Sports
Leadership shifts at Marico, PepsiCo, InMobi, JSW Sports and more
New Delhi: As July begins, the Indian marketing, media, and advertising sectors are seeing several leadership changes. From major exits to new appointments, senior professionals are moving across FMCG, digital media, entertainment, and tech. While Marico’s CMO Somasree Bose Awasthi steps down after three years, PepsiCo India has named Saakshi Verma Menon as its new CMO for Foods. Changes are also taking place at Wellbeing Nutrition, JSW Sports, Dentsu, VML, and Connect Digital.
This tracker rounds up the key executive moves shaping brand growth, content, and consumer strategy in the coming months.
Somasree Bose Awasthi quits as CMO at Marico
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Somasree Bose Awasthi has stepped down as Chief Marketing Officer at Marico, bringing her nearly three-year tenure to a close. The company confirmed her exit, citing personal reasons.
During her time at Marico, Awasthi played a key role in strengthening marketing capabilities, driving innovation, and shaping strategic processes. Before joining Marico, she spent over 16 years at Godrej Consumer Products, where she led marketing for categories like insecticides, hair colour, and soaps.
PepsiCo India appoints Saakshi Verma Menon as CMO, Foods
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PepsiCo India has named Saakshi Verma Menon as Chief Marketing Officer for its Foods division, which includes brands such as Lay’s, Kurkure, Uncle Chipps, Quaker, Cheetos, and Doritos.Menon was previously Senior Marketing Director for Africa, Middle East & South Asia at PepsiCo. In her new role, she will lead brand strategy, innovation, and consumer engagement across the India Foods portfolio.
Menon brings two decades of marketing experience, having worked at Colgate-Palmolive, Coca-Cola, Uber, and Kimberly-Clark. She joined PepsiCo in January 2024.
Wellbeing Nutrition appoints Varun Kandhari as Chief Marketing and Growth Officer
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Wellbeing Nutrition has named Varun Kandhari as its Chief Marketing and Growth Officer. With over 18 years of experience, Kandhari has held leadership roles at Mars Wrigley, Unilever, and most recently, Davide Campari-Milano N.V.
At Mars Wrigley, he was part of the India Executive Leadership Team and led marketing, category expansion, and profitability initiatives. He has also worked in Unilever’s Home & Personal Care division across South Asia.
JSW Sports appoints Gaurav Kalra as Chief Content and Marketing Officer
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Gaurav Kalra has joined JSW Sports as Chief Content and Marketing Officer. He brings over 25 years of experience in journalism, digital media, and sports content across platforms including JioStar, ESPN, CNN-News18, Network18, and Reliance Foundation.
Kalra began his career at BITV in 1996 and has since worked extensively across broadcast and digital media with a strong focus on editorial and sports storytelling. At JSW Sports, he will lead content and marketing strategy to drive deeper audience engagement and build the organisation’s brand presence across channels.
InMobi CMO Bikash Chowdhury steps down, announces new venture
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Bikash Chowdhury has stepped down as Chief Marketing Officer at InMobi, ending a 14-year stint with the company.
In a LinkedIn post, Chowdhury reflected on his journey and announced his next chapter, a full-time focus on Zebu, a storytelling and training venture he co-founded with K. Srikrishna.
Over the years, Chowdhury led marketing at both InMobi and Glance, spearheading campaigns with names like Hardik Pandya and Rana Daggubati, and driving brand and digital strategies globally.
Dentsu India appoints Sujeet Behra as President, Carat & CSO, Dentsu Media
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Dentsu India has promoted Sujeet Behra to President of Carat and Chief Strategy Officer, Dentsu Media. He succeeds Sanchayeeta Verma, who has moved on from her role as Carat CEO.
Behra has been with Carat for over three years, previously serving as Chief Growth Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, and Carat North business head. In his expanded role, he will lead Carat’s strategic direction and spearhead insight-driven, cross-functional media solutions across the Dentsu Media network. He will report to Amit Wadhwa, CEO, Dentsu Creative & Media Brands, South Asia.
