Despite a rough start, Cal volleyball closed the weekend out on a high note.

The Bears hosted UCLA in Haas Pavilion on Friday, losing three straight sets and giving the Bruins a swift win. Completely turning things around the next day, however, Cal came out Sunday afternoon and left it all out on the court to beat USC.

The first set against the Bruins was tight, ending 26-24 in favor of UCLA. It was all downhill for the Bears as the game went on — the next set was completely dominated by the Bruins, who won 25-13.

Cal found its footing a little better during the last set, but it was too late to turn things around. UCLA took the last set at 25-23, handing the Bears a massive loss.

Although the Bears didn’t come away with a win, there were certainly some highlights, especially from some of Cal’s strongest players. Mikayla Hayden recorded 11 kills and three blocks, leading the team in both. Right behind her was Ashley Li, with 10 kills and two blocks, as well as Maggie Li with 10 kills and one block.

Following a tough loss against their Southern California rivals, the Bears came out looking much stronger on Sunday afternoon against USC. Garnering some nice momentum, Cal came out with a bang and dominated the first set 25-14.

The second set was similar, but USC seemed to have received a wake-up call, tallying up a few more points in the set. Despite fighting back, the Trojans were unable to keep up and lost the set 25-21.

The Trojans got back into the game in the third set, however, defeating the Bears 25-15 to make it a 2-1 game heading into the fourth set.

Cal finished things off in the final set, taking it 25-21 and, with it, the win — the Bears’ first win over USC since 2014.

USC’s defense was no match for star player Li who led the way with a whopping 17 kills. Another key contributor was Hayden, who recorded 10 kills and two blocks.

With these matches in the books, Cal now holds 13-6 overall record, going 2-6 in conference play despite a strong start in nonconference play to kick off the year. It will be crucial for the Bears to capitalize on this momentum as Pac-12 play continues. The Bears now look ahead at Oregon and Oregon State this weekend to improve their record.