FORT COLLINS, Colo. – California volleyball opened the Sam Crosson era with a 25-11, 25-20, 28-26 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners at the Rams Volleyball Classic on Friday afternoon at Moby Arena.

The Bears (1-0) were led by a balanced offensive effort and tallied an impressive .476 hitting percentage in the strong first set. Senior outside hitter Maddie Haynes recorded 10 kills on the day to lead the Blue and Gold, while fellow senior Savannah Rennie pitched in nine kills and hit a team-high .438 in the match.

Cal posted a 39-30 advantage in kills and notched a .224 hitting percentage, holding the Sooners (0-1) to .035. The Bears had 53 digs to Oklahoma's 34 and led 10-9 in blocks.

"I thought we were consistent throughout the day and I thought the group did a good job of maintaining a next ball mentality," Crosson said. "I thought the way we performed in set one was a really good sign for the future. We were able to get rid of some nerves and some small things that maybe weren't in line yet. There is still a lot of learning going on, but for this group to go out and put forth a collective effort as we did and come away with a victory in the first match is a good sign moving forward."  

Cal jumped out to an early 15-6 lead in the first set, and continued the momentum to claim the opening frame. The Bears were able to keep their focus and composure early after the match was delayed by two hours due to a problem with the ceiling inside Moby Arena.

The Bears had three players with six kills each in senior Bailee Huizenga and juniors Preslie Anderson and Mima Mirkovic.

Senior Emma Smith tallied 14 digs to lead the Bears, and Mirkovic chipped in 12 digs of her own. Junior setter Isabel Potter totaled 32 assists for California.

A back-and-forth affair in the third set went to the Bears after Cal scored three straight points, erasing a set point opportunity for the Sooners and closing out the match. 

Crosson, a two-time Big West Coach of the Year at Cal Poly, made a triumphant return to the Bears bench after serving as an assistant coach at Cal from 2010-11. His tenure as an assistant included Cal's lone appearance in the NCAA title match in 2010.

"Our distribution numbers were pretty equitable and I thought  Potter did a good job of moving the ball around," Crosson said. "Overall our attackers made a lot of good decisions. It will be a benefit for us when we are able to go out there and attack from different spots on the court with different tempos and players. Having options in a, balanced offense is something that makes it more difficult for opponents. I thought our response was good overall and we're looking forward to Colorado State tomorrow."   

Up Next: California returns to Moby Arena for two matches on Saturday, beginning with a 12 p.m. PT first serve against host Colorado State. The Bears finish the Rams Volleyball Classic vs. Chicago State at 4 p.m. PT.