Anurag Prasad takes charge of Lowe Lintas Gurugram as Naveen Gaur exits
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Lowe Lintas has elevated Chief Strategy Officer Anurag Prasad to also lead its Gurgaon office, following the departure of Naveen Gaur after a 15-year stint. Gaur is leaving to explore entrepreneurial opportunities.
Prasad, a Lintas veteran of over two decades, has shaped strategies for marquee brands like Maruti Suzuki, Google, and Havells. He has also played a key role in integrating the agency’s cultural insights programme, State of States, into brand planning.
Amit Gupta steps down as Managing Director of VML Commerce India
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Amit Gupta has stepped down from his role as Managing Director at VML Commerce India, concluding a 22-year journey with the WPP network.
In a LinkedIn post, Gupta reflected on his time building and scaling Eperium India, which later became part of Wunderman Thompson Commerce and ultimately transitioned into VML.
As MD, Gupta oversaw enterprise-level e-commerce projects and helped shape delivery operations for global clients.
Connect Digital appoints Fabian Cowan as Director to lead DOOH business
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Connect Network Inc. has named Fabian Cowan as Director, Connect Digital to spearhead its digital out-of-home (DOOH) operations.
With over 20 years of experience across OOH, DOOH, radio, and print, Cowan is tasked with driving innovation and growth through the company’s AdTech platform, Immersive.
Haresh Nayak, CEO of Connect Network Inc., praised Cowan’s media acumen and commercial clarity, calling him “the ideal choice” to lead this vertical.
Vinay Kumar Guwalani joins Saregama as SVP, Music Monetisation and Marketing
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Saregama has appointed Vinay Kumar Guwalani as Senior Vice-President, Music Monetisation and Marketing, effective July 1, 2025.
With over 17 years of experience in the music and entertainment industry, Guwalani was previously Director, Label & Artist Solutions at Believe, where he led digital monetisation and artist partnerships.
He has also held leadership roles at Zee Music Company, with expertise in licensing, marketing, and content strategy.
Huella Services appoints Pankajj Rai as Vice-President, Ad Sales
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Huella Services has named Pankajj Rai as Vice-President, Ad Sales. In his new role, Rai will lead monetisation for Newsroom AI and support the company’s wider strategic initiatives across product and partnerships.
With over 18 years of experience in broadcast and digital media, Rai has held senior roles at Zee Media and Qyou Media, and previously led commercial operations for multiple Zee network channels.
Sports
Kansas State volleyball vs Nebraska in NCAA Tournament channel, time
Dec. 6, 2025, 6:03 a.m. CT
Kansas State volleyball survived and advanced, and now it will take on the No. 1 team in the country in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats and Nebraska Cornhuskers will face off at 7 p.m. in the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday, Dec. 6.
Watch K-State volleyball in NCAA Tournament
Nebraska enters the match 31-0, seeking its first championship since 2017. The Huskers cruised to a three-set win over Long Island.
K-State’s win over San Diego to advance was more dramatic. The Wildcats (18-9, 10-8 Big 12) pulled it off in five sets, while needing to win the fourth to make it possible.
What channel is Kansas State volleyball vs Nebraska on today?
- TV channel: None
- Stream:ESPN+
Kansas State volleyball vs. Nebraska will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Watch K-State volleyball in NCAA Tournament
Kansas State volleyball vs Nebraska time today
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 6
- Start time: 7 p.m. CT
Kansas State and Nebraska will begin at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 6.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com
Sports
Women’s track and field begins indoor season at M City Classic
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women’s track and field team turned in 13 performances that ranked on its all-time performers’ list at the season-opening M City Classic on Friday at the University of Minnesota Fieldhouse.
First years accounted for 11 of the 13 performances that ranked on St. Olaf’s all-time list at the unscored meet, which included teams from the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and club levels. In addition to the top-10 list performances, senior Ella Landis posted St. Olaf’s lone first-place finish at the meet by winning the one-mile run in 5:17.28.
In her first collegiate meet, first year Evangeline Sappington broke onto the program’s all-time performers’ list in both the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash. Sappington was the top Division III finisher and was 10th overall in the 200-meter dash (26.84), while also taking second among Division III competitors and 16th overall in the 60-meter dash. Sappington’s time in the 60-meter dash ranks second on the Oles’ all-time list – just four one-hundredths of a second off the record – and her time in the 200-meter dash is fifth.
