Caroline Walters has been through a lot at Cal Poly. In her first full season as head-coach this year, the Mustangs are ranked in the top-25 in the nation. We talked about her time on staff at Cal Poly for two coaches and as an interim coach, what it’s like to coach your sister, and where she sees the program headed moving forward. 

The Denver Pioneers deserve all of Cal Poly’s attention. They’ll get it, but knuckleheads like me can’t stop thinking about a potential Cal Poly vs. UCLA second-round matchup in the 2017 NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

After winning the Big West and going undefeated in conference play, Cal Poly earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. For sophomore Torrey Van Winden, a transfer from UCLA, the location of the first and potential second-round games is familiar — Pauley Pavilion.

Torrey, whose sister Adlee is a junior on the team, grew up with senior setter Taylor Nelson. In fact, their mothers played together in the mid-80’s at Cal Poly.

Last time @CalPolyVolley made the NCAA's, it was 2007 and Jon Stevenson was head coach. They swept Xavier and Purdue before losing to Stanford in three sets in the Sweet 16. #RideHigh #GoMustangs

— Max Milander (@MustangMax1) November 27, 2017

Torrey played at UCLA last season, but transferred to Cal Poly in the summer. She talked about feeling at home in San Luis Obispo this season and also about maybe having something to prove with the Mustangs.

First up is Denver, though. Out of the Summit League, the Pioneers had their highest ever final RPI this year at 55. Cal Poly’s RPI sits at 16. If they win, an 18-10 UCLA team is a likely opponent. 

If you’re in Los Angeles, this Cal Poly team is really fun to root for. Get to Pauley Pavilion on Friday night. You won’t be disappointed. 

Game time: Friday, 5:30pm

After sweeping the final home weekend of the season, Cal Poly volleyball clinched their first Big West Conference title in ten years Saturday night, sweeping third-place UC Irvine in three sets. 

For Cal Poly head coach Sam Crosson, the title marks the apex of a five year reconstruction of a program that went 4-26 in the year before he arrived. For the three seniors on the roster — Raeann Griesen, Savannah Neiman, and Taylor Nelson, the team’s 19th win in a row came on Senior Day at Mott Athletic Center. 

Mott dominance

Cal Poly finished their home season without losing a match at Mott all season. One thing that’s helpful is that they don’t play any non-conference games at home. But the Mustangs weren’t just good at home. They were dominant. In TOTAL, Cal Poly dropped just three sets at home in eight matches — two of those sets were against Hawai’i in their five-set victory. Cal Poly isn’t likely to host any NCAA Tournament games, but crowds definitely grew over the course of the season and you can bet that the Mustangs will start next season with about as big a home-court advantage as you can have in the Big West, aside from Hawai’i.

The right mix

Cal Poly used a familiar formula on the attack on Saturday night. Names like Van Winden, Nelson, Greisen, and Neiman led the way. Even in a three-set match in past years, Greisen or Adlee Van Winden would have a hugely disproportionate number of attacks and kills. Because they have such a depth of talent this season, Cal Poly has been able to limit each player’s number of swings. 

Volleyball health can be a cumulative thing. With the conference wrapped-up, it will be interesting to see if any players get days off or far less game usage on the road this week in preparation for the NCAA Tournament at the end of the month.

Mott Madness

Mott Athletic Center has been rocking the past few weeks. Starting with the Hawai’i game, Cal Poly drew 3,032, 2,781, 2,234, and 1,624 fans. Drawing almost 2,500 fans per game down the stretch is a pretty great number at Cal Poly. Being a top-25 team, this group certainly deserves all the attention they’re getting.

Alumnae on-hand

The conference-clinching match came in front of many of Crosson’s first freshman class that included Taylor Gruenewald and Shannon Fouts, among others. Those players endured 12-17 and 9-17 records in their first two seasons with the program, attended Cal Poly before there even was a beach program, and helped groom many of the younger players who are undefeated in conference play with just two matches left.

