Jacob Lauing

Follow @jlauing
!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=”//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js”;fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,”script”,”twitter-wjs”);

The Cal Poly volleyball team is getting pretty handy with a broom.

A three-set victory over Long Beach State on Saturday gave the Mustangs their second sweep in as many nights.

Cal Poly also advanced to 2-0 in the Big West Conference, having beaten UC Irvine on Friday night in Mott Athletics Center, and 8-7 overall.

“I thought it was good that our team was able to sustain how they played (Friday) night,” head coach Sam Crosson said. “I thought their mentality and their effort and their focus as a whole were good. I think the group itself is understanding that we’re good together.”

The Mustangs sailed to a 25-18 victory in the first set, which featured five-kill performances from Chelsea Hardin, Megan McConnell and Hannah Schleis.

In the next two sets, however, drama ensued. Both squads went back and forth for the better part of each contest, but Cal Poly held on and finally pulled ahead with 27-25 and 25-23 set victories.

“We just come back into our circle and remember it’s our little bubble,” Hardin said. “No one outside can influence our bubble. We look back into each other’s eyes and we know that if we’re on the same page we can all do it.”

Players contributed across the board. Hardin finished the night with 15 kills, followed by freshman Taylor Gruenewald who notched 12 of her own. Steffi Sooter led Cal Poly with 10 digs.

The Mustangs lack a standout player at the moment, which, according to Crosson, is actually a strength.

“It’s a collective group effort,” Crosson said. “The more that they start to unite and understand the details about communication and helping one another, the outcome seems to be a little bit easier to produce, point by point. I don’t think that we’ll ever get to a point where we just have someone who needs to play well for us to win.”

So far, things are different for the Mustangs in 2013. A year ago, Cal Poly went 3-15 in Big West play. Unless they drop the next 15 out of 16 conference matches, the Mustangs will likely improve on their ninth-place 2012 campaign.

“It’s all about our mentality,” Hardin said. “It was a tough preseason, but I think after this weekend we have a lot of confidence and we’re just going in knowing we’re the underdogs. We have nothing to lose.”

Tough is an understatement. Five of Cal Poly’s seven losses this season were against schools currently ranked in the top 25 or teams that received top 25 votes. That includes No. 7 Stanford, No. 16 Arizona State and No. 19 Colorado State.

“Those teams, Pac-12 teams in particular, honestly, they’re a different kind of level in terms of height and athleticism,” Crosson said. “Even though we didn’t come out victorious in those matches, (they took away) a belief that they know that they can. And I think that’s the biggest difference between this year’s and last year’s team.”

And part of that underdog mentality stems from the Big West preseason poll, which ranked Cal Poly No. 8 in the conference.

The Mustangs have the opportunity to shatter those expectations next week with matches at UC Santa Barbara and the reigning Big West champion No. 6 Hawai’i.

“We just gotta keep working hard in practice,” Hardin said. “Keep working hard and keep having that confidence. Even though we got two wins this weekend, there’s no letting up.”

September 27 vs. UC Irvine

Cal Poly opened up the 2013 Big West campaign with a three-set sweep over UC Irvine in Mott Athletics Center Friday night.

The Mustangs topped UC Irvine with set scores of 25-22, 25-18 and 25-11.

Setter Maddie Kuber racked up 33 assists while Steffi Sooter led the Mustangs with 12 digs. Senior Chelsea Hardin recorded a team-best 14 kills.