Friday, February 26
Berkeley, CA
9:00 AM
California
vs
Oregon
Photo by: Al Sermeno/KLC fotos
2/24/2021 2:50 PM | Beach Volleyball
No. 9 Cal Begins 2021 Season This Weekend Vs. Oregon And UC Davis
BERKELEY – The ninth-ranked California beach volleyball team will begin their 2021 campaign on Friday morning as they host Oregon at the Clark Kerr Sand Courts at 9 a.m. The Bears will also take on UC Davis on Saturday at 1 p.m.
There will be no fans allowed on school property for any home beach volleyball contests this year.
CAL HOSTS OREGON AND UC DAVIS THIS WEEKEND
- Cal will open the 2021 season on Friday at 9 a.m. at the Clark Kerr Sand Courts.
- It will be the first time in 355 days that Cal will play after the 2020 season was canceled following the Bears' upset win over. No. 5 USC.
- Cal will carry a nine-match winning streak into the 2021 season. That is the second-longest winning streak in school history, topped only by the school's 11-match winning from Feb. 24-March 17, 2018.
- Cal has won 18 straight matches at home, dating back to April 7, 2017.
- The Bears will host Oregon and UC Davis this weekend.
- All-time, Cal is 9-0 against Oregon and UC Davis, having beat Oregon in all six of their matchups including a 5-0 sweep on March 7 of 2020 at the Pac-12 South Tournament. Cal is also 3-0 in school history against UC Davis. The Bears have defeated the Aggies 5-0 in all three matchups including, during the season-opening weekend last year.
BEARS OPEN 2021 RANKED NINTH
- Cal opens the 2021 season where they ended 2020, ranked ninth in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
- This is the third straight year that Cal has been selected amongst the top 12 in the nation to start the year.
- This is the top preseason ranking in school history and tied for the highest that Cal has been ranked at any point of the year, with their season-ending placement on last year's coaches' poll.
- The Bears were ranked No. 12 prior to the 2019 season and 11th heading into the 2020 campaign.
RETURNING EXPERIENCE
- Cal returns six of the 10 players that were in the 2020 lineup for all 10 matches, including three of the four members of the Bears' top two pairs: Mima Mirkovic, Caroline Schafer and Jordan Polo.
- Mirkovic was named an honorable mention All-America in 2019, while Polo was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
- The Bears are also led by four seniors who have a combined 283 matches of experience: Mirkovic (69), Schafer (71), Alexia Inman (73) and Maddie Micheletti (70).
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- Cal's senior class has won 55 games over their career, 21 games from matching the most by any four-year class in school history.
- Cal has recorded 10 wins over ranked teams over the past two seasons, two in 2020 and eight in 2019.
- Cal will play a challenging schedule with at least 14 opponents that are ranked in the 2021 AVCA Preseason Poll.
There will be no fans allowed on school property for any home beach volleyball contests this year.
CAL HOSTS OREGON AND UC DAVIS THIS WEEKEND
- Cal will open the 2021 season on Friday at 9 a.m. at the Clark Kerr Sand Courts.
- It will be the first time in 355 days that Cal will play after the 2020 season was canceled following the Bears' upset win over. No. 5 USC.
- Cal will carry a nine-match winning streak into the 2021 season. That is the second-longest winning streak in school history, topped only by the school's 11-match winning from Feb. 24-March 17, 2018.
- Cal has won 18 straight matches at home, dating back to April 7, 2017.
- The Bears will host Oregon and UC Davis this weekend.
- All-time, Cal is 9-0 against Oregon and UC Davis, having beat Oregon in all six of their matchups including a 5-0 sweep on March 7 of 2020 at the Pac-12 South Tournament. Cal is also 3-0 in school history against UC Davis. The Bears have defeated the Aggies 5-0 in all three matchups including, during the season-opening weekend last year.
BEARS OPEN 2021 RANKED NINTH
- Cal opens the 2021 season where they ended 2020, ranked ninth in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
- This is the third straight year that Cal has been selected amongst the top 12 in the nation to start the year.
- This is the top preseason ranking in school history and tied for the highest that Cal has been ranked at any point of the year, with their season-ending placement on last year's coaches' poll.
- The Bears were ranked No. 12 prior to the 2019 season and 11th heading into the 2020 campaign.
RETURNING EXPERIENCE
- Cal returns six of the 10 players that were in the 2020 lineup for all 10 matches, including three of the four members of the Bears' top two pairs: Mima Mirkovic, Caroline Schafer and Jordan Polo.
- Mirkovic was named an honorable mention All-America in 2019, while Polo was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
- The Bears are also led by four seniors who have a combined 283 matches of experience: Mirkovic (69), Schafer (71), Alexia Inman (73) and Maddie Micheletti (70).
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- Cal's senior class has won 55 games over their career, 21 games from matching the most by any four-year class in school history.
- Cal has recorded 10 wins over ranked teams over the past two seasons, two in 2020 and eight in 2019.
- Cal will play a challenging schedule with at least 14 opponents that are ranked in the 2021 AVCA Preseason Poll.
Players Mentioned
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