How much perseverance can a person have?
Most people eventually grow tired and give up. Luckily for Cal fans, the Bears seem to be experts at persevering through loss after loss. And luckily for the Bears, regardless of what now is a four-loss streak, Cal fans keep coming back to support, uplift and cheer on a team of Bears, match after match.
So far this season Cal has earned seven wins and has been handed seven burdensome losses, with the latest two having come from mountainous Washington.
Sept. 30, Friday evening, Cal hosted Washington State in Haas Pavilion. A feisty pack of Cougars strike and a team of Bears fall.
The Cougars didn’t just sweep, they vacuumed, mopped the floors and neatly tidied up to take home the 3-0 win. 25-17, 25-11, 25-12 were the defining numbers of the match. A story as old as time is told by simply looking at the set scores.
The Bears seemed to have been lacking in both offensive and defensive skills. With that, something must change if Cal hopes to take home any win this season in the Pac-12 conference.
With top-tier communication and determined looks on the faces of the team, Washington State was unrivaled, compared to what appeared to be a group of intimidated Bears during the first set and beyond. Despite some efforts by Sam Taumoepeau, with two kills, and Sophie Scott, with one kill, the stars did not seem to align for the teary-eyed Bears. A confident Washington State maintained a wide point gap throughout the set with 20-13 at one point, eventually taking it at 25-17.
This energy was driven into the second and third sets, ending at 25-11 and 25-12. Despite these off putting numbers, Cal fans maintained support.
The following Sunday afternoon University of Washington met Cal in an energetic Haas Pavilion to play what would soon turn out to be another devastating game for Cal fans. The group of Bears must have still been befuddled by the bitter Friday game. Throughout the first set the Huskies’ high energy and attentiveness to the game were unmatched.
A hungry group of Huskies charged at the Bears head on to take home a 3-0 sweep.
The first set saw little to no blue and gold resistance, allowing a stream of purple points to tally up with a final score of 25-13.
A larger effort was executed by the Bears during the second set. Unfortunately for blue and gold fans, Cal’s power was no match for the vicious Huskies, who took the set at 25-19.
Moving into the third set, regardless of the score, Cal fans remained loyal and spirited, cheering on and getting loud with help from the mic men and the UC Rally Committee. Perseverance seems to run deep in blue and gold blood.
Despite these enormous efforts, the Huskies took the final set 25-18.
University of Washington tested Cal and pushed the Bears to their limits. With Lydia Grote, Mikayla Hayden and Taumoepeau only posting six kills each the entire game, Cal fans surely went home unfulfilled.
It was a sad weekend for Cal fans (to say the least), but for Cal women’s volleyball, there’s no time to sit around and mope.
Cal prepares to make its way east to face an intimidating Utah this upcoming Friday.
Will the Bears be able to break their losing streak? Or will this haunting nightmare persevere?