Sophomore Izzi Jaeckle clocked in with St. Olaf’s No. 4 time in the 60-meter dash by placing 17th (8.10), while first year Ellie Semple also broke onto the list in 10th with a time of 8.28 seconds to finish 27th. Sophomore Logan Paulsen moved up to seventh on the Oles’ list with a sixth-place performance in the shot put (12.48m, 40′ 11 ½”), while first year Abigal Frei cleared 3.26 meters (10′ 8 ¼”) for a No. 5 all-time result and an eighth-place finish.
First years Svea Frantzich and Claire Stein recorded St. Olaf’s No. 8 and No. 10 scores in the pentathlon by finishing seventh (3,005) and eighth (2,993), respectively. Frantzich tied for third in the long jump (5.44m, 17′ 10 ¼”) and was sixth in the 60-meter hurdles (9.47), which both ranked on St. Olaf’s all-time list. Stein also tied for third in the long jump (5.44m, 10′ 10 ¼”) to highlight her day. First year Annika Walsh was the runner-up in the high jump (1.62m, 5′ 3 ¾”) – fifth all-time – and was seventh in the 60-meter hurdles (9.48) – ninth all-time – as part of a ninth-place finish in the pentathlon (2,881).
St. Olaf will be back in action in 2026 at the Ole Opener at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 at Tostrud Center.
Sports
Second-Screen Golf Experiences : Player Profiles
In addition to offering an on-site fan experience, IRCODE, as a Technology Partner, introduced an interactive viewer experience for fans at home. When players appeared on-screen, viewers used the IRCODE app to scan their screen and instantly accessed a full, interactive profile for shopping their favorite players’ gear, diving deeper into their stories and learning more about the causes that are meaningful to them.
Player Profiles leverages IRCODE’s patented EXACT Match technology and proprietary computer vision, and applies real-time visual recognition to usher in the next generation of second-screen entertainment.
Sports
Catch Saturday’s Basketball and Indoor Track and Field Action
BEREA, Ohio – Fans can follow or watch Saturday’s Baldwin Wallace University basketball and indoor track and field action via live results, statistics or video.
The men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams open the 2025-26 season when it travels to Cleveland to compete in the Spartan Alumni Holiday Classic hosted by Case Western Reserve University inside the Veale Convocation, Recreation and Athletic Center at 11:00 a.m.
Live Results:
https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3MlDQcr
FloCollege On Demand Live Video:
https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3KFq6st
The men’s basketball team travels to New Concord for the first game of a men’s and women’s Ohio Athletic Conference and Hoops for Hunger Food Drive doubleheader against Muskingum University on Performance Court inside the Anne C. Steele Center at 1:00 p.m. Fans can receive free admission to the game with a donation of canned food, a non-perishable item, or a monetary contribution.
Tickets:
https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3WGuwll
Live Statistics:
https://bwyellowjackets.cc/493Gehq
FloCollege On Demand Live Video:
https://flosports.link/47hSw2V
The No. 21 nationally ranked women’s basketball team travels to New Concord for the second game of a women’s and men’s Ohio Athletic Conference and Hoops for Hunger Food Drive doubleheader against Muskingum University on Performance Court inside the Anne C. Steele Center at 4:00 p.m. Fans can receive free admission to the game with a donation of canned food, a non-perishable item, or a monetary contribution.
Tickets:
https://bwyellowjackets.cc/3WGuwll
Live Statistics:
https://bwyellowjackets.cc/49Ist7Q
FloCollege On Demand Live Video:
https://flosports.link/4qu1Fyr
Sports
2025 DII women’s volleyball championship: Bracket, schedule, scores
Here’s everything you need to know leading up to the first round of the 2025 DII women’s volleyball championship.
The championship bracket was revealed during a selection show on Monday, Nov. 24, live streamed here on NCAA.com. Twenty-three teams earned automatic qualification, with the remaining 41 teams selected at-large by the Division II Women’s Volleyball Committee. Teams from each of the eight regional sites received initial seeds Nos. 1-8.
