Maeder, DeJardin Impress Against Sun Devils

BERKELEY – California volleyball (7-21, 0-18 Pac-12) welcomed Arizona State (12-18, 6-12) to Haas Pavilion on Sunday afternoon, posting its fifth straight five-set match – a new program record – in a hard-fought battle that included stellar performances from multiple Bears. Sophomore Annalea Maeder recorded a career-high seven blocks and five service aces, also adding 48 assists, 9 digs and 5 kills to her stat line. Freshman Peyton DeJardin posted her first double-double as a Golden Bear, accumulating 16 kills and 17 digs on the day, while classmate Mikayla Hayden totaled 7 blocks of her own and junior Lydia Grote led the team with 22 kills.

Ultimately, the Sun Devils were victorious over the Bears by a final score of 3-2, snapping a six-game ASU losing streak.

Maeder posted five of her seven blocks in the first set, matching her former career high, as the Bears battled back from a deficit to close the gap to just two in a 25-23 ASU set win. The two teams exchanged points early in the second before several small scoring runs put Cal ahead for good, Grote slamming down the winning kill for a match-tying 25-20 Bears victory.

Riding that momentum into the third set, Cal posted an early 7-0 run – including three kills from senior Sydney Lilomaiava – then followed that up with a 4-0 run that included two straight aces from Maeder. The Bears took the lead by clinching that set, 25-21, as Grote was involved in three of Cal’s final four points. Despite multiple three- and four-set runs from…