Full weekly release

Thursday, Sept. 6

7 p.m. PT- Cal vs. Jiangsu (Exhibition)

Haas Pavilion - Berkeley

Coverage: Pac-12 Networks, GameTracker, Twitter, Facebook

Promotions: Autograph session with Cal players after match

Cal Molten Classic

Friday, Sept. 7

7 p.m. PT- Cal vs. Penn

Haas Pavilion - Berkeley

Coverage: GameTracker, Twitter, Facebook

All-Time Series vs. the Quakers: First Meeting

Saturday, Sept. 8

11 a.m. PT- Cal vs. UC Riverside

Haas Pavilion - Berkeley

Coverage: GameTracker, Twitter, Facebook

All-Time Series vs. the Highlanders: 2-1

Last Meeting: W, 3-0 (8-26-11)

7 p.m. PT- Cal vs. Northern Arizona

Haas Pavilion - Berkeley

Coverage: GameTracker, Twitter, Facebook

All-Time Series vs. the Lumberjacks: 2-0

Last Meeting: W, 3-0 (8-30-02)

Promotions: Autograph session with Cal players after match.

Make It a Doubleheader

Fans attending Cal's football game against Southern Utah on Saturday will be granted free admission to Saturday night's volleyball match against Northern Arizona by presenting their football ticket stub. The ticket will be exchanged for a volleyball ticket.

BERKELEY - After a couple of tough losses to begin the Wahine Volleyball Classic, the Cal volleyball team ended the tournament on a high note, beating No. 6 Hawaii in five sets on the Rainbow Wahine's home floor. The Bears received an injection of energy from opposite Correy Johnson, who made her season debut after battling a leg injury and was named to the All-Tournament team. Cal now returns home to make its Haas Pavilion debut with four matches this week, beginning Thursday against Jiangsu, a Chinese club team. The match will begin at 7 p.m. and be the team's first match televised by the new Pac-12 Network. The Bears then welcome three teams for the Cal Molten Classic. Cal plays Penn on Friday night at 7 p.m., UC Riverside on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Northern Arizona on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Recapping Honolulu

The Bears went 1-2 at the Wahine Volleyball Classic, losing to Baylor and USF before knocking off No. 6 Hawaii. Cal lost to Baylor in three sets but each was decided by two points. The Bears then went five sets with the Dons before falling. Cal fell behind a set to the Rainbow Wahine before coming back to pull off the victory before 7,051 fans at the Stan Sheriff Center. Opposite Correy Johnson made her season-debut in the third set against Baylor and played the rest of the tournament. She missed the season's first two matches with a stress reaction in her leg. Johnson averaged 2.91 kills per set with a .299 hitting percentage and was named to the All-Tournament team. After losing their first eight all-time matches against Hawaii, the Bears have now won two in a row over the Rainbow Wahine.

Bears To Make Pac-12 Network Debut

Cal's match Thursday against Jiangsu will be the Bears' first on the new Pac-12 Network. Anne Marie Anderson will handle play-by-play duties and Tammy Blackburn is the analyst. Visit Pac-12.com for channel listings. The Bears will be on the Pac-12 Network 12 times this season, with the next time being Sept. 28 at Arizona State.

Bears Unranked For First Time Since 2002

Cal fell out of the AVCA Coaches Poll this week, marking the first time the Bears haven't been ranked since the final poll of the 2002 season. Cal was ranked No. 24 in the 2003 preseason poll and stayed in the rankings every week until now. The Bears still received 59 votes this week, putting them at No. 27 nationally. There are five Pac-12 teams ranked this week. Nebraska remains at No. 1.

No Stress For Correy

Despite not having practiced in three weeks, opposite Correy Johnson made a smooth transition back on the floor at the Wahine Volleyball Classic. Healed from the stress reaction in her leg, Johnson was inserted into the lineup for the third set against Baylor on Friday night and her impact was felt throughout the rest of hte weekend. She had five kills on seven attempts in the third set against Baylor then registered a team-best 17 kills Saturday against USF, to go along with seven digs and three blocks. Finally, in the victory over Hawaii, Johnson had 10 kills, six digs and five blocks. She was named to the Wahine Volleyball Classic All-Tournament Team.

Higgins Breaks Out Against Hawaii

Sophomore outside hitter Christina Higgins played a major role in the Bears' win over the Rainbow Wahine. She had eight kills in the final two sets and finished with 13 overall, sharing team-high honors with Adrienne Gehan.

Mary Digs College Volleyball

Freshman libero Mary McKennon has done a fine job playing in place of injured starter Robin Rostratter. In the first five matches of her college career, McKennon has led the Bears in digs in four of them. In fact, her 4.05 digs per set average places her fourth among Pac-12 leaders.

Blocking Brown

Senior middle hitter Kat Brown entered the season established as one of the top blockers in the conference and she has lived up to that billing so far. Brown is tied for sixth in the Pac-12 with 1.29 blocks per set. With 27 blocks already this season, she has moved into sixth place on Cal's all-time list with 382 in her career.

Ouch

The Bears have been hit hard by the injury bug early on. Starting opposite Correy Johnson missed Cal's first two matches with a stress reaction in her leg. She returned last weekend at the Wahine Volleyball Classic but hadn't practiced in three weeks. Starting libero Robin Rostratter (groin) and middle hitter Lillian Schonewise (shoulder) have yet to play this season. 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 of Cal's matches this week 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.

Bears Part of AVCA Showcase

There is an international flavor to this year's AVCA College Volleyball Showcase. Jiangsu, a club team from China, has been touring the West Coast and playing some of the best teams in the nation. Jiangsu has already made stops at USC, UCLA, Pepperdine, and Arizona. After visiting Stanford on Wednesday, Haas Pavilion will be the final stop on Jiangsu's journey.

About Jiangsu

• Starting lineup features two players from China's national team and five from its junior national team.

• Outside hitter Ruoqi Hui played on China's Olympic team last month in London.

• Team won the 2012 National Volleyball Grand Prix

• All coaches and players are from the Jiangsu Province, located on the East Coast of China

About Penn

• The Quakers opened the season last weekend and went 2-1 at the The Big 5 Tournament.

• Setter Ronnie Bither was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week after averaging 10.27 assists and 3.7 digs per set.

• Libero Dani Shepherd ranked third in the nation in digs last season (6.16)

• Penn went 10-14 last season and finished in fifth place in the Ivy League

About UC Riverside

• The Highlanders are 3-3 to start the season, going 2-1 at the Hofstra Asics Invitational and 1-2 last weekend at the Gonzaga Invitational

• Outside hitter Amanda Vialpondo was named to the All-Tournament team after each tournament. She leads UCR in kills per set (3.83).

• Vialpondo and fellow outside hitter Shelby LeDuff were named to the All-Big West first team last season.

• The Highlanders went 7-23 last season and finished tied for last in the conference standings.

About Northern Arizona

• The Lumberjacks bring a 6-0 record into the tournament, and have a 15-match nonconference unbeaten streak dating back to last season.

• Outside hitter Kelli Dallmann has been named the most valuable player in both tournaments Northern Arizona has played in so far - the UNLV Invitational and the Colorado Volleyball Classic.

• The Lumberjacks went 15-10 last season, their most wins since 2001.

• NAU returns four starters and a libero from its 2011 team.

Next Week on the Court

The Bears wrap up the nonconference portion of their schedule with a pair of weekend matches against Bay Area rivals. Cal hosts Saint Mary's Friday at 7 p.m. and then visits USF on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Bears met the Dons at last weekend's Wahine Volleyball Classic, with USF winning in five sets.

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.

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 last week and selected players will be guest on the show later in the season.