Aug. 28, 2012

Wahine Invitational notes

Friday, Aug. 31

8 p.m. PT- Cal vs. Baylor

Stan Sheriff Center - Honolulu

All-Time Series vs. the Bears: 4-0

Last Meeting: W, 3-0 (12-11-09)

Saturday, Sept. 1

8 p.m. PT- Cal vs. USF

Stan Sheriff Center - Honolulu

All-Time Series vs. the Dons: 36-0

Last Meeting: W, 3-1 (9-17-10)

Sunday, Sept. 2

8 p.m. PT- Cal vs. No. 6 Hawaii

Stan Sheriff Center - Honolulu

All-Time Series vs. the Rainbows: 1-8

Last Meeting: W, 3-2 (9-6-09)

BERKELEY - After splitting a pair of matches at the Aztec Invitational to open the 2012 season, the No. 25 Cal volleyball team visits Honolulu for the Wahine Volleyball Classic over the weekend. The Golden Bears open the tournament Friday against Baylor, which has made two of the past three NCAA Tournaments. Saturday, Cal will meet Bay Area foe USF, which has never beaten the Bears in 36 attempts. Cal closes out the tournament Sunday with a match against host and sixth-ranked Hawaii. All three of the Bears' matches will begin at 8 p.m. Pacific time.

Recapping the Aztec Invitational

Cal opened the season without starting senior libero Robin Rostratter (groin) and starting senior opposite Correy Johnson (leg) and was forced to play three freshmen in the starting lineup. The Bears rolled past Delaware in their season-opener but were beaten in five sets by host San Diego State. Junior outside hitter Adrienne Gehan got her season off to a productive start with 18 kills and 10 digs against the Blue Hens and 21 kills and nine digs against the Aztecs. She also hit for a .354 percentage over the two matches. Gehan was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Gehan produces record-breaking weekend

Junior outside hitter Adrienne Gehan broke or tied a slew of her previous career-bests at the Aztec Invitational. Against Delaware, she set a new career high with 18 kills, then came back later that night and bettered the mark again with 21 against San Diego State. She also had a career-best 50 attempts against the Aztecs. Gehan tied her career-highs with 10 digs and four block assists against Delaware.

Welcome home

This weekend will be a homecoming for Cal assistant coach Jennifer Carey, who was a four-year starting setter for the Wahines from 1999-2002 and was a three-time All-Western Athletic Conference selection. Carey led Hawaii to two NCAA national semifinal appearances and finished her career ranked fourth on the school's all-time assists list with 3,540.

Bears in Pac-12 Statistical Leaders

Through one week of play, outside hitter Adrienne Gehan leads the Pac-12 with 4.88 kills per set. Freshman opposite Lara Vukasovic ranks third with a .469 hitting percentage and senior middle hitter Shannon Hawari is tied for fifth with 1.50 blocks per set.

Bears ranked No. 25 in latest AVCA Poll

Following their five-set loss to host San Diego State at the Aztec Invitational, the Bears dropped from their preseason ranking of No. 17 to No. 25 in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll. Cal has been ranked every week since the preseason poll in 2003. The Bears are one of six Pac-12 teams ranked this week. Nebraska, which beat former No. 1 UCLA on Saturday, now assumes the top spot in the poll.

Ouch

The Bears have been hit hard by the injury bug early on. Starting opposite Correy Johnson (leg), starting libero Robin Rostratter (groin) and middle hitter Lillian Schonewise (shoulder) missed the Aztec Invitational. Outside hitter Michelle Neumayr suffered an ACL tear during preseason practices and is out for the season.

Welcome to Cal. ...Now Get on the Court!

When the Bears took the floor for their season-opener against Delaware, their starting lineup featured three freshmen and a transfer. Outside hitter Nikki Gombar, opposite Lara Vukasovic and libero Mary McKennon all received starting assignments in their college debuts. Setter Joan Caloiaro, a transfer from USF, also got the nod.

Following the Bears From Afar

Live statistics for all three of Cal's matches this weekend will be provided via the live stats links on the CalBears.com website. Fans can also receive regular in-match updates and a behind-the-scenes look at the Bears by following Cal Volleyball on Twitter and by "Liking" the Cal Volleyball Facebook page.

About Baylor

• The Bears won their own tournament last weekend, defeating Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Nevada and Tulane.

• Baylor has made the NCAA Tournament twice in the past three years. The Bears lost to Michigan in the first round last season at Stanford.

