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Aug. 21, 1997

Golden Bears Open Season at Colorado State Tournament

THIS WEEK: Fri-Sun Aug. 29-31 at University Park Holiday Inn Classic, Moby Arena, Fort Collins, Colorado

Fri. Aug. 29    Cal vs. Northern Iowa       6:00 p.m. MST
Sat. Aug. 30    Cal vs. Colorado State      8:00 p.m. MST
Sun. Aug. 31    Cal vs. Central Michigan    12:00 p.m. MST

SPIKERS OPEN AT COLORADO STATE: The Cal women's volleyball team opens the 1997 season at Colorado State Aug. 29-31, competing in the University Park Holiday Inn Classic, along with Northern Iowa and Central Michigan. The tournament is the first of three non-conference tournaments on the Bears 1997 schedule, followed by the Pepsi/Illinois State Tournament Sept. 5-6, and the Notre Dame Tournament Sept. 19-20.

CAL vs. THE OPPONENTS: The Bears will play Colorado State for the first time since 1985, as the Rams hold a 2-1 series lead over the Bears. This will be the Bears first meeting against both Northern Iowa and Central Michigan. Colorado State, ranked #24 in the USA Today/AVCA preseason poll, returns all six starters from last year's squad that finished 23-11 and lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Central Michigan returns three starters and six letterwinners from a squad that finished 17-11 last year, and placed third in the Mid-American Conference. Northern Iowa welcomes six letterwinners back from last year's 20-8 team that took third place in the Missouri Valley Conference.

COLORADO COULTER: Sophomore Brook Coulter, a starting outside hitter, returns to her hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado this weekend at the Colorado State Tournament. A second team Mizuno All-American as a senior in 1995, Coulter led Rocky Mountain HS to a 30-1 record and the school's first-ever state title in any sport. She was named the 1995 Colorado Player of the Year by both the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News. Last season as a freshman at Cal, earned Pac-10 All-Freshman honorable mention honors, despite battling a back injury all season. Coulter led the Bears with 29 service aces, which ranked fourth in the Pac-10, and ranked second on the teamand 10th in the conference in dig average.

BEARS RETURN 10 LETTERWINNERS: The Golden Bears return 10 letterwinners and five starters from last season's squad that finished 8-20 overall: senior hitters Jessica Dinaberg (West Hills/El Camino HS) and Michelle Wickman (San Diego/Scripps Ranch HS), junior middle blocker Elena Berman (San Jose/Leigh HS), sophomore hitter Kellie Alva (Anaheim/Katella HS) and sophomore middle blocker Brook Coulter (Fort Collins, CO/Rocky Mountain HS). Also back is sophomore Jennifer Kriste, who will take over the starting duties at setter after sharing the job with departed senior Lynn Guevara last season. Dinaberg has led the Bears in total kills each of the past three seasons and ranked fourth in the Pac-10 in dig average in 1996. Wickman, a three-year starter along with Dinaberg, led Cal in kill average a year ago. Alva was the team's leader in hitting percentage, Coulter led the Bears in service aces, and Berman led Cal in blocking in 1996.

THE NEWCOMERS: Three newcomers and a pair of redshirts will give the Bears great depth in 1997. Sophomore middle blocker Amanda Selby (Sherman Oaks/Harvard-Westlake HS) and freshman Alicia Perry (Lakewood/Lakewood HS) take the court after redshirting last season, and are potential starters for the Bears. The 6-2 Selby is a transfer from UCLA, while Perry returns after rehabilitating a broken leg suffered during the 1996 club season. Freshman outside hitter Kelly Meyer (Bakersfield/Centennial HS) is a third team Volleyball Magazine All-American who joins the Bears after winning back-to-back state titles at Centennial HS in Bakersfield. Senior setter Carrie Musolff (Cayucos/Coast Union HS) will have one year of eligibility after transferring from Cuesta College, and freshman defensive specialist Tala Banatao (Atherton/Menlo School) round out the first-year contingent.

DINABERG EYES MARK: Senior hitter Jessica Dinaberg needs just 46 kills to become only the third player in Cal history to record 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs. Dinaberg, who currently has 954 kills and 1,024 digs, will become just the 29th player in Pac-10 history to accomplish that feat.

HEAD COACH SUE WOODSTRA: Sue Woodstra is in her third year at the helm of the Golden Bears, with a record of 21-25 at Cal. A two-time Olympic team member and one of nine Olympians to currently head a women's collegiate volleyball team, Woodstra has posted a 131-74 record in six seasons as a collegiate head coach, including four years at Pittsburgh. Woodstra's assistant coaches this season are Oscar Crespo, Stephanie Shrieve and Ed Cohen.