BERKELEY – The Golden Bears open a big week with the Big Spike matchup as they host second-ranked Stanford Cardinal to mark the beginning of Pac-12 play on Wednesday at 8 p.m. (PT) at Haas Pavilion and look to remain perfect at home.
 
The contest will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network with Cal alum Kate Scott calling the play-by-play and Amy Gant providing analysis.
 
Cal heads into league play with an 8-3 record, highlighted by five shutouts and a pair of come-back wins against Portland State and Pacific. After suffering their lone sweep of the season against Saint Mary's last weekend, the Bears are eager to return to the court.
 
"Opening with the No. 2 team in the country at Haas Pavilion is a way to start off Pac 12 with a bang," said Cal head coach Jennifer Dorr. "I have always enjoyed the rivalry with Stanford as they are well coached and respectful players to compete against. We strive to play our game to the best of our ability knowing they will be doing the same."
 
With a formidable opponent in The Cardinal (8-1), the Bears face their first top-25 opponent of the season. Cal brings momentum from its nonconference slate, which was highlighted by notable defense as they combined for 16 blocks against Pacific on Sept. 13, the most in a single match since Nov. 14, 2013 against Oregon State when the team recorded 17. Cal has also limited its opponents to a .170 attacking percentage.
 
Cal's net game has also benefited from the return of middle blocker Lauren Forte who leads the team with nine solo blocks and has recorded 26 total blocks, the third most on the team, despite playing just 14 sets.
 
Offensively, Cal's middle blocker Preslie Anderson leads with a .404 attacking percentage, which ranks second in the league. Mima Mirkovic adds to effort on both sides of the ball with a team best 131 kills and 158 digs.
 
Stanford has faced gone 4-1 against top-10 opponents to open the season, and have won six consecutive contests with its last four victories coming against top-ranked Minnesota, third-ranked Texas and fifth-ranked Penn State. The Cardinal has only given up two sets in that six-game stretch.
 
"We are fortunate to play in the conference of champions where we are tested every week by the best players and coaches in the country," Dorr said. "There are no easy matches and we must prepare with intent for each match while at the same time, controlling our style of play on our side of the net. Our returners know how critical being prepared and playing fearlessly is and our newcomers are about to get their first taste of competing at the highest level."
 

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Cal Opens the Dorr
The Bears will have a new body in their front chair as Jennifer Dorr opens her collegiate head coaching career in the 2018 season. Dorr, a former standout setter at Hawai'i, is a familiar face around the program after joining Cal's staff under legendary coach Rich Feller in 2009 as the Director of Operations. In 2011, the Newport Beach, Calif., native, was promoted to assistant coach for the Bears and contributed to three NCAA Tournament appearances, three top-10 recruiting classes, four All-America honors, 15 All-Pac-12 selections, the 2011 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, 40 Pac-12 All-Academic selections, and three CoSIDA Academic All-District picks. Notably, Dorr is the lone coach in program history to finish a nonconference slate undefeated at home in their first season. Dorr, who is married to former Cal All-American swimmer John Dorr, is a mom of two twin girls Lily and Piper and raises them in the same manner in which she was raised, on the volleyball courts.
 
Preslie Anderson: Middle Child, Middle Blocker
Undoubtedly the emotional and vocal leader of the team, Preslie Anderson also leads in attacking percentage with a .404 clip. That note currently ranks second in the Pac-12. Anderson has found herself perfectly positioned in the middle, both on the court and in her family. Recently, the sophomore from Chandler, Ariz., opened up about the uniqueness of growing up as a middle child in a competitive family laden with collegiate athletes. Anderson's father Mike was a two-time All-American at Arizona State, while her older brother Ian plays football at South Dakota School of Mines. More than a handful of her mother Nancy's siblings have played at least one sport in college. Nancy is 1 of 10. More on Anderson's life in the middle can be found here: https://calbea.rs/2NeuwHT.
 
SAVSTRONG
Cal middle blocker Savannah Rennie returned to the court for the first time since 2016 against Portland State on Sept. 7 recording six kills, three blocks and two digs. Those numbers paled in comparison to the simple fact that she was back in action after battling another serious medical condition. Rennie made her college debut in 2016 after sitting out her freshman season because of a liver transplant. She went on to play in 12 matches that year, but was sidelined again last season after being diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Post-Transplant Lymphoma. Rennie went through treatments and returned in time for spring workouts last semester. Rennie came to Cal as the No. 20 "Senior Ace" by PrepVolleyball.com.
 
Carmen Continues at Cal
Senior outside hitter Carmen Annevelink, who earns it in the classroom, just as much as she has on the court, opted to remain with the Bears and complete her collegiate playing eligibility this season. The integrative biology major finished her required credits to graduate in the spring of 2018, but was not ready to walk away from the court so soon. A two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection, Annevelink returns as one of Cal's kills leaders from last year, tied for the second-most kills on the team with sophomore Mima Mirkovic, recording 264 kills apiece in 2017.
 
Easily JADE-ed
After grueling two-a-days, freshman Jade Blevins proved to be a true gem for the Golden Bears and was named the starting setter. The Laguna Beach, Calif., native, racked up noteworthy honors during her prep days including being named an Under Armour All-American, earning All-Academy League MVP as a senior, and leading Sage Hill High School to four league titles. Her success is undoubtedly due to hard work, but can also be attributed to athletic genes as her father James played basketball and mother Lynn played volleyball at Cal Poly. Her sister Alissa also played college volleyball at Providence. The impressive lineage doesn't stop there as both of her grandfathers were collegiate basketball players. Her paternal grandfather Jim played at Ball State, while her mother's dad Gordon Kessler played at Maryland.
 
Seven Newcomers
The 2018 roster lists seven new names, six which are freshman and one junior college transfer. Freshmen include recently named starting setter Jade Blevins (Laguna Beach, Calif.), Bella Bergmark (Larkspur, Calif.), Gabby Bellizzi (Ladera Ranch, Calif.), Jessica Houghton (Menlo Park, Calif.) who comes from a family of Stanford graduates, Makana Meyer (Burbank, Calif.), and Darian Clark (Phoenix, Ariz.) who ranked among the top 250 recruits in the nation by PrepVolleyball.com and was a three-time AVCA Phenom pick. The Bears also welcome junior Morgan Wright (Wheatland, Calif.), a transfer from West Valley College. An All-Coast Conference selection while at West Valley, Wright is one of two walk-ons, along with Houghton.
 
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