From a well-fought three-set loss to a five-set nailbiter victory, the Bears, who are 14-7, found themselves with a mixed bag this last weekend in Oregon. Although Cal volleyball fell to No. 8 Oregon in Eugene on Friday, the team redeemed itself in Corvallis against Oregon State on Sunday — bringing the Bears’ conference record to 3-7.

Despite being swept in three sets to the 17-3 Ducks, Cal remained competitive with them throughout the match — an impressive feat considering they were playing one of the best teams in the nation. Many Bears even found success amid the intimidating crowd gathered in Matthew Knight Arena.

Senior libero Tara DeSa posted a career-high four assists and moved up to No. 10 on Cal’s career digs list. She also notched a career-high four aces against Oregon’s premier defense.

Junior setter Annalea Maeder fueled the Bears’ offense with 24 assists, accompanied by eight digs and two aces. Plus, freshman outside hitter Maggie Li performed yet again posting 12 kills along with two blocks and five digs.

“We served really well and passed really well, which had been one of our goals in terms of getting teams off their game. Oregon typically has pretty good passing and we served them to pretty low numbers,” DeSa said. “I think their offense was just a little bit too much to handle.”

The Ducks’ offense, ranked 10th in the nation for kills per set, outplayed Cal’s defense and offense alike, hitting .406 on the night compared to the Bears’ meager .178.

This offensive prowess can be attributed to Oregon contributors such as senior middle blocker Kara McGhee, who came into the game with the ninth-best hitting percentage in the nation and matched it on the court with 14 kills on .667 hitting.

Cal kept the game close in the early stages of the first set, taking the lead off kills from redshirt sophomore opposite Ava Mehrten and blocks from Li and junior middle blocker Ellie Hamm. The Ducks, however, steadily built up their lead with three scoring runs, finally finishing with a five-point streak to take the set 25-18. 

It was in the second set that Cal began to pick up the pace offensively with .263 hitting. Comparatively, Oregon never curbed their speed, hitting at .455.

This allowed the Ducks to take an early lead, but a 3-0 run by Cal shifted the momentum back to the Bears. Senior outside hitter Sam Taumoepeau made a kill that tied the score at 22-22, but Oregon’s timeout iced Cal out, allowing them to take the last three points and the set at 25-22. 

The Bears remained competitive on a point-by-point basis in the third set, even taking the lead with another Li kill. But Cal’s moment was short-lived as Oregon quickly regained advantage to take a 16-11 lead. DeSa snatched the momentum back, triggering a 4-0 run to force another tie at 17-17.

However, another Oregon timeout allowed the Ducks to take the final three points and seal the sweep with a 25-21 set win.

In the game against OSU, the Bears were looking for redemption.

“We’re going to focus on our blocking,” DeSa said. “I think we’ll fare a lot better against this team because they have a slower offense. When our block is closed, it’s really strong.”

The Bears put up an impressive 16 blocks and two double-doubles against Oregon State — a team with a 7-13 record overall and 2-8 in Pac-12 play.

Its first Pac-12 road win since 2019, Cal laid it all out on the court in a five-set battle in Gill Coliseum.

Despite this blocking prowess, the Bears started out slow, finding themselves in an 11-point deficit at 17-6 Oregon State. Cal’s 7-2 comeback run proved to be not enough as OSU took the set 25-17.

In the second set, the dynamic was reversed. Posting three blocks in 10 points, Cal pushed ahead to a nine-point lead that allowed them to close out the set 25-11. 

Sophomore middle blocker Mikayla Hayden continued her prowess at the net into the third set, keeping Cal close. However, Oregon State went on its own redemption run to take the lead, eventually sealing the set 25-21.

It was when Cal’s defense stepped it up in the fourth that they held OSU to just .053 and took the match for Cal at 25-21.

A defensive battle followed with both the Bears and the Beavers teething at each other for victory. With the help from Mehrten, Taumeopeau and Hayden, Cal ended it at 15-13.

Next up, the Bears are back on the road to face No. 17 Arizona State and Arizona.