I didn’t pay a lot of attention to volleyball prior to Crosson’s arrival, but I know the culture wasn’t what he wanted it to be early-on. Changing culture isn’t always easy. This group has done it, and come out on the other side with all the success they could have hoped for. 

Congratulations are, certainly, in order. 

Photos from Friday night below by Owen Main. 

For more photos, or to purchase photos, click here.  If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

Cal Poly Volleyball still has four regular season games left on their schedule, but with a pair of home wins this weekend, Sam Crosson’s group could clinch their first Big West title since he arrived five seasons ago. 

Cal Poly head coach Sam Crosson has seen the Mustang program turn around over his five years in San Luis Obispo. By Owen Main

First they beat Hawai’i in Hawai’i. Then, they beat them at home. The Mustangs continue to be in the Big West driver’s seat. 

Over the past week, Cal Poly moved up to 22nd in the coaches poll. It marked the fourth straight week they appeared in the top-25 — they were 23rd each of the past three weeks. 

On Friday, Cal Poly will host UC Davis on Alumni Night at 7pm, followed by a senior day match with UC Irvine on Saturday afternoon at 2:00pm, preceding the football game. If you haven’t seen them yet this season, you should.

The Anteaters — Cal Poly’s Saturday opponents — have come up in Big West play, establishing themselves in third place with two weeks left. Cal Poly beat them in three sets in Irvine earlier in the season on ESPN3. 

Two games clear of Hawai’i and three games clear of UC Irvine in the loss column, Cal Poly can clinch the conference title outright on senior day with two weekend wins. 

While men’s and women’s soccer and football all have had disappointing seasons to date, the volleyball team has been stellar. They are unlikely to host an NCAA Tournament Regional in San Luis Obispo, so this weekend will probably be the final chance to see them in San Luis Obispo this year. 

If you’re a sports fan, they are worth your time. 

To view or purchase photos, click here. 

If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

The last time Cal Poly volleyball was poised to win the Big West title, Hawai’i wasn’t even in the conference. This year, though, has been different. Cal Poly has been in the top-25 for a few weeks now and are still undefeated in Big West Conference play. On Friday night, they beat Hawai’i in a five-set thriller.

The Cal Poly volleyball team celebrates after beating Hawai’i for the second time this season. Photo by Owen Main

For the first time in what seems like forever, the Mustang volleyball team is in the driver’s seat with five games to play. 

With their second victory over the Rainbow Wahine, Sam Crosson’s squad now has an effective three-match lead over Hawai’i and UC Irvine with just five matches left in the regular season. 

Let’s play five

The match on Friday started ugly. Multiple service errors and errant passes on defense kept the Mustangs from getting into any kind of rhythm. Cal Poly was able to get some of that rhythm in the second set and tied the match going into the break. 

The third and fourth sets were a grind. Hawai’i stormed back from a six-point defecit late in the third to take it, but Cal Poly once again rallied in the fourth, setting up the decisive fifth set. 

In the fifth, the teams didn’t seem to have much between them, until Cal Poly took a lead late. With the score tied at 14, Cal Poly scored the 15th point. After a Hawai’i point tied the match at 15, the Mustangs won two in a row to seal the match. 

Seniors show out

Taylor Nelson had 63 assists in the match, including some Sam Crosson said were simply a force of will. 

With Hawai’i focusing on stopping the Van Winden sisters, Raeann Greisen had what might have been her best match, notching 20 kills and hitting. 306 for the match. Junior Adlee Van Winden was also very efficient with 17 kills of her own and a .372 hitting percentage. 

At middle blocker, Savannah Niemen held her own against the taller Hawai’i team, managing 11 kills. 

There will be a few more games at Mott this year, but none will be as memorable as the Hawai’i game. 

Five year plan

Five years ago, Sam Crosson took over a program in shambles. His first few years weren’t easy as the program transitioned players from the previous regime out and got his players in. The Mustangs have been at the top of the conference’s second tier of teams for the past few years, but haven’t been able to break through. 

