The California volleyball team takes to the road again this week after a successful opening weekend in Portland, where the Golden Bears went 3-0 at the Rose City Showdown. Cal swept Nevada and host Portland State while squeezing out a five-set victory over USF. The victories were the first in the head coaching career of new Cal head coach Jen Malcom. 

Sophomore Maggie Li picked up where she left off last season, when she was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year - by putting down 49 kills in 11 sets for an ACC-best 4.45 average after the first weekend of the 2024 season. She was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts.

Joining Li for a conference weekly honor was senior setter Annalea Maeder, who registered an ACC-best 122 sets over the weekend and was named the conference Setter of the Week for her efforts. Highlighting her performance was a 60-assist effort in the Bears' five-set victory over USF.

Cal will easily face its toughest test of the young season in its first match this week against No. 8 Purdue, a perennial Big Ten and national power that had its highest ever preseason ranking this season (No. 8). The Boilermakers return six of seven starters that advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen last year, including 2023 All-Americans Eva Hudson, Chloe Chicoine and Raven Coleman.  

After taking on Purdue in Salt Lake City on Thursday afternoon, the Bears will return to the Huntsman Center on Thursday evening to be reunited with former Pac-12 foe Utah, which has moved on to the Big 12 this season. The Bears wrap up their mountain swing on Friday when they visit Utah State. 

The last time:
Cal defeated a top-25 team: Feb. 12, 2021 vs. No. 15 Stanford (3-2) 
Cal defeated a top-10 team: Nov. 12, 2012 at No. 2 Oregon (3-2)


WECLOME TO THE ACC
The Bears wasted no time making their presence felt as new members of the ACC. For their performances in going 3-0 at the season-opening Rose City Showdown last week in Portland, sophomore Maggi eLi and senior Annalea Maeder were named ACC Offensive Plaser of the Week and ACC Setter of the Week, respectively. Li averaged 4.45 kills per set - tops in the conference through the initial week - while hitting for a .281 percentage. Her 24 kills in a five-set win over USF tied a career high. Maeder dished out a conference-high 122 assists in Portland, including 60 in the victory over the Dons.

NEW CONFERENCE, NEW STAFF
Head coach Jen Malcom joined the Bears in January 2024 from UCLA, where she was the associate head coach in 2023; previously, she spent seven years at Iowa State as an assistant coach (2016-18) and associate head coach (2019-22), helping lead the Cyclones to five NCAA Tournament appearances. Also on staff are new assistant coaches Andrew Sato (Long Beach State), Cole Murray (Loyola Marymount) and Alyssa Andreno (Tennessee); Sato was previously a volunteer assistant coach at Cal (2017) and was most recently an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton (2021-23), while Murray acted as an assistant coach at Campbell (2023) and Andreno at Winthrop (2022-23).

WELCOME TO BEAR TERRITORY
Five newcomers have joined the Bears in 2024. Fifth-year libero Gianna Bartalo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) arrived from Denver after a prolific career with the Pioneers, while senior opposite Cherlin Antonio (La Romana, Dominican Republic), a former member of the Dominican Republic U23 team, transferred from Syracuse after a year as the Orange's top attacker. Three freshmen - Grace Agolli (Atlanta), Kate Mansfield (Plano, Texas) and Sofia Williams (San Clemente) - will also lend their skills to the squad; Agolli, who specializes as an opposite, is the reigning Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year, while middle blocker Mansfield was the 2023 Texas 6A District Hitter of the Year and outside hitter Williams was named All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) in her senior year.