Full weekly release

Oct. 24, 2012

Friday, Oct. 26
6 p.m. PT- Arizona (12-9, 4-6 Pac-12) at Cal (10-10, 4-6 Pac-12)
Haas Pavilion - Berkeley, Calif.
Coverage: Pac-12 Networks, Live Audio, GameTracker, Twitter, Facebook
All-Time Series vs. the Wildcats: 21-34
Last Meeting: W, 3-1 (9-30-12)

Sunday, Oct. 28
Noon PT- Arizona State (14-9, 3-7 Pac-12) at Cal
Haas Pavilion - Berkeley, Calif.
Coverage: Pac-12 Networks, Live Audio, GameTracker, Twitter, Facebook
All-Time Series vs. the Sun Devils: 28-29
Last Meeting: L, 3-0 (9-28-12)

BERKELEY - Cal's women's volleyball team commences the second half of Pac-12 play this week looking to make some headway in the conference standings and keep its eye on an 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bears sit in a tie for sixth place in the Pac-12 standings with Arizona with six of their final 10 matches at Haas Pavilion. At least six conference teams have made the NCAA Tournament every year since 2000.

This Week's Promotions
FRIDAY
Kids Free Night: All children 12th grade and under will be admitted to the match free.
Post-match autographs: Cal's players will be available for autographs on the Haas Pavilion floor after the match.
SUNDAY
Halloween At Haas: There will be a costume contest for kids as well as pre-match games, prizes and more outside Haas Pavilion beginning at 11 a.m.
Chalk Talk: Coach Rich Feller and outside hitter Michelle Neumayr will field questions from season-ticket holders in the Haas Pavilion Club Room from 11:15-11:30 a.m.
Post-match autographs: Cal's players will be available for autographs on the Haas Pavilion floor after the match.

Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown
12 Joan Caloiaro S 5-11 Jr. Saratoga, Calif.
23 Christina Higgins OH 6-2 So. Inglewood, Calif.
4 Lara Vukasovic OH 6-5 Fr. Zagreb, Croatia
8 Correy Johnson OPP 6-4 Sr. Winter Park, Fla.
7 Shannon Hawari MH 6-2 Sr. Plano, Texas
11 Kat Brown MH 6-3 Sr. Aptos, Calif.
13 Mary McKennon L 5-9 Fr. Newport Beach, Calif.

The First Time Through Vs. Arizona
The Bears had extreme mixed results when they traveled to the Arizona schools earlier this season. Cal was manhandled by Arizona State in a three-set sweep on Sept. 28, but came back to play one of its best matches of the season two days later to beat Arizona. Against the Wildcats, sophomore outside hitter Christina Higgins had 10 kills at a .714 hitting percentage while senior opposite hitter Correy Johnson had 15 kills and hit .583. Senior middle hitter Kat Brown also had her best all-around match of the season with nine kills, five blocks and five digs.

Last Week at a Glance
The Bears split a pair of road sweeps last week, defeating Washington State and then falling at No. 5 Washington. Sophomore outside hitter Christina Higgins had one of her most efficient hitting nights of the season in the win over the Cougars, matching a season-high with 14 kills against just two errors and finishing with a .364 hitting percentage. Senior opposite hitter Correy Johnson had nine kills to lead the Bears against the Huskies. Cal erased a seven-point deficit in the first set to tie it at 23-23 before falling, then went on to drop the next two sets.

Cal in the Pac-12
The Bears have been one of the best programs in the Pac-12 for the better part of the past decade. Cal has finished in fifth place or higher for nine straight years and has amassed at least 10 conference wins in eight of those seasons.

Cal All Over The Airwaves
Seven of the Bears' final 10 matches will be televised, including the next six in a row. ESPNU will air Cal's match against Washington on Nov. 7 while the remaining televised matches will appear on the Pac-12 Networks.

Ouch
The Bears have been decimated by injuries this season. Projected starting outside hitter Michelle Neumayr injured her knee during preseason practices and was lost for the season. Starting libero Robin Rostratter is also out for the season and middle hitter Lillian Schonewise has yet to play because of a shoulder ailment. Starting outside hitter Adrienne Gehan returned in limited action last week after missing three matches with a knee injury. Also, starting opposite Correy Johnson missed 24 sets earlier this season because of a stress reaction in her leg.

Rostratter Candidate For Senior CLASS Award
Senior libero Robin Rostratter was one of 30 candidates for this year's Senior CLASS Award, given annually to an NCAA Division I senior with notable achievements in community, classroom, character and competition. Rostratter has twice been named to the Pac-12 All-Academic team, and in 2010 won the NCAA Elite 88 Volleyball Award for having the highest grade point average (3.81) of any student-athlete participating in the NCAA championships. Rostratter has spearheaded countless charitable and philantrhopic causes. Among them, she has led outreach programs to spread awareness for cancer and physically challenged athletes, and served as a coach at Special Olympics athletic skills clinics and with the Cal Corps to help underprivileged children. Rostratter, who is out for the season with an injury, was not one of the 10 finalists revealed earlier this month.