With new coaches at Hawai’i and Long Beach State this season, along with the addition of Torrey Van Winden to Cal Poly’s already-potent lineup, this was the year for Cal Poly to assert themselves at the top of the conference. 

Barring some kind of historic meltdown, that’s just what this Cal Poly team has done.

Tournament time?

With a top-25 ranking and a conference title likely, Cal Poly will almost definitely make the NCAA tournament. While they’ve hosted a tournament game before, the Mustangs aren’t likely to this season. That’s because the tournament has “regionals,” kind of like baseball, that use a bid process. Sure, they’ll take into account the solid record the Mustangs have amassed.

But the NCAA doesn’t like to make teams travel too far in sports like volleyball and with Stanford and USC ahead of them in RPI and UCLA ahead of them in the coaches poll, it would be unlikely the Mustangs could/would outbid three California-based Pac 12 schools for the right to host. 

But I suppose anything’s possible. 

Currently Cal Poly is ranked 23rd in the coaches poll and 21st in the RPI. 

Cal Poly has just one game this week, hosting UCSB on Friday night at 7pm at Mott Athletic Center, before two games at home and two on the road in subsequent weeks to finish the season. 

To view or purchase photos from Friday night’s match, click here. 

If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

The Cal Poly Volleyball team is off to their best start since I was just a few months old (1981) and their best start in the Division I era at 15-2 overall and 6-0 in Big West Conference play. This is, or could be, arguably, the best Cal Poly Volleyball team the school has ever put on the court. On Saturday, they’ll be tested by perennial powerhouse Hawai’i.

The Rainbow Wahine have their first new head coach since the mid 70’s, but are still a force to be reckoned with. They are 10-5 on the season and also undefeated so far in Big West Conference play. Cal Poly has beaten Long Beach State at the Pyramid, have a higher RPI, and were effectively ranked 26th in the nation in the coaches poll this week.

Torrey Van Winden, a transfer from UCLA and Adlee’s younger sister, has been a revelation for Cal Poly’s already high-powered attack. By Owen Main

With Torrey and Adlee Van Winden, Raeann Griesen, and Savannah Niemen leading the attack and Taylor Nelson setting the table, the Mustangs have only lost to two teams in the top-25 and beat the only other ranked school they played. Torrey Van Winden already has two Big West Player of the Week honors this season and Taylor Nelson earned one recently as well. If they win at Hawai’i, they’ll almost certainly deserve to crack that top-25 poll. It will be anything but easy. 

In sports like volleyball and against a team like Hawai’i, nothing is given. Cal Poly is just 4-39 all-time against Hawai’i. So, the Mustangs might be the better team this season. The numbers would say they are. But until they go into the Stan Sheriff Center and come away with a match win, I’ll simply maintain a healthy optimism.

From what I saw two weeks ago, this year’s Cal Poly team has more weapons than any Mustang team I’ve seen. Last week, Cal Poly won in Long Beach. A win in Honolulu would be another strong message to the Big West and the rest of the national college volleyball scene: Cal Poly is dangerous. 

Folks around Cal Poly athletics are going to be real busy this weekend. From Thursday to Sunday, there are six home games, including one that’s being played in Paso Robles to go along with the Hall of Fame Dinner on Friday night.

Redshirt freshman forward Georgina Stiegeler has been dangerous as an attacker for Cal Poly this season. By Owen Main

The fun starts on Thursday night, when women’s soccer hosts Denver at Alex G. Spanos Stadium, starting at 7:00pm. Alex Crozier’s team is coming off an overtime win on Sunday afternoon and looks to build momentum going into Big West Conference play next week. 

***

On Friday, the volleyball team — a squad with REALLY high expectations this season, makes their 2017 Mott Athletics Center debut against conference foe Cal State Fullerton. The game starts at 6:30. The Cal Poly Hall of Fame dinner will take place on Friday night as well next door at the multipurpose room at the Cal Poly Recreation Center. Inductees will include major league pitcher Kevin Correia, Dr. Ken Walker, football running back Craig Young, and probably the best women’s basketball player in Cal Poly history, Kristina Santiago, among others. 

