Complete weekly release 
Nov. 19, 2012
Monday, Nov. 19
8 p.m. PT- Utah (13-18, 4-14) at Cal (14-14, 8-10 Pac-12)
Haas Pavilion - Berkeley, Calif.
Coverage: Live Audio, GameTracker, Twitter, Facebook
All-Time Series vs. the Utes: 5-3
Last Meeting: W, 3-2 (11-3-11)
Friday, Nov. 23
8 p.m. PT- No. 2 Stanford (25-2, 17-1 Pac-12) at Cal
Haas Pavilion - Berkeley, Calif.
Coverage: Pac-12 Networks, Live Audio, GameTracker, Twitter, Facebook
All-Time Series vs. the Cardinal: 12-63
Last Meeting: L, 3-0 (9-19-12)
THE LAST MEETING
November 3, 2011
Salt Lake City, Utah
No. 7 Cal Successfully Skirts Utah, 3-2
For the first time in the 2011 season, the No. 7 California volleyball team went five sets with an opponent before earning a 3-2 victory over Utah on Thursday evening at the Utes' Crimson Court.
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BERKELEY - Cal's women's volleyball team wraps up the regular season with home matches against Utah on Monday, Nov. 19 and No. 2 Stanford on Friday, Nov. 23. The Bears need to win one of their final two matches to become eligible for an NCAA Tournament berth. This is the first meeting this season between the Bears and Utes and just the eighth all-time. Cal beat Utah in Salt Lake City last year in the Utes' first season in the Pac-12. Friday's "Big Spike" will be Senior Night and the Bears will honor their four 2012 seniors - middle hitter Shannon Hawari, middle hitter Kat Brown, opposite hitter Correy Johnson and libero Robin Rostratter - in a pre-match ceremony. The Cardinal, which beat the Bears in three sets earlier this season in Palo Alto, clinched the Pac-12 championship last week with a win over UCLA.
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.
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 third in the conference with a .384 hitting percentage and seventh with 1.25 blocks per set. She had a career-high 20 kills in Cal's five-set loss at No. 8 USC on Friday and leads the Bears with 291 total kills on the season. And Hawari is getting better as the season progresses. She has hit .500 or better in seven of the past eight matches and reached double-digits in kills in six of them.
Brown Nears All-Time Blocks Record
Senior middle hitter Kat Brown is on the doorstep of becoming Cal's all-time blocks leader. Brown now has 498 for her career, just six shy 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 464 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 498 2009-
3. Shannon Hawari 464 2008-
4. Camille Leffall 438 2001-04
5. Cara Dane 434 1990-93
Block Party
Senior midde hitters Kat Brown and Shannon Hawari are putting together two of the best blocking seasons in Cal history. Brown's 143 blocks this season are the fifth-most all-time at Cal, while Hawari's 133 blocks rank seventh in school history. Brown had 151 blocks as a sophomore in 2010, which is the fourth-best mark all-time at Cal. Meanwhile, Hawari's 131 blocks in 2010 are the eighth-best mark at the school.
Models Of Efficiency
Five of Cal's 10 best all-time single-season hitting percentages come from current players. Senior middle hitter Shannon Hawari hit a school-record .419 in 2010 and her .387 clip as a freshman in 2008 is the third-best mark at the school. Senior middle hitter Kat Brown had the second-best single-season percentage at Cal when she hit .394 last season. Brown also hit .358 in 2010, good for sixth on the Bears' all-time list. Finally, senior opposite hitter Correy Johnson's .354 percentage in 2011 is the seventh-best all-time mark at Cal.
Hawari Most Successful Hitter Ever At Cal
Unless she has a dramatically ineffective end to the season, senior middle hitter Shannon Hawari should leave Cal as the school's all-time leader in hitting percentage. She entered the season No. 1 on the Bears' all-time career list at .366 and it's gone up to .372 with her play this year.
The Last Time Vs. Utah
The No. 7 Bears played the Utes for the first time in Pac-12 Conference play on Nov. 3, 2011 and pulled out a five-set victory in Salt Lake City. Tarah Murrey led Cal with 25 kills.
The Last Time Vs. Stanford
Cal was swept by the No. 6 Cardinal at Maples Pavilion on Sept. 19. Junior outside hitter Adrienne Gehan led the Bears with 11 kills and 13 digs. Cal had a set point in the third set but couldn't close it out.
Last Week at a Glance
The Bears had a tough assignment, going on the road to face a pair of back-to-back top-10 opponents on consecutive nights. Cal was swept by No. 5 UCLA on Thursday night then took No. 8 USC to five sets before falling on Friday. Against the Trojans, the Bears had match point in the fourth set but couldn't polish it off. Senior middle hitter Shannon Hawari had a career-high 20 kills.
Career Night
Although it ended up as a hard-fought five-set loss, several Cal players had career nights last Friday at No. 8 USC. Senior middle hitter Shannon Hawari registered a career-best 20 kills on a career-high 45 attempts while junior setter Joan Caloiaro handed out a career-high 69 assists, which is the second-highest mark in the Pac-12 this season. A full recap of all the career-highs set in the match is below:
MH Shannon Hawari: 20 kills, 45 attempts.
S Joan Caloiaro: 69 assists, 23 digs.
OH Nikki Gombar: 19 digs
DS Marlee Davis: 17 digs
OH Adrienne Gehan: 56 attempts
The Cal Leader Board
Kills: Adrienne Gehan - 278 (3.12/set)
Hitting Percentage: Shannon Hawari - .384
Assists: Joan Caloiaro - 1081 (10.39/set)
Blocks: Kat Brown - 143 (1.35/set)
Digs: Mary McKennon - 372 (3.51/set)
Bears on Pac-12 Leader Board
Hitting Percentage: Shannon Hawari - .384 (Third)
Assists per set: Joan Caloiaro - 10.39 (Fifth)
Blocks per set: Kat Brown - 1.35 (Fourth)
Blocks per set: Shannon Hawari - 1.25 (Seventh)
Ouch
The Bears have been hit hard by injuries this season. Projected starting outside hitter Michelle Neumayr injured the anterior cruciate ligament in 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/opposite Lara Vukasovic has started 13 matches and played in 63 sets.
Rostratter Earns Honor
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 for the award last month.
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 Utah
• The Utes are near the bottom of the Pac-12 standings but have been extremely competitive in the last month. They lost in five sets at No. 8 Washington and against No. 6 UCLA then won on the road at Arizona State last weekend.
• In recent statistical reports, Utah ranks second in the Pac-12 and is tied for eighth in the nation with 3.00 blocks per set. Sophomore middle blocker Bailey Bateman is second in the conference with 1.57 blocks per set.
• Junior Morgan Odale is second in the Pac-12 with 0.33 aces per set.
About Stanford
• The Cardinal clinched the Pac-12 championship with a win over UCLA last week. It's Stanford's 18th conference title and sixth in the past seven years.
• Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate Carly Wopat leads the conference with a .401 hitting percentage and is third with 1.45 blocks per set.
• The Cardinal start four freshmen, including outside hitter Jordan Burgess, who averages a team-best 2.94 kills per set and 3.52 digs per set. A Stanford player has won Pac-12 Freshman of the Week six times this season.
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.
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.
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.
