Complete weekly release

Thursday, Nov. 15
5 p.m. PT- Cal (14-12, 8-8 Pac-12) at No. 5 UCLA (20-5, 12-4)
John Wooden Center - Los Angeles, Calif.
Coverage: Live Audio, GameTracker, Twitter, Facebook
All-Time Series vs. the Bruins: 6-55
Last Meeting: L, 3-0 (10-14-12)

Friday, Nov. 16
7 p.m. PT- Cal at No. 8 USC (24-4, 12-4)
Galen Center - Los Angeles, Calif.
Coverage: Live Audio, GameTracker, Twitter, Facebook
All-Time Series vs. the Trojans: 11-44
Last Meeting: L, 3-0 (10-12-12)

BERKELEY - Cal's women's volleyball team embarks on its final road trip of the regular season looking to strengthen its NCAA Tournament resume with a surging offense and a healthier roster. Since the start of the month, the Bears have registered a road win over the No. 2 team in the country and had two match points against the No. 5 team before falling in five sets. Cal has won four of six with the two losses both coming by two points in the fifth set. A main reason for the Bears' improved play of late is a more efficent offense. Cal has hit at least. 300 in three of its past six matches, including a season-high .404 in a sweep of Arizona. The Bears have also been bolstered by the return of junior outside hitter Adrienne Gehan to the starting lineup. Gehan, who injured her knee in early October, has started the past four matches and averaged 3.28 kills per set during that span.

Honors Candidate Shannon Hawari
Shannon Hawari is playing as well as anyone in the Pac-12 this season. The senior middle hitter from Plano, Texas ranks second in the conference with a .393 hitting percentage and sixth with 1.30 blocks per set. She leads the Bears with 263 total kills. And Hawari is getting better as the season progresses. She has hit .500 or better in each of the past six matches and reached double-digits in kills in five of them. She has also averaged 1.58 blocks per set during that span.

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.

Brown Nears All-Time Blocks Record
After a career-high 12 blocks Thursday during a win over Washington State, senior middle hitter Kat Brown is on the doorstep of becoming Cal's all-time blocks leader. Brown now has 492 for her career, just 12 short of Ellen Orchard's all-time record of 504. Meanwhile, fellow middle hitter Shannon Hawari is in third place on Cal's all-time list with 458 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 492 2009-
3. Shannon Hawari 456 2008-
4. Camille Leffall 438 2001-04
5. Cara Dane 434 1990-93

The Last Time Vs. The SoCal Schools
The undermanned Bears were swept by USC and UCLA at Haas Pavilion in mid-October. Cal played without junior outside hitter Adrienne Gehan (knee injury) while senior middle hitter Shannon Hawari and senior opposite hitter Correy Johnson were recovering from the flu. The Bears had late leads in each of the first two sets against the Trojans before falling.

Last Week at a Glance
The Bears suffered their most agonizing loss of the season but came back the next night to notch a much-needed win. Cal had two match points against No. 5 Washington but ultimtaely fell 17-15 in the fifth set. Less than 24 hours later, the Bears were back on the court again and took down Washington State in four sets. Senior middle hitter Shannon Hawari hit .549 for the two matches while averaging 3.44 kills per set.

The Cal Leader Board
Kills: Adrienne Gehan - 248 (3.06/set)
Hitting Percentage: Shannon Hawari - .393
Assists: Joan Caloiaro - 975 (10.16/set)
Blocks: Kat Brown - 137 (1.40/set)
Digs: Mary McKennon - 347 (3.54/set)

Bears on Pac-12 Leader Board
Hitting Percentage: Shannon Hawari - .393 (Second)
Assists per set: Joan Caloiaro - 10.16 (Sixth)
Blocks per set: Kat Brown - 1.40 (Fourth), Shannon Hawari - 1.30 (Sixth)
Digs per set: Mary McKennon - 3.54 (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 hitter 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 last 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 UCLA
• The Bruins feature one of the most explosive offenses in the nation, led by outside hitters Tabi Love and Rachael Kidder.
• Love is third in the Pac-12 and 12th in the nation with 4.55 kills per set. Kidder ranks ninth in the conference with 3.94 kills per set.
• The Bruins enter the week ranked fourth in the nation in three major categories - kills per set (14.78), hitting percentage (.299) and assists (13.84).
• UCLA has won eight of nine, with its only loss coming in a surprising sweep at the hands of Arizona on Nov. 2.
• The Bruins won every meeting ever against Cal until 2005 (46-0). Since then, UCLA is 8-6 against the Bears.

About USC
• The Trojans have won five of the past six against Cal, including a sweep at Haas Pavilion earlier this season. The Bears' only win over USC during that span came in the 2010 NCAA semifinals in Kansas City, Mo.
• Middle hitter Alexis Olgard ranks third in the Pac-12 with a .376 hitting percentage.
• Freshman outside hitter Samantha Bricio is seventh in the conference with 4.12 kills per set.

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 19.5 blocks the Bears had against Arizona State on Oct. 28 is the second-highest mark in the conference this year.
• 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 an Oct. 21 loss to Washington this season. Since, the Bears are hitting .304 in six matches.
• Cal ranks third in the country in blocks (2.99 per set).
• Joan Caloiaro's 66 assists against Washington are tied for the most in a match by a Pac-12 player this season.

Next Week on the Court
The Bears return home to close out the regular season with their final Pac-12 matches against Utah and rival Stanford at Haas Pavilion. The Bears play the Utes for the only time this season on Monday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. then host No. 1 Stanford on Friday, Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks. The Stanford match will be Senior Night. Shannon Hawari, Kat Brown, Correy Johnson and Robin Rostratter will all be honored during a pre-match ceremony.

Cal All Over The Airwaves
The Bears have been a fixture on television this season. Thirteen of Cal's first 16 Pac-12 matches have been on TV. Last week's match against Washington aired on ESPNU, the first time the Bears had appeared on an ESPN network since the 2012 national championship match. All of the others have appeared on the Pac-12 Networks. Cal's regular season-finale against Staford on Friday, Nov. 23 will also air on the Pac-12 Networks.

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.