***

Cal Poly keeper Simon Boehme is the reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Week. By Owen Main

If you didn’t get your fill on Friday, Saturday is even busier. It starts with a rare 11:00am start for the men’s soccer team. They’ll play a “home” game against CSU Bakersfield at Paso Robles Horse Park. With a football game on the same day, the soccer team’s choice to play a game off campus and try to engage the north county community makes sense. It also makes the drive for the Roadrunners a really short one. 

With just four goals in six games played, the Mustangs’ 2-4 record doesn’t seem as bad as it could be. Cal Poly’s offense will look to get going CSUB is also 2-4 coming into the match, but has given up 13 goals in their six games.

***

Once the soccer game is over, Sam Crosson’s volleyball team will play their second game in as many days against UC Riverside. Have I mentioned this volleyball team is good? They’ve won six straight, sweeping five of those matches. The only two sets they’ve lost over that span was in a 3-2 win over 23rd ranked Wichita State. They are legitimate contenders in the Big West this year. If you’re a student or will be on campus anyway for football, you should go early and check it out. You will not be disappointed. Saturday’s volleyball game starts at 4:30. 

***

I’ll be toast by then and my camera battery may need a recharge, but there’s no rest for the weary. With their playoff hopes maybe already on the line, Cal Poly football will kick off their Big Sky Conference season against a top opponent in Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks might be the toughest opponent Cal Poly has left on their schedule and a win would go a long way toward building confidence for the 0-3 Mustangs.

Khaleel Jenkins and the Cal Poly offense will try to get off to a good start in Big Sky Conference play on Saturday evening. By Owen Main

This game is important for SO many reasons, but one is that it is the first opportunity for freshmen to see a football game on-campus. They’ve been here for over two weeks now, and this is a big chance to make a first impression. Despite an 0-3 start, Cal Poly has an opportunity to go 1-0 in the Big Sky, engage their fanbase on campus, and get on a track toward a playoff berth. Northern Arizona is really good and I expect this game to be close and well-played.

I also expect it to be well-coached. Cal Poly is coming off a bye and whatever kinks offensive coordinator Jim Craft has had over the first three weeks, he’ll need to call a complete game and his offense will have to execute a complete 60 minutes for Cal Poly to win. Kickoff is at 6:05 and the Hall of Fame inductees from Friday night will be recognized at halftime. 

***

Saturday night, we’ll all get home around 10:30 or 11:00. And on Sunday, probably with a munchkin in-tow again (what, am I gonna abandon my wife and BOTH kids for four straight days?), I’m likely to be at the women’s soccer game. Expect the pitch to be a little bumpier as the Spanos field absorbs its third game in four days. This is not an unusual occurrence there in the Fall, but it does start to show some wear and tear by Sunday afternoon on weekends like this.

By the end of the weekend, I’m thinking I’ll have put some mileage on my camera, legs, and even my car. I’m estimating maybe 5,000 photos on my camera, 70 miles on my car, and probably a more pronounced farmer’s tan. If I had a fitbit, I’d tell you how many steps. I’m sure it’ll be in the millions. At least it’ll feel like it. 

It’s going to be a fun weekend. 

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In case you haven’t noticed, the students are back. Grocery stores are packed, Target is insane, and don’t even try to go to Costco at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon right now. Last night, the WOWies invaded Farmer’s Market, and this weekend Cal Poly Athletics has a huge chance to make another first impression.

Their first impressions have been a mixed bag in the past. Two years ago, most of Alex G. Spanos Stadium filled-up for a WOW week men’s soccer matchup against San Francisco — one that the Mustangs won. Last season, Cal Poly’s football team had a great opportunity. After starting the season with a thrilling win at Montana and playing Arizona State close, they laid a WOW Week-sized first-quarter egg, trailing 21-0 before the Spanos student section could get warmed-up.