• Freshman outside hitter Laura Jones was named MVP of the Baylor Classic after averaging 3.3 kills per set.

About USF

• The Dons went 3-1 at the UniWyo Invitational last weekend, defeating Eastern Washington, Seattle and Presbyterian while losing to host Wyoming.

• Outside hitter Jocelyn Levig and middle hitter Valentina Zaloznik were named to the All-Tournament Team.

• Outside hitter Malina Terrell was an All-West Coast Conference first team pick last season. Zaloznik was named to the conference's All-Freshman team.

• The Dons went 16-13 in 2011.

About Hawaii

• The Wahines are off to a 3-0 start after capturing their own tournament championship last weekend, including a win over then No. 6 Stanford in the title match.

• Hawaii features 2011 second team AVCA All-American Emily Hartong as well as first team All-Western Athletic Conference setter Mita Uiato

•The Wahines moved from the WAC to the Big West this season and were the overwhelming pick to win the conference title in the preseason coaches poll.

• Hawaii has missed the NCAA Tournament just once in the last 31 years. The Wahines advanced to the regional semifinals last season before losing to USC.

• Hawaii has led the nation in attendance for 18 straight seasons. The average attendance at the Stan Sheriff Center last year was 6,814.

Next Week on the Court

The Bears will make their home debut on Sept. 6 when they host Jiangsu, a Chinse Club team. The match will begin at 7 p.m. and be televised by the Pac-12 Networks. On Sept. 7-8, Cal hosts the Molten Classic Presented by the Hilton Garden Inn. Cal plays Pennsylvania on Friday night at 7 p.m., UC Riverside on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Northern Arizona on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Conference Coaches Forecast Sixth Place for Cal

The Pac-12 Conference coaches picked the Bears to finish sixth in the annual preseason poll with 77 points. Cal was tabbed to place second in 2010 and ended up sharing the conference title and advancing to the NCAA title match. Defending national champion UCLA was picked to win this year's conference crown, collecting 10 first-place votes and 120 total points. Stanford earned the other two first-place votes and was selected to finish second.

Texas Two Step

Cal continues to feature a strong Texas flavor on its roster. This will mark the 10th consecutive season the Bears will feature at least two players from the Lone Star State. Senior middle hitter Shannon Hawari hails from Plano, Texas while junior outside hitter Adrienne Gehan is from Dallas.

Recapping the 2011 Season

• Cal went 26-7, 16-6 in the Pac-12 Conference (third place)

• Advanced to 10th straight NCAA Tournament, losing to North Carolina in the first round

• Tarah Murrey was named AVCA Second Team All-American

• Middle hitters Shannon Hawari and Kat Brown, opposite Correy Johnson and libero Robin Rostratter each were named Pac-12 honorable mention

• Cal registered its eighth straight 20-win season

Rostratter Sets Digs Mark

Senior libero Robin Rostratter registered 571 digs in 2011, which is a new Cal record. The previous standard was held by Jillian Davis, who compiled 548 digs in 2008.

Bears Continue to Excel in Classroom

For the second consecutive year, Cal was recognized with the AVCA Team Academic Award. The honor is bestowed on teams that have a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or better on a 4.0 scale or 4.10 on a 5.0 scale. Senior libero Robin Rostratter was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic first team.

Cal to Host NCAA Regionals

Cal has been selected as one of four sites to host the 2012 NCAA Regionals. The third and fourth rounds will be played at Haas Pavilion on Dec. 7-8. Fans can purchase tickets at the Haas Pavilion Athletic Ticket Office or by calling (800) GO-BEARS. Nebraska, Texas and Purdue are the other regional hosts. The NCAA championships will be held at the University of Louisville.

Season Tickets Still Available

Season and individual match tickets are still available for purchase. Purchasing season tickets offers fans a 50-percent discount per ticket over single-match tickets. Also included in the season-ticket package are two free tickets to the UCLA match, four free tickets to the Stanford match and two "you pick" tickets to any regular-season match. Cal's home schedule includes six teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season.

Bear Radio

Fans can tune in to KNEW 910 on their AM radio dials each Monday at 6 p.m. PT, for the third year of the Cal Coaches Corner radio show hosted by Todd McKim. The one-hour show will feature guest coaches and athletes from all of Cal's 29 intercollegiate athletics teams. Head coach Rich Feller appeared on the show this week and selected players will be guest on the show later in the season.