🏆 Watch live: 2025 DII women’s volleyball championship rounds
2025 DII women’s volleyball championship bracket
Click or tap here for the 2025 interactive bracket
2025 NCAA DII women’s volleyball schedule
- Regionals: Dec. 4-6
- Quarterfinals: Thursday, Dec. 11
- Semifinals: Friday, Dec. 12
- National Championship: Saturday, Dec. 13
- Selection show: 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, November 24
- Regionals: Dec. 4-6
- Thursday, Dec. 4
- No. 3 Indiana (Pennsylvania) 3, No. 6 Fairmont State 0
- No. 3 Anderson (South Carolina) 3, No. 6 Augusta 1
- No. 3 Lynn 3, No. 6 UAH 2
- No. 6 Washburn 3, No. 3 Wayne State (Nebraska) 0
- No. 3 Mercy 3, No. 6 Molloy 2
- No. 2 East Stroudsburg 3, No. 7 Charleston (West Virginia) 0
- No. 3 Ferris State 3, No. 6 Quincy 2
- No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne 3, No. 7 Lander 1
- No. 7 Colorado Sch. of Mines 3, No. 2 UCCS 2
- No. 3 Fresno Pacific 3, No. 6 Western Washington 0
- No. 2 Barry 3, No. 7 Eckerd 0
- No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul 3, No. 7 Central Oklahoma 0
- No. 7 Holy Family 3, No. 2 Adelphi 2
- No. 7 Rockhurst 3, No. 2 Ohio Dominican 0
- No. 3 Angelo State 3, No. 6 Lubbock Christian 1
- No. 5 Flagler 3, No. 4 Carson-Newman 1
- No. 1 Gannon 3, No. 8 Fayetteville State 0
- No. 7 Central Washington 3, No. 2 Simon Fraser 2
- No. 1 Tampa 3, No. 8 Spring Hill 0
- No. 8 UIndy 3, No. 1 Missouri-State Louis 2
- No. 4 St. Cloud St. 3, No. 5 Missouri Western 1
- No. 1 Bentley 3, No. 8 Bridgeport 1
- No. 1 MSU Denver 3, No. 8 Colorado Mesa 0
- No. 4 Pitt.-Johnstown 4, No. 5 Shepherd 0
- No. 4 West Florida 3, No. 5 Palm Beach Atl. 2
- No. 1 Wingate 3, No. 8 Emmanuel (Georgia) 1
- No. 1 Point Loma 3, No. 8 CSUSB 2
- No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney 3, No. 8 Oklahoma Baptist 2
- No. 5 Post 3, No. 4 American Int’l 1
- No. 5 Findlay 3, No. 4 Wayne State (Michigan) 2
- No. 4 West Tex. A&M 3, No. 5 CSU Pueblo 1
- No. 5 Alas. Fairbanks 3, No. 4 Alas. Anchorage 0
- Friday, Dec. 5
- No. 2 Barry 3, No. 3 Lynn 0
- No. 3 Indiana (PA) 3, No. 2 East Stroudsburg 1
- No. 3 Anderson (SC) 3, No. 2 Lenoir-Rhyne 1
- No. 3 Mercy 3, No. 7 Holy Family 1
- No. 2 Concordia-St. Paul 3, No. 6 Washburn 0
- No. 3 Ferris State 3, No. 7 Rockhurst 0
- No. 3 Angelo State 3, No. 7 Colorado Sch. of Mines 0
- No. 1 Bentley 3, No. 5 Post 1
- No. 3 Fresno Pacific 3, No. 7 Central Washington 2
- No. 1 Gannon 3, No. 4 Pitt.-Johnstown 1
- No. 1 Tampa 3, No. 4 West Florida 1
- No. 1 Wingate 3, No. 5 Flagler 1
- No. 8 UIndy 3, No. 5 Findlay 1
- No. 4 St. Cloud State 3, No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney 1
- No. 1 MSU Denver 3, No. 4 West Tex. A&M 1
- No. 1 Point Loma 3, No. 5 Alas. Fairbanks 1
- Thursday, Dec. 4
NCAA DII women’s volleyball championship history
Here is the full list of champions and runners-up since 1981:
| Year | Champion (Record) | Coach | Score | Runner-Up | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Lynn (33-3) | Adam Milewski | 3-2 | San Francisco St. | Sioux Falls, SD |
| 2023 | Cal State LA (24-10) | Juan Figueroa | 3-1 | West Texas A&M | Moon Township, PA |
