BERKELEY – It was a turnaround season for the California volleyball program in 2019 under first-year head coach Sam Crosson. The Golden Bears won 20 matches overall and 10 conference matches for the first time since 2013, falling just short of its first NCAA Tournament bid since the 2013 campaign.

Cal was rewarded for its resurgence with a quartet of Bears earning conference honors, the Pac-12 office announced Tuesday. Juniors Preslie Anderson and Mima Mirkovic, along with redshirt sophomore Lauren Forte were named to the All-Pac-12 Team, while senior Maddie Haynes received honorable mention recognition.

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"It is a tremendous honor for Preslie, Lauren, Mima, and Maddie to be named to the All-Conference team this season," Cal head coach Sam Crosson said. "Each of these student-athletes have continued to put forth the effort, sacrifice, and time to help elevate their performances on the court and this recognition is great validation for them and our program."

The Bears' three players earning All-Pac-12 honors is second most in the conference, trailing only Pac-12 Champion Stanford's four honorees. It's the second time ever Cal has had three players earn All-Conference notoriety, and first since 2010 when Correy Johnson, Carli Lloyd and Tarah Murrey were honored.

Anchoring a strong offensive attack from the middle, Anderson turned in one of the best hitting percentage seasons in California volleyball history. A native of Chandler, Arizona, the junior racked up a .402 (211-45-413) efficiency clip on the season, the best mark in the conference and second-best all-time at Cal behind Shannon Hawari's blazing .419 percentage in 2010.

"Preslie had a terrific season in the middle for us this year," Crosson said. "She is one of the top attack percentage hitters in the conference, has a great work ethic, and is constantly searching for ways to improve."

Anderson is California's first Pac-12 hitting percentage champion since Kat Brown topped the conference in 2011 with a .394 clip. It's the second time Anderson has received All-Conference honors after she was named honorable mention in 2018.

A native of Tempe, Arizona, the redshirt sophomore Forte has earned All-Conference recognition in both seasons of action with the Golden Bears after she was named honorable mention in 2018. Gaining momentum as the season went on, Forte made an impact on both sides of the net for Cal. She finished fifth in the conference with a .336 (209-72-408) hitting efficiency clip, joining Anderson to give Cal the only teammates ranking in the conference top five.

"Lauren had another good season in the middle for us this year," Crosson said. "Her athleticism and contact height allow for her to be a dynamic attacker. She is making progress with her blocking, and she has the potential to be a dominating player in this conference."

Forte tallied 209 kills to finish fourth on the team, and notched six double digit kill performances in the final 11 matches of the season, including a career-high 17 finishes with a season-best eight blocks at UCLA on Oct. 27.   

Leading the attack from the outside, Mirkovic, an Irvine, California native, stuffed the stat sheet throughout the season for the Bears. She led the team with a 3.28 kills per set average, finishing eighth in the conference in the category, while also leading Cal with 325 kills on the season and falling just six kills short of reaching 1,000 in her career after missing four matches down the stretch.

"Mima had another solid all-around season in conference this year," Crosson said. "She contributed for us from numerous places on the court this season. She is asked to score points from the service line and at the net as an attacker and blocker, she is a primary passer for us, and one of our better defenders."

Mirkovic was named the AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 22 and the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, following back-to-back double-doubles, including a 19 kill and season-high 20 dig effort in a win over Colorado. She finished tied for eighth in the Pac-12 with 13 double-doubles on the season and second on the team with 289 digs. Mirkovic earns her second All-Conference honor after being honorable mention a year ago.   

Senior outside Maddie Haynes turned in the best performance of her Cal career with consistent outings throughout the season. The Rocklin, California native finished second on the team with 309 kills and a 2.73 kills per set average. She led Cal with 30 service aces, a 0.28 per set average, good enough to tie for fourth in the Pac-12.

"Maddie had her best season of her career this past year for us," Crosson said. "Her attack efficiency numbers increased significantly this season. She is one of our better blockers and she has the capability to score in bunches from the service line as one of the top service aces per set servers in the conference."

After tying her career-high of 19 kills twice this season, Haynes set a new career-best mark with a 20-kill outing on Nov. 17 against USC. Haynes made an impact on the defensive side of the net as well, leading the Bears and finishing eighth in the conference with 17 solo blocks on the year.

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