By Alex Stoev (@alexstoevsjsu) – Spear Reporter | Junior outside hitter Naima Foster spiking the ball during SJSU’s 3-0 loss to UC Santa Barbara on Aug. 30, 2025. (Photo by Mohammad Najimi – Spear photographer)
San Jose State women’s volleyball (3-4) had their three game winning streak snapped in their loss to Cal Poly (6-3) 3-0 on Sunday in the Mustang Invitational at the Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
The Spartans got off to a slow start in the match, not leading at all during their loss in the first set, 25-20.
SJSU took its first lead at the beginning of the second set, but that lead evaporated quickly as the Mustangs dominated their way to a 25-14 win.
The third set looked even better for SJSU, as they led most of the way, even leading 14-9 midway through the set. After that point, Cal Poly went on a 16-6 run, winning the final set, 25-20.
Despite the loss, junior setter Fatimah Hall continues to light up the scoreboard, finishing with 19 assists and eight digs.
Another bright spot in the loss came from freshman defensive specialist/libero Nazare Judd, who finished with 14 of the team’s 43 digs.
However, it was Cal Poly redshirt senior setter Emme Bullis who completely took over the match, accounting for 44 of the Mustangs’ 50 assists.
The Spartans ended up getting dominated in kills, finishing with 32 compared to Cal Poly’s 52.
They also finished with more errors but by a small margin, 17 to the Mustangs’ 11.
After the match, Spartans head coach Todd Kress was asked about his thoughts on the loss. He mentioned “The team could’ve brought more energy to the game.”
Kress also talked about the future of the team. “With more intensity during each practice moving forward, they will get better and better,” Kress said. “Even though we’re a young team, we can still be very very good come October, November.”
The Spartans will look to get back in the win column against Santa Clara University scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Spartan Gym in San Jose, Calif.