| 2022 | West Texas A&M (33-4) | Kendra Potts | 3-1 | Concordia-St. Paul | Seattle, Wash. |
| 2021 | Tampa (34-2) | Chris Catanach | 3-0 | Washburn | Tampa, FL. |
| 2020 | Canceled due to Covid-19 | — | — | — | — |
| 2019 | Cal State San Bernardino (33-0) | Kim Cherniss | 3-1 | Nebraska-Kearney | Denver, Co. |
| 2018 | Tampa (33-4) | Chris Catanach | 3-2 | Western Washington | Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| 2017 | Concordia-St. Paul (34-3) | Brady Starkey | 3-0 | Florida Southern | Pensacola, Fla. |
| 2016 | Concordia-St. Paul (32-4) | Brady Starkey | 3-0 | Alaska Anchorage | Sioux Falls, S.D. |
| 2015 | Wheeling Jesuit (39-4) | Christy Benner | 3-0 | Palm Beach Atlantic | Tampa, Fla. |
| 2014 | Tampa (33-1) | Chris Catanach | 3-0 | S’west Minnesota State | Louisville, Ky. |
| 2013 | Concordia-St. Paul (35-3) | Brady Starkey | 3-0 | BYU-Hawaii | Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
| 2012 | Concordia-St. Paul (34-4) | Brady Starkey | 3-2 | Tampa | Pensacola, Fla. |
| 2011 | Concordia-St. Paul (34-2) | Brady Starkey | 3-0 | Cal State San Bernardino | Cal State San Bernardino |
| 2010 | Concordia-St. Paul (32-4) | Brady Starkey | 3-1 | Tampa | Louisville, Ky. |
| 2009 | Concordia-St. Paul (37-0) | Brady Starkey | 3-0 | West Texas A&M | Concordia-St. Paul |
| 2008 | Concordia-St. Paul (37-1) | Brady Starkey | 3-2 | Cal State San Bernardino | Concordia-St. Paul |
| 2007 | Concordia-St. Paul (36-4) | Brady Starkey | 3-1 | Western Washington | Washburn |
| 2006 | Tampa (35-1) | Chris Catanach | 3-1 | North Alabama | West Florida |
| 2005 | Grand Valley State (32-1) | Deanne Scanlon | 3-1 | Nebraska-Kearney | Nebraska-Kearney |
| 2004 | Barry (34-1) | Dave Nichols | 3-1 | Truman | Barry |
| 2003 | North Alabama (33-7) | Matt Peck | 3-0 | Concordia-St. Paul | Cal State San Bernardino |
| 2002 | BYU-Hawaii (27-2) | Wilfred Navalta | 3-0 | Truman | West Texas A&M |
| 2001 | Barry (32-2) | Dave Nichols | 3-0 | South Dakota State | Grand Valley State |
| 2000 | Hawaii Pacific (28-0) | Tita Ahuna | 3-0 | Augustana (S.D.) | Augustana (S.D.) |
| 1999 | BYU-Hawaii (30-2) | Wilfred Navalta | 3-0 | Tampa | Battle Creek, Mich. |
| 1998 | Hawaii Pacific (31-5) | Tita Ahuna | 3-1 | North Dakota State | Kissimmee, Fla. |
| 1997 | West Texas A&M (37-1) | Debbie Hendricks | 3-2 | Barry | Cal State Bakersfield |
| 1996 | Nebraska-Omaha (35-2) | Rose Shires | 3-2 | Tampa | Central Missouri |
| 1995 | Barry (34-2) | Leonid Yelin | 3-1 | Northern Michigan | Barry |
| 1994 | Northern Michigan (32-4) | Mark Rosen | 3-1 | Cal State Bakersfield | Cal State Bakersfield |
| 1993 | Northern Michigan (38-1) | Jim Moore | 3-1 | Cal State Bakersfield | Northern Michigan |
| 1992 | Portland State (36-1) | Jeff Mozzochi | 3-2 | Northern Michigan | Portland State |
| 1991 | West Texas A&M (36-2) | Jim Giacomazzi | 3-0 | Portland State | West Texas A&M |
| 1990 | West Texas A&M (38-1) | Kim Hudson | 3-0 | North Dakota State | Cal State Bakersfield |
| 1989 | Cal State Bakersfield (21-15) | David Rubio | 3-0 | Sacramento State | Cal State Bakersfield |
| 1988 | Portland State (36-5) | Jeff Mozzochi | 3-0 | Cal State Northridge | North Dakota State |
