Cal Knocks Off MWC Powerhouse UC Davis To Win Sixth Straight

Wednesday, September 16

Davis, CA

6:00 p.m.

California

UC Davis

Cal Knocks Off MWC Powerhouse UC Davis To Win Sixth Straight

9/16/2026 9:40 PM | Volleyball

The Golden Bears Took Down One Of The Hottest Teams In The Sport

By: Cal Athletics

The California Golden Bears (7-1) have been riding a hot streak of late and were set to face arguably their biggest challenge of the young season against the UC Davis Aggies (3-5). The program that resides about an hour away from Berkeley has had a strong start to the season, with wins over No. 7 Arizona State and Cal Poly, who received votes to be in the top 25.
Many around the sport expect the Aggies to win the Mountain West Conference, and they put the pressure on Cal early. There were a total of 10 ties and just one lead change in the opening set, and although the Bears were able to keep it within a couple of points all set, the Aggies pulled off a 25-21 victory.

The second set was much of the same as the two teams stayed neck and neck, but it was Cal who won 25-21. The third is when the intensity ramped all the way up, as the teams were deadlocked at 22, 23, 24 and 25 before UC Davis secured the 27-25 win.

Much of the momentum swung in the direction of Cal in the fourth set, with Cal leading the kills count for the first time in the match (13-6). Brooke Hibino of UC Davis had herself a night with an impressive 21 kills, which led both teams by a wide margin. However, the fifth set saw the Golden Bears show an ability to overcome adversity as they erased a 5-2 UC Davis lead to win the final set 17-15. Arguably the biggest moment of the set was Cal coach Jen Malcom pulling off what was her fourth successful challenge of the night to swing things from a 14-13 UC Davis lead to a 14-13 Cal lead.
The Bears capped off the victory with an Elise Lau ace, giving them their sixth straight win and moving their record to 8-1 on the season.

KEY FIGURES
14 — The amount of kills that Cari Bohm racked up, leading the team in that category.
9 — The number of service aces that the Golden Bears accumulated as a team.
19 — The total number of digs that senior libero Sophia Johnson recorded.
6 — How many matches in a row that freshman setter Anna Flores has recorded 40+ assists.
6 — The number of matches Cal has won in a row, giving the program its longest winning streak since 2023, when they won 12 straight to open the season.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Cal will be partaking in another tournament before ACC play, as they will be playing in the Battle of NorCal with Sacramento State and San Jose State this weekend.

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