BERKELEY – California continues its Pac-12 pursuits as its hosts Arizona State on Sunday at Haas Pavilion.
 
Slated for a 2 p.m. (PT) first serve, the Golden Bears-Sun Devils matchup will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks with Ted Enberg on the play-by-play and Olympian Holly McPeak providing analysis.
 
Cal (8-4, 0-1 Pac-12) looks to bounce back against ASU after falling 3-0 to No. 2 Stanford in the conference opener on Wednesday. ASU (9-4, 0-1 Pac-12) opened league play against in-state rival Arizona on Thursday also giving up a 3-0 result
 
The Cal-ASU matchup has been closely-contested historically, with Cal trailing 32-33 in the all-time series. The Bears posted back-to-back wins in 2017 to come within one, but only face the Sun Devils on one occasion this season and will look to maximize the lone contests to even out the series.
 
"We only get to play ASU once at our place so we have to take advantage of this opportunity," said head coach Jennifer Dorr. "They are a team that has had some great preseason wins and have some new faces on the court just like us, so I am expecting it to be a competitive battle."
 
Cal has outhit opponents 595-515 and limited its competitors to a .185 attacking percentage. The Bears also remain ahead behind the service line recording 60 aces, allowing 56.
 
SCOUTING ASU

• Led by sophomore Megan Beedie with a .393 hitting percentage which ranks second in the Pac-12
• Junior Ivana Jeremic leads the Sun Devils with 163 kills and her 3.80 kill per set average ranks seventh in the league
• As a team, ASU has recorded a .298 attacking clip, while holding opponents to .173 hitting rate, third best in the Pac-12

 

Headlines

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 .384 clip. That note currently ranks fourth 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 in the full feature Middle Child, Middle Blocker on CalBears.com.
 
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. Highlighting Rennie's return, Cal's Jonathan Okanes published 'Inspiring Vulnerability' on Sept. 6 to detail the remarkable journey with quotes from the junior about her return courtside.
 
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. She currently leads the team with 53 assists after the opening weekend. 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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