| 1987 | Cal State Northridge (35-6) | Walt Ker | 3-2 | Central Missouri | Nebraska-Omaha |
| 1986 | UC Riverside (29-7) | Sue Gozansky | 3-0 | Cal State Northridge | Sacramento State |
| 1985 | Portland State (36-5) | Jeff Mozzochi | 3-1 | Cal State Northridge | Portland State |
| 1984 | Portland State (33-4) | Jeff Mozzochi | 3-0 | Cal State Northridge | Portland State |
| 1983 | Cal State Northridge (30- 6) | Walt Ker | 3-2 | Portland State | Florida Southern |
| 1982 | UC Riverside (31-5) | Sue Gozansky | 3-0 | Cal State Northridge | Cal State Northridge |
| 1981 | Sacramento State (28-6) | Debby Colbery | 3-0 | Lewis | UC Riverside |
Sports
Cal Poly Stuns USC and Advances to Seventh Sweet-16 in Program History
LOS ANGELES — After months of preparation, Cal Poly’s historic Friday night culminated in a stunning five-set upset of fourth-seeded USC (25-19, 25-20, 20-25, 14-25, 15-7), shattering every perfect bracket along the way.
The unseeded Mustangs (27-7) not only advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time since 2007, the seventh such appearance in program history, but also became the only team in the bracket to defeat two seeded opponents ranked lower than No. 6. Cal Poly’s last deep runs came in 2007, 1989, ‘87, ‘85, ‘84, and ‘82.
In a departure from their typical all-court offense, the Mustangs leaned on their pin hitters to secure a second straight ranked victory. Leading the charge was Emma Fredrick, who delivered a statement double-double with match-highs of 17 kills and 17 digs. Kendall Beshear and Annabelle Thalken followed with 12 kills apiece, with Beshear adding a pair of aces.
Freshman middle Charlotte Kelly anchored the net with a career-high seven block assists, part of a 10-block team effort that quieted USC’s top-50 offense to a .237 hitting percentage. Beshear (14 digs) and setter Emme Bullis (44 assists, 12 digs) also recorded double-doubles, helping limit USC’s top hitters, Leah Ford and London Wijay, to 19 kills on 55 swings.
Cal Poly stormed through the opening set behind relentless blocking, forcing an early USC timeout at 11-6. Despite a late Trojan push to narrow the gap to 22-18, a Caroline Walters timeout steadied the Mustangs, who closed out the frame 25-19.
USC responded by edging ahead 15-13 at the second-set media timeout. But after 13 ties and five lead changes, Cal Poly surged late with a 21-18 advantage and never looked back, taking the set 25-20.
The Women of Troy rallied in the third, building their largest lead at 17-12 and holding on to win 25-20. Momentum carried into the fourth, where USC raced ahead to claim it 25-14 and force a deciding fifth set.
In the tiebreaker, Cal Poly’s second of the tournament, the Mustangs broke a 3-3 deadlock with a commanding 12-4 run, sealing the match and their spot in the Third Round.
Now, one of the finest teams in program history, and a standout in recent mid-major volleyball, travels to Lexington to face No. 1 seed and regional host Kentucky.
The NCAA will announce date and time details Saturday evening. Until then, San Luis Obispo’s humble Mustangs have plenty to celebrate.
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