The Cal Leader Board
Kills: Adrienne Gehan - 181 (3.23/set)
Hitting Percentage: Shannon Hawari - .343
Assists: Joan Caloiaro - 662 (9.46/set)
Aces: Nikki Gombar - 21 (0.29/set)
Blocks: Kat Brown - 95 (1.32/set)
Digs: Mary McKennon - 264 (3.67/set)

Bears on Pac-12 Leader Board
Hitting Percentage: Shannon Hawari - .343 (Ninth)
Assists per set: Joan Caloiaro - 9.46 (Seventh)
Service aces: Nikki Gombar - 0.29 (Ninth)
Blocks per set: Kat Brown - 1.32 (Seventh)
Digs per set: Mary McKennon - 3.67 (Ninth)

Bears Unranked For First Time Since 2002
Cal fell out of the AVCA Coaches Poll on Sept. 3, 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 the Sept. 3 rankings.

Welcome to Cal. ...Now Get on the Court!
Cal's injuries have resulted in a lot of inexperience on the court, and three freshmen are getting a lot of playing time because of it. Libero Mary McKennon and outside hitter Nikki Gombar have played in every set this season, while outside hitter Lara Vukasovic has started 12 matches and played in 49 of the Bears' 72 sets.

Middle Ground
Senior middle hitters Kat Brown and Shannon Hawari have spent the season rising up Cal's career blocks leader board. With 95 blocks this season, Brown now has 450 in her career and has moved into second place on Cal's all-time list. Hawari, meanwhile, has 86 blocks this season and now stands in fifth place all-time with 417 in her career. Ellen Orchard is Cal's all-time career leader with 504.

Shannon Shines
Senior middle hitter Shannon Hawari is playing as well as any middle hitter in the Pac-12 this season. The fifth-year senior leads the Bears and ranks ninth in the conference with a .343 hitting percentage. Hawari is second on the Bears with 2.49 kills per set and 1.19 blocks per set.

Lara Shows Versatility
Lara Vukasovic has had an eventful introduction to college volleyball. The freshman from Zagreb, Croatia began the season starting at opposite because of an injury to Correy Johnson. Johnson ultimately returned, but then starting outside hitter Adrienne Gehan went down with a knee injury. Vukasovic replaced her despite not seeing any practice time at outside hitter all season. Vukasovic had her best match since moving to outside hitter Friday at Washington State with 10 kills at a .333 percentage.

Mary Digs College Volleyball
Freshman libero Mary McKennon was thrust into the starting lineup Opening Day because of an injury to Robin Rostratter and has performed well. Playing every set this season, McKennon ranks ninth in the Pac-12 with an average of 3.67 digs per set.

About Arizona
• The Wildcats have won three of their past four matches after losing five in a row.
• Arizona sophomore outside hitter Madi Kingdon, who has been among the Pac-12 leaders all season in kills, currently ranks fifth with 4.25 per set. The Bears held her to a 3.50/set average at a .179 hitting percentage in the teams' first meeting this season.
• Kingdon has reached double-digits in kills in 18 of Arizona's 21 matches this season.

About Arizona State
• The Sun Devils have won just once since defeating Cal on Sept. 28, and that came last weekend at home against Oregon State. Out of their six losses during that span, four have come to top-10 teams.
• Cal allowed Arizona State to hit .440 as a team in the first meeting of the season, the highest clip an opponent has had against the Bears this season.
• The Sun Devils have a potent duo of outside hitters in freshman Macey Gardner and senior Erica Wilson. Gardner leads the Pac-12 and ranks fifth nationally with 4.70 kills per set. Wilson is fourth in the conference at 4.28.
• Gardner and Wilson combined for 32 of Arizona State's 50 total kills in the Sun Devils win over the Bears.

Following the Bears From Afar
Live statistics and live audio for Cal's matches are provided via links on the women's volleyball schedule page on CalBears.com. 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.

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.

Bears 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 Sports Report
Catch the Cal Sports Report every week on CalBears.com. Todd McKim recaps the week in Cal athletics with interviews, features and highlights. Included each week during the season is an interview with Cal coach Rich Feller.

Bear Radio
"Cal Coaches Corner" airs each Monday on KNEW 910 at 6 p.m. PT. The one-hour show features guest coaches and athletes from all of Cal's 29 intercollegiate athletics teams.