Cal Riding 3-Match Win Streak Against Top-15 Teams
BERKELEY – On Tuesday, the No. 6 California beach volleyball team will be back playing at the Clark Kerr Sand Courts for the first time in over a month. Coming off three straight wins over top-15 ranked opponents, the Golden Bears (12-4) host Feather River and No. 9 Cal Poly. This will be the Bears’ second meeting with the Mustangs (20-2), who they fell to 3-2 at the Battle for L.A. on March 1.
MID-WEEK OPPONENTS
Tuesday, March 26
Feather River (10-3) | 10 a.m. PT
No. 9 Cal Poly (20-2) | 2:30 p.m. PT
LAST TIME OUT
The Bears opened the East Meets West Invitational at Manhattan Beach by falling behind 2-0 to No. 8 LSU, but fought back to tie it at 2-2 before the Tigers clinched the dual with a 15-12 third-set win in the final matchup. Cal quickly bounced back in a major way, knocking off then-No. 4 Florida State 4-1 and ending the Seminoles’ run of 14 straight wins to start the year. The Bears finished off the weekend with another 4-1 win against No. 15 Georgia State and a 3-2 comeback win over No. 13 Hawaii.
MILESTONE WATCH
Lineup mainstays Lara Boos and Alexandria Young-Gomez – both of whom have competed in every match this season – both have the opportunity to reach 50 career wins on Tuesday. Since 2021, Boos has compiled a 49-13 career record, with 38 wins coming during her time at LSU. Young-Gomez owns an identical 11-5 record as Boos this season, bringing her career mark to 48-21.
THE CHEMISTRY IS REAL
The Bears have compiled one of the nation’s best records on the 5s court (14-2), led by the combination of sophomore Portia Sherman and junior Ella Dreibholz. The pair – which initially formed at the club level prior to its Berkeley days – owns the best record on the team, going 6-0 on court four and 8-2 on court five. It enters Tuesday’s action on a 6-match win streak.
BEARS IN THE RANKINGS
After ending 2023 ranked seventh in the final AVCA poll, Cal entered this year with a No. 8 national ranking, three spots higher than its starting spot prior to the 2023 season. Following three weeks of action, the Bears earned their first-ever top-6 ranking from CollegeBeachVB.com and the AVCA Coaches Poll. Cal is 5-4 against ranked opponents this year, with two wins coming against top-5 opponents.
THE SQUAD
The Bears’ 2024 roster includes 11 returners, three transfers and four true freshmen.
In her first year…
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