This weekend, there are more opportunities to WOW the WOWies. Starting today at 5:00pm, there are four events at Alex G. Spanos Stadium and a volleyball match at Mott Athletics Center too.

Three of the games are against top-15 teams in the country in three different sports.

For attendance, the two games to keep an eye on are Friday night’s men’s soccer matchup with UCLA and the noon football game on Saturday, and the way I see it, this is a huge oppoortunity for both teams.

With the two marquee games happening 16 hours apart against top-10 opponents, one has to wonder — can the freshmen bring THAT much noise at the end of WOW Week? After a late soccer game on their first Friday night in college, will they even be awake by noon?

Which makes the potential for some noon-game weirdness so, so real.

The last early start at Spanos I remember was the Yale game in 2013. If you don’t remember that, I’ll jog your memory — it was the most or second-most disappointing game I’ve witnessed at Spanos in my five or six years covering the team. There was weird mid-day sun. The student section was lethargic. The team was slow-footed. Yale didn’t have any business being in the game, but they punched the Mustangs in the mouth, got a few key turnovers, and beat Cal Poly. The game day crowd, the team, and the student section can all be ready to help keep Cal Poly on-track against Montana. If they do show, it will be an impressive start to the week for everyone involved, including the WOW leaders and RA’s in the dorms.

Adlee Van Winden and the Cal Poly Volleyball team’s match against #14 Hawai’i might be the most underrated game of the weekend. By Owen Main

The most underrated game of the weekend might be volleyball’s matchup with #14 Hawai’i. Hawai’i is a perennial Big West and national power, but this is a big year for Cal Poly volleyball. Sam Crosson’s first major recruiting class are all now juniors. The Mustangs’ best players are not freshmen and sophomores for the first time in three years, and this could be an early-season upset if Taylor Nelson and co. can get hot against Hawai’i. If you’re up for hanging around Cal Poly after the football game, volleyball should be a good time against another great opponent.

Which brings us to the bookend games for the weekend: women’s soccer. This year’s team is 4-4-1, having lost some close games and games to Pac-12 opponents already this year. After nine matches, they should be starting to find their identity and groove in preparation for their Big West schedule. Sometimes when a team’s identity is so linked to a single player — all time goal scorer Elise Krieghoff in this case — it can take a team a while to figure out who they are the following year. I’m anxious to see how some of the team leaders like Megan Abutin and underclassmen like Caitlyn Kreutz are playing in the final weekend before Big West play.

Back to the title of this meandering post — opportunities. All four teams who play this weekend have opportunities right in front of them. In a way, it mirrors the opportunities and fresh start new college students have, starting right now. Conference play is right in front of all of these teams and along with it, a ripe opportunity to achieve goals set long ago.

They’re all there. Right in front of them. Which will take them?

If you’re a sports junkie, these are the kinds of weekends you love. There’s a smorgasbord of action to choose from. See ya out there.

Who has the time anymore?

On Saturday, I attended six sporting events on-campus at Cal Poly over the course of about 12 hours. To do it, I had to use my bicycle, saddle bags, and a backpack. My photography gear went with me everywhere. Today is Monday and I have over half the photos edited and decided it was time to write something.

To find all the photos from Saturday and more, visit photos.fansmanship.com

Here’s how the day went:

The Alumni softball players seemed like they were having a great weekend. By Owen Main

10:30 – Softball Alumni warm-up (Janssen Field)

With two 11:00 events, I decided to ride my bike out to Janssen Field and start with the softball team. Jenny Condon’s team played their alumni game — the alumni arriving a little later than the current team.

I stayed long enough to talk to Condon for a few minutes, take some shots of both teams, and watch Sierra Hyland strike out the side on ten pitches in the first inning. The turnout there was as big as a lot of home softball games and the strength of the alumni group was impressive, but it was time to move-on.

