FORT COLLINS, Colo. – One Day Better. That's the mantra for Cal volleyball this season under new head coach Sam Crosson. On Saturday the Bears got better, sweeping through the Rams Volleyball Classic with victories against host Colorado State and Chicago State.

California defeated the host Rams 25-19, 23-25, 25-19, 25-10 to earn a win in one of the toughest road venues in the country in front of 1,836 fans at Moby Arena. The Bears followed with a 22-25, 25-21, 25-13, 25-7 victory over Chicago State to improve to 3-0 on the season.   

The Bears led for the majority of the match against the Rams, not allowing the hosts to take their first lead until late in the second set. Cal out-hit CSU .291-.123 and totaled 56 kills compared to 49 for the Rams. California notched 73 digs, while Colorado State had 46 and the Bears won the block battle 11-10.5.

"Our team was very prepared, very excited and solidified going into Moby and that environment, it was a good battle," Crosson said. "We did a lot of things well and maintained for our first time going into a bigger arena with a louder crowd. I was proud of the way we came out and battled. We responded after faltering in the second set and earned that victory. It's a big one for us at this stage in the season. It's nice to be challenged and see your team respond."   

Cal had a strong presence on the All-Tournament team, with senior Savannah Rennie taking Most Valuable Player honors. The Bears were the only team with three players named as junior Mima Mirkovic and senior Bailee Huizenga earned All-Tournament recognition.

Colorado State, a team that has made 24-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and is receiving votes in the AVCA preseason rankings, refused to give up at home. The Bears showed mettle throughout the match, responding to Ram rallies with strong decision-making and kills.  

Mirkovic recorded her first double-double of the season and 24^th of her career against Colorado State, tallying 20 kills and 18 digs to go along with four blocks. Huizenga also notched a double-double, the first of her career, with 12 kills and 12 digs.

Sophomore Makana Meyer made her first appearance of the season against CSU and made the most of her chance, matching her career-high with eight kills after coming on the court in the second set.

The Bears started slow in the second match of the day, dropping the first set to Chicago State (0-3) by a score of 25-22 before finding their footing and winning the next three straight. Mirkovic recorded her second double-double of the day with 10 kills and 12 digs.

"We didn't start the match engaged the way we should have been, and the team meeting during the break was a good way to refocus," Crosson said. "From our staff's perspective, even while not playing well and not being in rhythm we responded and it was a good learning lesson. Ultimately at the end of the day, this is a group that's going home 3-0 and they know they have a lot to work on. We're going to get back in the gym and prepare for week two. There were a lot of positives and this group is starting to understand who they are and what they can become." 

After tallying six kills and five blocks in the win over Colorado State, Rennie finished off her tournament with 12 kills (.625 hitting percentage) and another five blocks against the Cougars.

Mirkovic and Rennie were joined by Huizenga (13 kills) and junior Preslie Anderson (12 kills) as four Bears with double-digit kills in the victory over Chicago State. California out-hit the Cougars .458-.134, had 50 kills compared to 43 for CSU and won the dig battle 45-28.

Up Next: California returns to the road next week for the UC Irvine Tournament. The Bears open play with a 3 p.m. PT match on Friday, September 6 against North Carolina.