In its first game of the year against a higher ranked opponent, the No. 4 Cal volleyball team upset No. 2 Washington 4-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-18, 27-25) in front of a crowd of 1,875 at Haas Pavilion.
Despite struggling early, outside hitter Tarah Murrey led the match with 21 kills, but only managed a .132 hitting percentage. Middle hitter Shannon Hawari continued her strong play for the Bears, notching 12 kills and a .409 hitting average — the top mark for the night.
Cal opened the match with a smooth set one, but came out completely flat in the second frame, allowing Washington to jump to a 6-1 lead. Following a timeout, the Bears regained their focus, and an Elly Barrett kill brought the team within two points at 10-8. A Murrey kill knotted things up at 22 all, but the Huskies tallied three straight points to tie up the match at a set a piece.
The Bears regained control in winning the third set, and managed to push Washington to the brink three times before grabbing the final frame 27-25 to take the match. Both offenses struggled to find rhythms against very stingy blocking tandems, but Cal managed to outhit Washington .214 to .157.
The Bears will look to avoid a let down Saturday night, as they host Washington State at 7 p.m.
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At least the Cal Womans Volleyball team has some heart, more than we can say about the football team.