Those swim meets go fast! By Owen Main

11:15 – Swimming and Diving (Cal Poly Swm/Dive Complex)

The Cal Poly women’s swim/dive team is not one that I’ve covered much, but I was on campus and I wanted to check it out. Their meet on Saturday was a home dual meet with Pepperdine. What I didn’t know coming in was how fast these meets go. I got there at 11:15 or 11:20 and there was ONE RACE LEFT. It was a relay and Cal Poly won, but I didn’t get a ton of photos.

Here’s the Cal Poly recap of the meet and the few photos I took that are actually worth anything.

No worries — I now have a jumping-off point to cover this team more in the future. Also, swimmers (and water polo players) are amazing to me. You want an activity to help you get all-around fit and strong? — swimming is a pretty good one.

12:00 – Cal Poly men’s soccer vs. UC Irvine (Spanos Stadium)

Senior Matt LaGrassa helped ensure his team didn’t play its last game of the season on Saturday. By Owen Main

This was the first “big game” of the day. Cal Poly men’s soccer faced UC Irvine in a Big West Conference Tournament first-round game. The Mustangs hadn’t ever won a Big West Tournament game.

I was there in plenty of time to get the kickoff. Honestly, the game was kind of an ugly one. UC Irvine did a really great job dispossessing Cal Poly’s midfielders and disrupting a lot of flow. Lucky for Cal Poly, they got a 5th minute goal from Justin Dhillon and then hung-on for dear life to win the match 1-0.

The match was really, really physical. I think that’s the game plan for other teams against the Mustangs — just try to wear the technically-gifted, albeit smaller side down. Wednesday’s semifinal match at Cal State Fullerton should be another interesting clash of styles. Fullerton will probably try to use UCI’s game-plan as a blueprint for stopping Cal Poly’s attack and the Mustangs will have to find a way to play through it if they want to go to the final.

My last quick note about the Big West Tournament — three of the four teams remaining are from the Northern Division. Cal State Fullerton is the last team left from the South.

While it’s been cold at night in San Luis Obispo, the temperature felt over 80 degrees on the field for the noon game, and I was a little wiped-out afterwards. But the baseball field was calling. I got back on my bike and headed for Baggett Stadium.

Cal Poly baseball vs. Loyola Marymount (Baggett Stadium)

It seemed like a long, fun day of Fall baseball for everyone out at Baggett Stadium on Saturday. By Owen Main

I was surprised at how many people were out Baggett Field when I had been at the complex for softball earlier. I counted over a dozen people that looked like scouts who were there before 11:00 to watch batting practice and warm-ups. I guess if you’re a scout and it’s November, having a chance to watch players in warm-up and game situations will probably give you some good off-season information. Or maybe there’s just not a lot else to do.

Whatever was going on, I think I arrived in the 5th or 6th inning of what was going to be a marathon 16-inning day. Players were BBQ’ing behind the bullpen, the smoke wafting into the late afternoon Fall haze — long shadows everywhere.

The atmosphere was a little surreal — the bleachers that make Baggett feel a little bigger aren’t there this time of year — and probably over 100 spectators were taking in the game. I always love shooting events like this because of the people you meet and the more relaxed atmosphere as compared to a regular-season game.

This was also the first time I’d seen Cal Poly baseball with Chal Fanning as the new pitching coach. He has a lot of new faces to work with this season, including Erich Uehlman, who looked pretty sharp for the inning or so I saw him.

It was past 3:00 at this point. I was tired. I was hungry. It was time to go to volleyball.

Cal Poly volleyball vs. UC Davis

This was the last point I shot at Mott on Saturday. By Owen Main

This was where I kind of hit a wall. I shot a little more than a set. Then, faced with over 2,000 photos I’d already taken on the day, went about editing during sets 2 and 3. Cal Poly seemed a little sluggish. Davis fans travel well and make lots of noise. It’s amazing to me what noise, positive energy, and enthusiasm in a gym do for a sport like volleyball. When I finally left at about 5:20, Cal Poly was up 2 sets to 1. They would go on to lose 3-2.

