BERKELEY – California volleyball welcomed one of the nation’s top programs to Haas Pavilion on Sunday afternoon and kept things exciting against No. 9 Washington State with a thrilling third set that went to extra points, but ultimately fell to the Cougars in straight sets, 3-0.
Senior libero Tara DeSa led the court with 10 digs, rising to sixth on Cal’s all-time list with 1,250 on her career. Freshman Maggie Li posted 14 kills to tie for the game high, including nine in the third set, and added six digs and an ace.
Cal (15-10, 4-10 Pac-12) was on the wrong end of six WSU (19-6, 9-5) blocks in the first set but also took advantage of six of the Cougars’ 14 service errors to stay competitive. The Golden Bears found themselves in an early hole but continued to grind out points, with senior Sam Taumoepeau and sophomore Sophie Scott contributing three kills apiece. Freshman Ashley Li saw extended action for the first time in over two weeks, with her first kill of the match bringing Cal to 19 points and cutting the deficit to four, but the Cougars eventually closed it out, 25-20.
In the second set, the Bears found themselves at an early disadvantage once again due to a 4-0 run by WSU, but were able to come back and take a 15-14 lead with four consecutive points of their own. The two teams tied thrice in the next seven scores before the Cougars broke the set open, racing out to a six-point lead to seal it at 25-19.
Cal and WSU tied no fewer than 19 times in the third set,…
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