Maeder, Taumoepeau Have Milestone Day
BERKELEY – California volleyball (5-3) concluded the two-day Cal Tournament on Saturday against Nevada (5-4), putting up a ferocious fight that was ultimately not enough to overcome an energized Wolf Pack squad, who won the match with a final score of 3-1 despite being held to a hitting percentage of .172.
Cal quickly jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set, a run that included both Annalea Maeder's 900th career assist and her 200th assist of the season. Nevada, however, refused to roll over as it put together a solid offensive sequence to tie the game at 8-8 and then take the lead. The two teams exchanged points by twos and threes, but a late 5-0 run for the Wolf Pack was too much for the Bears to overcome as Nevada took the first set, 25-22.
Their opposition was ferocious in its attack, but the Bears put together a 4-0 scoring run for an early lead in the second set. A slew of Nevada errors added several points to Cal's side of the net, but the home team truly pulled away after the Wolf Pack scored its 10th point – a 7-1 run that included two kills from Lydia Grote and an ace from Leah Schmidt put the Bears ahead for good (and an eventual 25-14 set win).
In the third set, neither team was willing to give, recording no fewer than 11 ties throughout. Freshman Mikayla Hayden came in clutch more than once, posting three kills and two blocks at critical moments, but it was Sam Taumoepeau's solo block that tied the score at 21 and triggered a roar from the Haas Pavilion crowd. Nevada won the set, 25-22, but the Bears had made their position clear: they were not going down without a major fight.
Taumoepeau, aided by Maeder, set about taking over the fourth set for the Bears. Her 11th and 12th kills of the match – a career high – tied the score up at 5-5 (she would later finish with 14 total kills). Her energy was more than matched by Nevada, however, who brought a raucous approach to the match and put together an impressive 7-1 run to take the lead for good and win the set, 25-19, and the match.
All-Tournament Team:
Kayla Afoa, Nevada (Most Outstanding Player)
Kia Kaohelauli, Nevada
Andrea Alcaraz, Nevada
Tara DeSa, Cal
Mikayla Hayden, Cal
Sophie Scott, Cal
Taela Laufiso, Utah Tech
Mykenna Nelson, Utah Tech
Whitnee Nihipali, Utah Tech
Johanna Alcantara, Tennessee State
UP NEXT
Cal heads to nearby Moraga on Thursday, Sept. 15, for a 6:00 p.m. PT match against Saint Mary's (California).
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