Complete weekly release 
Nov. 6, 2012
Wednesday, Nov. 7
7 p.m. PT- No. 5 Washington (19-4, 10-4 Pac-12) at Cal (13-11, 7-7)
Haas Pavilion - Berkeley, Calif.
Coverage: ESPNU, Live Audio, GameTracker, Twitter, Facebook
All-Time Series vs. the Huskies: 29-30
Last Meeting: L, 3-0 (10-21-12)
Thursday, Nov. 8
6 p.m. PT- Washington State (12-14, 2-12) at Cal
Haas Pavilion - Berkeley, Calif.
Coverage: Pac-12 Networks, Live Audio, GameTracker, Twitter, Facebook
All-Time Series vs. the Cougars: 37-22
Last Meeting: W, 3-0 (10-19-12)
BERKELEY - The Bears return to Haas Pavilion this week looking for a strong finish to the regular season and a berth in their 11th straight NCAA Tournament. Cal is coming off its first weekend conference sweep of the season, one that came on the road and included a win over No. 2 Oregon. The Bears have six matches remaining, four against teams ranked in this week's top-8. With a strong RPI of 35, Cal has an opportunity to further strengthen its NCAA Tournament case.
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.
5 Adrienne Gehan OH 6-3 Jr. Dallas, Texas
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.
Sign Here
Cal's players will be available to sign autographs for fans shortly after each match this week. The players will sit at different tables around the Haas Pavilion floor and sign team posters.
Cal All Over The Airwaves
The Bears will play on ESPNU on Wednesday, the first time the Bears have appeared on an ESPN network since the 2010 national championship match. Cal will be on the Pac-12 Networks on Thursday. The Bears have had 11 of their first 14 conference matches televised. By the end of the regular season, the Bears will have appeared on television in 14 of their 20 Pac-12 matches. Cal's regular season finale against Stanford on Nov. 23 will be on the Pac-12 Networks.
Brown Earns Pac-12 Defensive Honor
Senior middle hitter Kat Brown was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts at Oregon and Oregon State last weekend. In an upset of the No. 2 Ducks, Brown had five blocks. Then against the Beavers, she tallied a season-high nine blocks, one short of her career-high.
The Last Time Vs. The Washington Schools
Like most conference weekends this season, the Bears split a pair of matches when they traveled to the state of Washington last month. Cal notched a sweep of Washington State before getting swept by the Huskies.
Last Week at a Glance
The Bears had their biggest weekend of the season, registering a road sweep of the Oregon schools. That included a five-set upset of No. 2 Oregon and a four-set victory over Oregon State. Senior middle hitter Shannon Hawari hit .521 for the two matches while averaging 3.11 kills and 1.44 blocks per set and unleashing a career-high five aces in the win over the Beavers. Junior outside hitter Adrienne Gehan also came back strong from a knee injury, averaging 3.78 kills per set while hitting .314.
Brown Eyes All-Time Blocks Record
Senior middle hitter Kat Brown is inching closer to Ellen Orchard's all-time blocks record at Cal. With 14 more blocks last weekend, Brown now has 475 in her career, just 29 behind Orchard's all-time mark of 504. Fellow middle hitter Shannon Hawari moved into third place on Cal's all-time blocks list over the weekend and now has 450 for her career. Here's a look at Cal's top-five all-time blockers:
Name Blocks Years
1. Ellen Orchard 504 2004-07
2. Kat Brown 475 2009-
3. Shannon Hawari 450 2008-
4. Camille Leffall 438 2001-04
5. Cara Dane 434 1990-93
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 ranks fourth in the Pac-12 with a .377 hitting percentage and is sixth in the conference with 1.34 blocks per set. She leads the Bears with 232 kills and last week unleashed a wicked serve that led to a career-high five aces against Oregon State.
Awesome Adrienne
Junior outside hitter Adrienne Gehan received her first starting assignments in a month last weekend after recovering from a knee injury and was terrific, averaging 3.78 kills per set and hitting .314. In the Bears' upset of No. 2 Oregon, Gehan had 15 kills, seven digs and four blocks. Then against Oregon St., she chalked up a match-high 19 kills at a .350 percentage while also adding 10 digs and a career-high five blocks.
The Cal Leader Board
Kills: Adrienne Gehan - 223 (3.10/set)
Hitting Percentage: Shannon Hawari - .377
Assists: Joan Caloiaro - 855 (9.83/set)
Aces: Nikki Gombar - 23 (0.26/set)
Blocks: Kat Brown - 120 (1.35/set)
Digs: Mary McKennon - 319 (3.58/set)
Bears on Pac-12 Leader Board
Hitting Percentage: Shannon Hawari - .377 (Fourth)
Assists per set: Joan Caloiaro - 9.83 (Seventh)
Blocks per set: Kat Brown - 1.35 (Fifth), Shannon Hawari - 1.34 (Sixth)
Digs per set: Mary McKennon - 3.58 (Tenth)
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 and middle hitter Lillian Schonewise are also out for the season. Starting outside hitter Adrienne Gehan missed three matches and played sparingly in four others because of a knee injury. Also, starting opposite Correy Johnson missed 24 sets earlier this season because of a stress reaction in her leg.
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 13 matches and played in 60 sets.
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.
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.
About Washington
• After beginning the season 16-0, the Huskies are just 3-4 since. One of those wins came over the Bears on Oct. 21 in Seattle.
• Washington beat Colorado and Utah last week, but had to come back from two sets down to get by the Utes.
• Sophomore outside hitter Kaleigh Nelson had 11 kills and hit .429 in the Huskies' win over Cal earlier this season.
• The Huskies lead the Pac-12 in blocks (3.34 per set) and aces (1.57 per set).
About Washington State
• After losing their first 12 conference matches, the Cougars beat Colorado and Utah last weekend. It was Washington State's first weekend Pac-12 sweep since 2009.
• Of the 38 sets the Cougars have lost in conference play, 15 have come by four points or less.
• The Bears beat WSU 25-21, 25-21, 25-21 on Oct. 19. Sophomore outside hitter Christina Higgins had 14 kills to lead the Bears.
This And That
• Cal's 20 blocks against Oregon on Oct. 3 is tied for the most by a Pac-12 team in a match this season.
• The Bears' 12 aces against Oregon State on Oct. 5 is tied for the most in a match by a conference team this year.
• Cal hit .364 in its upset of No. 2 Oregon on Friday. That is the highest hitting percentage in a five-set match by a Pac-12 team this season.
• The Bears' .364 percentage against Arizona on Sept. 30 is the highest clip in a four-set match by a conference team in 2012.
• Cal hit a season-low .073 in its previous loss to Washington this season. Since, the Bears are hitting .309 in four matches.
Next Week on the Court
The Bears make their final Pac-12 road trip of the season, and it's arguably their most challenging one. Cal visits No. 6 UCLA on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. then has to come back the following night to visit No. 8 USC at 7 p.m.
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.
