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UTAH AT CAL |
| COLORADO AT CAL Saturday, Nov. 21 | 7 p.m. Venue: Haas Pavilion Location: Berkeley, Calif. LIve Video: CalBears.com Live Stats: CalBears.com |
The Cal volleyball team plays its final two home matches of the 2015 season this week, wrapping up on Saturday with Senior Day. Before the Bears' match against Colorado, Cal will honor seniors Lillian Schonewise, Lara Vukasovic, Nikki Gombar and Mary McKennon in a special on-court ceremony. The Bears lost in four sets to Colorado earlier this season while beating the Utes in five sets.
BEAR NECESSITIES: CAL'S TOP STORYLINES, STREAKS & TRENDS
HONORS CANDIDATE LILLIAN SCHONEWISE
Senior middle blocker Lillian Schonewise is making a serious case to repeat as an All-American. An AVCA All-American Honorable Mention last season, Schonewise has taken her game to an even higher level in 2015. She enters the week ranked fifth in the Pac-12 with a .382 hitting percentage and has the most total attacks of any player ranked in the top-10. Her 3.14 kills per set average is second among all Pac-12 middle blockers. In conference matches only, when the competition is toughest, she leads all Pac-12 middle blockers at 3.42 kills per set, which also ranks 10th in the conference. Her hitting percentage in Pac-12 matches is .399, which is fourth in the conference. Schonewise also has the fourth-highest career hitting percentage all-time at Cal at .325.
KERR NEARS MORE RECORDS
Junior libero Maddy Kerr already holds two of Cal's top-10 single-season dig marks, and she's on her way to a third. Kerr enters the week with 404 digs this season, which is 22 short of the 10th-best all-time total at Cal. Kerr already holds the eighth-best single-season dig total at Cal with 462, which she set last season. Her 430 digs as a freshman are the ninth-best single-season mark at Cal. Kerr also now has 1,296 career digs, which is good for fifth on Cal's all-time list. Kerr, the daughter of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, currently ranks sixth in the Pac-12 with an average of 4.21 digs per set. Kerr also serves as the Bears' co-captain along with Lillian Schonewise and Nikki Gombar.
HAYNES SIGNS WITH CAL
Maddie Haynes, a 6-foot-4 outside hitter from Rocklin, Calif., signed a Financial Aid Agreement last week and will enroll at Cal starting with the spring semester. Haynes was a member of the U.S. Youth National Team that won the Silver Medal at the NORCECA Girls Youth Continental Championship last year. She has also been a member of the USA Volleyball A1 High Performance Team. Haynes is the No. 83 “Senior Ace” in the country, according to PrepVolleyball.com.
JENSEN CLIMBS ASSIST CHART
Junior setter Alyssa Jensen enters the week with 2,206 career assists, which ranks eighth on Cal's all-time list. Jensen needs just 72 assists to pass Caity Noonan and move into seventh in program history. Samantha Carter is Cal's all-time leader in assists with 5,777. Jensen currently ranks sixth in the Pac-12 at 10.00 assists per set
LLOYD NAMED TO ALL-CENTURY TEAM
Former Cal star Carli Lloyd was named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team last month. The conference is celebrating its 100th year of existence and released a 16-member team that was voted on by current coaches, former playrers and members of the media. Lloyd, one of four setters named to the team, was the 2010 AVCA National Player of the Year and a three-time AVCA All-American. She led the Bears to the NCAA Final Four as a freshman in 2007 and then guided Cal to the NCAA championship match in 2010.
ABOUT UTAH
• SO Adora Anae ranks fourth in the Pac-12 at 4.19 kills per set
• Anae had a then-career-high 27 kills in a five-set loss to Cal on Oct. 18
• The Utes have a player with the first name of Berkeley - FR Berkeley Oblad
• LAST MEETING: Cal d. Utah, 3-2 (10-18-15)
ABOUT COLORADO
• OH Alexis Austin is the reigning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week
• The Buffs are the first of the others receiving votes in this week's AVCA Top 25
• Austin ranks fifth in the Pac-12 at 4.04 kills per set
• LAST MEETING: Colorado d. Cal, 3-1 (10-16-15)