Bringing it home: Cal volleyball has a successful weekend in Haas
Nothing seemed to be able to rain on the Bears’ parade as they played their first few home matches this weekend at the Cal tournament.
Utah Tech’s red and white was nowhere to be seen; rather, a dazzling blue and gold was visible throughout the match.
Starting off the first set strong, the Bears dominated the Bison, taking it at 25-19. However, Utah Tech was able to break from the tight chokehold it found themselves in, and things turned around for them as they ended at 19-25 in favor of Utah Tech.
While things were beginning to look better for the Bison, the Bears had different plans; the third set ending at 25-19 and the fourth at 25-17 in Cal’s favor ending the match at a victorious 3-1. A blue and gold flame burnt brighter, and the Bears continued their parade free from the stress of losing.
Thirteen is often regarded as an unlucky number, but the universe had a different plan for Cal during the Utah Tech match. With 13 kills from Lydia Grote, and 13 digs from Tara DeSa, the Bears were able to claim the victory.
This is all not to mention the 27 assists from Annalea Maeder.
The Bears’ chilling march could be heard from far and wide as they entered the arena one more time later that day to face the Tennessee State Tigers. The momentum from the previous match appeared to have carried over as the Bears swiftly swept the Tigers off their feet.
Cal was able to take the first set ending at 25-17, with little to no resistance from the Tigers. The same could be said for the second set as the Bears continued their parade, taking the set 25-18.
Nothing seemed to be able to stop the Bears as they marched to victory, ending the third set at 25-14. With that, the Bears stood tall earning the match 3-0. A blue and gold spectacle endured giving fans a reason to rejoice and celebrate.
An impressive 11 kills from Grote and 12 digs from DeSa once again facilitated the victorious prance Cal got to walk.
But as history has shown time after time, empires rise and empires fall. It is inevitable and part of the circle of life.
Similarly, a blue and gold parade was stumped at the feet of a colossal wolf pack. The Bears were no match for the University of Nevada Reno wolf packs, although Cal did not go down without a roaring fight.
With a tight score of 22-25, Nevada was able to claim a victory in the first set over Cal. The blue and gold strut, however, seemed to have picked up once more as the Bears mutilated Nevada in the second set with a terminating score of 25-14.
This momentum certainly carried over the next two sets.
Even so, Cal efforts were not enough. The third set, once again, was awarded just by a hair to Nevada (22-25). The third and final set really established the Wolf Packs though as they fought harder and put a finish to Cal’s parade, taking the set 25-19.
That is not to say Nevada was entirely free from the wrath of Grote, as she added 15 more kills to her record. DeSa also added a whopping 22 digs to hers and Maeder served the team well, meaning 40 assists.
Regardless of this final match, Cal fans were surely satisfied as they got an intense match against an admirable opponent, Nevada, and added a mighty two more wins to the record, bringing the team to a 5-3 record so far this season.
Jose Rivera covers volleyball. Contact him at jrivera@dailycal.org.