Their outside shot of making the NCAA Tournament probably disappeared with that loss. I thought the media asked Sam too much about potential playoff scenarios the other day. Those really only make a difference if Cal Poly would have won out or come close to it.

It was dark. I hadn’t finished editing soccer. Football was starting. I got on my bike and coasted down the hill, back to where I started — the parking lot at Spanos.

Cal Poly Football vs. Sacramento State

Jordan Hines is a really talented receiver for Cal Poly. Here’s the first touchdown of the game for the Mustangs. By Owen Main

After locking my bike up and putting some pants on (it was getting COLD), I went back into Spanos. The Fall in SLO can be really dynamic. After being in hot, scorching sun all day at the soccer game, the air was crisp and cool for the football game. Cal Poly and Sacramento State came in with identical records, but Cal Poly was pretty clearly the better team.

Nobody on the Mustangs rushed for even 100 yards, but the team still was able to control the game and score at-will. The Mustang defense and special teams were especially impressive, blocking a field goal attempt early, and holding Sac State scoreless until late in the the third quarter.

This Cal Poly season will be one I’ll remember for the teams Cal Poly played and the small bounces that turned a few games. Turnovers and mistakes against Eastern Washington, Portland State and Southern Utah could have easily bounced in Cal Poly’s direction. In the end, the Mustangs were on the short end of these plays and while I think teams earn their luck, Cal Poly gave themselves every opportunity to win those games against tough conference opponents — all of whom are in the Top-25.

In fact, by the time the season ends, Cal Poly will only have played two games (Sac State, @UC Davis) against teams who haven’t been ranked in the top 25 this season. I guess you could include Arizona State into that mix, but I think it’s safe to assume they also would have make the FCS top-25.

Nine out of eleven games against top-flight opponents. Cal Poly must still feel like they missed big opportunities, but it’s not like they played horribly or against a ton of bad teams.

I got my bike off the rack, loaded up my truck, and headed out, almost 12 hours and six games after I’d arrived.

Aftermath

It was 9:30 and I was beat. No, I didn’t go do post-game football interviews this night. Instead, I went home, to my patient wife, who had put up with a 2 year-old all day Saturday. Sunday was going to be rough, and the alarm clock that is a two year-old cannot be unplugged. So many photos to sort through and edit. So much content to write.

I’m glad I did what I did Saturday. It was fun. With a second kid on the way, I doubt I’ll do it again anytime soon. I encourage you to look through the photo galleries. I make a face at you if you’re a screen-shotter.

To find all the photos from Saturday and more, visit photos.fansmanship.com

While our area is beautiful, and nature provides its own entertainment much of the year, we live in a place that’s generally isolated from things like high-level sports and other kinds of entertainment. It’s my stance that we have to take advantage of these opportunities when they present themselves. And, while ALL six of the events I attended Saturday weren’t super riveting, they were all really fun. From an alumni game to a playoff matchup, a scrimmage to a football game between two teams with losing records, I am more thankful than ever that we have athletics right in our back yard.

Not to get too self aggrandizing or whatever, but we started this website because we are all geeks about sports in our own way. For me on Saturday, it was all in my back yard.

Raeann Greisen had 10 kills for Cal Poly on Saturday afternoon, but it wasn’t enough against LMU. By Owen Main

Cal Poly volleyball was out to their best 10-game start in 14 years, but none of that mattered on Saturday afternoon. With tailgaters lined up between Mott Gym getting ready for the football game, the volleyball team lost a match that might have been closer than the four-set box score indicated.

Tied at one set apiece, Cal Poly led the third set 14-9, before LMU finished the set on a dominant 16-4 run to take a 2-1 lead.

The Mustangs also led at about the same point in the fourth set before another LMU run helped them to the three sets to one victory.

Cal Poly played the match without injured middle blocker Taylor Gruenewald.

Cal Poly, 8-3 in pre-conference games, gets a week off before starting their Big West Conference schedule against the conference’s best team in Hawai’i. First serve is slated for 10:00pm Pacific time on Saturday night.

Photos by Owen Main — Click here to view