Cal Returns Home to Face Oregon and Oregon State

SPIKERS RETURN HOME:
The Cal women's volleyball team (5-5, 0-1) returns home for Pac-10 Conference action this weekend, looking to snap a four-match losing streak. The Bears take on Oregon (7-4, 0-2) on Friday, Sept. 26 and Oregon State (7-6, 0-2) Saturday, Sept. 27.

PAC-10 STANDINGS: 
1t. Washington State 2-0, 14-0 
1t. USC              2-0, 9-0
1t. Washington       2-0, 7-4
1t. Stanford         1-0, 10-2
5t. Arizona          1-1, 9-1
5t. UCLA             1-1, 5-2
7t. California       0-1, 5-5
7t. Arizona State    0-2, 9-4 
7t. Oregon           0-1, 7-4 
7t. Oregon State     0-2, 7-6

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS:
Oregon is 7-4 overall, 0-2 in the Pac-10, after dropping a pair of conference matches at home to Washington (3-0) and #6 Washington State (3-1) last weekend. The Ducks, who are 7-2 in non-conference matches, will play at Santa Clara on Wed. Sept. 24 before coming to Berkeley. Oregon State is 7-6 overall, 0-2 in the Pac-10 after home losses to Washington (3-0) and #6 Washington State (3-2) last weekend. The Beavers had won four straight matches before the Pac-10 losses.

CAL vs. THE OPPONENTS:
Cal leads the series with Oregon, 25-11, including four straight wins over the Ducks. The Bears have won nine of the last 10 matches against Oregon, including a sweep last season. Cal leads the series with Oregon State, 21-9, after the teams split two matches last season, each winning at home. The Bears have won the last six matches played in Berkeley against the Beavers, including a five-game win in 1996.

LAST WEEK:
Cal lost its Pac-10 opener to #4 Stanford, 3-0, at home on Sept. 16. The Bears then traveled to the Notre Dame Tournament of Champions Sept. 19-20, where Cal head coach Sue Woodstra was reunited with three of her 1980 Olympic teammates - Debbie Landreth Brown of Notre Dame, Laurie Flachmeier Corbelli of Texas A&M and Laurel Brassey Iversen of New Mexico. The Bears lost in the first round to #14 Texas A&M, 3-0, and dropped the consolation match against New Mexico, 3-2. Sophomore Brooke Coulter was named All-Tournament.

JESSICA DINABERG:
The senior hitter leads the Bears in kill average (3.08 kpg) and is second in dig average (2.51 dpg)...named tournament MVP at the Illinois State Classic and to the all-tournament team at the Colorado State tournament...earlier this season, became just the third player in Cal history to post 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs (1068 kills, 1117 digs)...ranks fourth in career kills and sixth in career digs at Cal...had season-highs of 23 kills and 20 digs vs. New Mexico.

MICHELLE WICKMAN:
The senior hitter/setter is the team co-leader in service aces (12) and ranks fifth in the Pac-10 in ace average (0.36 apg)...had a career-high 64 assists vs. Illinois State...is averaging 1.67 kills and 2.30 digs per game...ranks ninth in career kills (814), ninth in career aces (87) and 10th in career blocks (177) at Cal.

ELENA BERMAN:
The junior middle blocker is the only Bear to have played in every game this season...ranks second on the team in hitting percentage (.243) and third in kill average (2.32 kpg) and blocking average (0.55 bpg)...had a career high 18 kills vs. New Mexico.

BROOK COULTER:
The sophomore hitter leads the Bears in service aces (12) and ranks seventh in the Pac-10 in ace average (0.32 apg)...named to the all-tournament team at the Notre Dame...has played in 37 of the team's 38 games, averaging 1.54 kills and 1.97 digs per game.

KELLIE ALVA:
The sophomore middle blocker ranks second on the team in blocking average (0.67 bpg) and is averaging 1.73 kills per game...recorded season-highs of 16 kills and seven blocks vs. New Mexico.

JENNIFER KRISTE:
The sophomore setter ranks sixth in the Pac-10 in assist average (10.04 apg)...recorded a career-high 74 assists vs. New Mexico.

AMANDA SELBY:
In her first season at Cal, the sophomore middle blocker leads the team in hitting percentage (.290) and blocking average (1.22 bpg)...recorded career-high 10 blocks against Illinois State...averaging 2.11 kills per game, fourth best on team.

ALICIA PERRY:
A redshirt freshman, she leads the team in dig average (2.76 dpg) and ranks second in kill average (2.34 kpg)...slammed a career-high 23 kills along with 18 digs and four blocks against Illinois State.

HEAD COACH SUE WOODSTRA:
Sue Woodstra is in her third year at the helm of the Golden Bears, with a record of 26-40 at Cal. A two-time U.S. Olympic team member and one of nine Olympians to currently head a women's collegiate volleyball team, Woodstra has posted a 136-79 record in six seasons as a collegiate head coach, including four years at Pittsburgh.