Grote's 15 Kills Not Enough Against No. 21 WSU

BERKELEY – California got 15 kills on .344 hitting from Lydia Grote, but fell in straight sets to No. 21 Washington State, 19-25, 23-25, 14-25 on Thursday night at Haas Pavilion.

Bella Bergmark added six kills on .364 offensive efficiency along with four blocks for the Bears (7-19, 0-15 Pac-12).

Argentina Ung tallied a team best nine kills for the Cougars (17-8, 11-4 Pac-12). 

How It Happened:
Cal got out to a 6-3 early lead behind kills from Katie Smoot and Grote before WSU scored four straight to take its first advantage of the set. The Bears closed to within one, 16-15, on Grote's fourth kill of the frame, but the Cougs took five of the next six to take control of the score and went on to a 25-19 win.

Grote continued her strong night in the second set, putting down back-to-back kills to give Cal four straight points and a 15-10 lead at the media timeout. The Bears extended the advantage to 18-12 and made it 20-14 on a Leah Schmidt kill. Washington State didn't go away, scoring three straight points on two aces to close within 22-21, forcing the second Cal timeout. The Cougars scored four of the next five out of the break to take the set, 25-23.

Bergmark recorded another block to make the score 7-4 WSU early in the third. Cal got within one at 9-8 until the Cougs scored five of the next seven, forcing a Golden Bear timeout at 17-11 and the visitors extended the run to take the set and the match.   

Up Next: The Bears return to Haas Pavilion for a 12 noon first serve against No. 13 Washington on Sunday, Nov. 14.

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