emma Fredrick for pivotal points. Cal Poly's efficiency was further highlighted by their ability to convert on BYU's service errors, which aided in maintaining their lead.

In the second set, BYU evened the score with strong offensive play to secure a 25-17 set win. Brielle Kemavor and Big 12 Freshman of the Year Suli Davis led a decisive stretch of points for the Cougars, each contributing multiple kills with Kemavor's final point ending the frame. Cal Poly fought hard in the third set but was unable to overcome BYU, falling 25-20. Kelly and Beshear led the attack with crucial kills, helping the Mustangs stay within reach, with a two-point game seen after key points for Beshear to make it 17-15 and 19-17, but the Cougars were able to close strong to take the lead in the match. 

Cal Poly secured a decisive fourth set victory, 25-20, to force a fifth set. Bullis orchestrated the Mustangs' attack with numerous assists, including pivotal kills by Annabelle Thalken and Leluge, who each contributed multiple points with the Cal Poly defense getting critical blocks from Kelly and Beshear. Cal Poly closed with the final four points in the fourth to gain the momentum heading into the deciding set.

The battle in the fifth opened with teams trading the point and the lead in the early-goings of the match. After a successful BYU challenge set the score at 3-3, the Mustangs rallied to take the next point off a strike from Beshear and never looked back. The match was ended on an ace for junior Emma Fredrick to send the team stampeding into the second round. 

Bullis directed the Mustangs' offense with 52 assists with Beshear emerging as the offensive cog, recording 20 kills on .383 hitting with with 12 digs, four total blocks - including two solo stuffs - and a pair of aces. Fredrick added 15 kills and 10 digs for the double-double with Elif Hurriyet anchoring the defense while popping up 16 digs. Kelly and Leluge were both in on five blocks as six players on the Cal Poly roster were able to notch multiple denials in the strong play at the net. 

Davis paced the Cougars' offensive efforts in the loss with 18 kills, while Kemavor added 15 kills and three blocks. BYU caps their season at 22-9 overall.