“Mustangs clinch NCAA Championship berth as best-ever”

BRACKET

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – After an outstanding season so far with a 29-6 record, Cal Poly's fifth-ranked beach volleyball team earned a berth to next week's NCAA Championships in Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Sunday.

The Mustangs are the No. 5 seed and will face No. 12 seed Arizona State in the first round on Friday at 8 a.m. PT/10 a.m. in Gulf Shores. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU. The winner goes to the second round SSaturday at 8 a.m. PT/10 a.m. in Gulf Shores against the winner of No. 4 Florida State and No. 13 Washington.

The second round and semi-finals will both be played on Saturday. Cal Poly's semifinal game would be at 11 a.m. PT. The championship game will take place on Sunday, May 5 at 8 a.m. PT.

Saturday's second-round and semifinal games will be broadcast on ESPN2, while Sunday's national championship game will be broadcast on ESPN.

This is Cal Poly's fourth appearance in the NCAA Championships and the highest finish they have ever achieved. The Mustangs have already done it in 2019, 2021 and 2022. The Mustangs won their first NCAA Championship game in 2021 when they defeated Stanford 3-2.

Cal Poly's 29 wins this year are the most in program history. All six losses this year have come against top 10 teams. They have nine wins against ranked teams, including No. 5 TCU, No. 6 Cal twice, No. 7 Long Beach State and No. 10 Long Beach State.

The Mustangs' top five pairs have a combined record of 108-32. The senior couple No. 4 Piper Naess and freshmen Logan Walter are 24-3 and have won 21 in a row. The junior pair No. 2 Piper Ferch and freshmen Erin Inskeep Lead the team with a record of 28-5, two wins shy of the record for a two-win season program.

The No. 1 duo of redshirt sophomores Ella Connor and in the second year Izzy Martinez are 25-8 as the No. 3 pair graduates Lindsey Sparks and freshmen Quinn Perry are 16-4.

The 2024 NCAA Championships will feature 17 teams, nine automatic berths and eight selection teams. Numbers 16 and 17 play a play-in game with the winner facing the number 1 seed. Unlike previous years, this year's format will be single-elimination.