BERKELEY – California volleyball has four more games on the road this week, first heading a short jaunt away to Moraga to face Saint Mary's on Tuesday night before traveling to Boulder, Colorado, for the Buffs Invitational to conclude 2024 tournament play. All four contests will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
Last week, Cal dropped its first two matches to No. 8 Purdue (1-3) and Utah (0-3) in Salt Lake City before rebounding with a 3-1 win against a strong Utah State team. Sophomore Xuemeng (Maggie) Li added to her ACC-leading kills total with 47 on the weekend, including a 23-kill (.375) performance against the Aggies, while junior setter Natalie Lau recorded a double-double (40 assists, 10 digs) in her first collegiate start – also against Utah State. Libero Gianna Bartalo also impressed with 52 digs across those three matches; she currently leads the conference with a 5.00 digs-per-set average and is second in total digs (110).
 
Vs. Saint Mary's – Sept. 10, 7 p.m. PT
Last Meeting: Sept. 6, 2023 at Cal (W, 3-1)
All-Time Record: 23-3, Cal
 
The Gaels (0-3) have gotten off to a slow start this season but have proved that they are no slouches after taking then-No. 19 Arkansas to five sets in their opening weekend. Senior opposite Hannah Taylor notched 18 kills in that match and followed up with 12 (.435) the next day against Cal Poly; she currently leads the team with 42 on the year. The Bears will also have to keep an eye on outside hitter Genevieve Bane, a preseason All-WCC selection that ranks among her squad's top-five players in all five major categories.
 
Vs. Wyoming – Sept. 13, 3 p.m. PT (Buffs Invitational)
Last Meeting: Sept. 28, 1984 at Cal (W, 3-2)
All-Time Series: 3-0
 
The Cowgirls (5-0) have kicked off their season in white-hot fashion and are currently riding an undefeated streak that includes a five-set victory over former Pac-12 foe Washington State. Two-time Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week Sierra Grizzle, averaging 5.3 digs per set, leads a shutdown Wyoming squad that is among the nation's stingiest with an average opponent hitting percentage of .137. Grizzle opened up her season with a 34-dig performance against the Cougars and has posted double-digit digs – with two additional outings over 20 digs – in every match since. Middle blocker Sarah Holcomb, who led her conference last year with 146 blocks, has continued to be a force in front of the net with 30 roofs on the year.
 
At Colorado – Sept. 14, 5 p.m. PT (Buffs Invitational)
Last Meeting: Nov. 22, 2023 at Cal (L, 1-3)
Last Cal Win: Oct. 20, 2019 at Cal (3-2)
Last Cal Road Win: Nov. 9, 2013 (3-1)
All-Time Series: 6-18
 
The Buffs (4-2) are already battle-tested with four games against Power 4 opponents and a trio of five-set matches under the team's collective belt, two of the latter resulting in wins. Three of their players – Ana Burilovic, Sydney Jordan and Cayla Payne – have over 60 kills on the year; Burilovic ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 3.96 kills per set, while Payne also leads the squad with 25 blocks on the year. Colorado's top serving threat is transfer libero Sarah Morton, who ranks third in her conference with 0.58 aces per set and has two 20-dig outings on the year.
 
Vs. UC Irvine – Sept. 15, 10 a.m. PT (Buffs Invitational)
Last Meeting: Sept. 7, 2019 at UC Irvine (W, 3-0)
All-Time Series: 11-5
 
The Anteaters (4-2) are riding a two-game win streak into the weekend and are holding their opponents to an average hitting percentage of just .146 – 33rd lowest in the nation – but have yet to face an opponent from a Power Conference this year. Their lineup holds several weapons, including Big West Freshman of the Year Nicole Feliciano, All-Big West Honorable Mention libero Campbell Jensen and three players (Soana Leaea, Ofure Iselen and Ella Gardiner) in the conference's top 10 in blocks per set; among the latter group, Leaea leads the conference at a 1.50 clip, while Gardiner also stars on the offensive side of the ball with 51 kills on .376 hitting. As a team, UC Irvine ranks 38th in Division I with an average of 2.64 blocks per set.
 
 
LI LEADS
Sophomore outside hitter Xuemeng (Maggie) Li looks to take another step forward in her second year, following a sensational rookie season in which she was named a VolleyballMag All-America Honorable Mention, the AVCA Pacific West Region Freshman of the Year and All-Pacific West Region Honorable Mention, an All-Pac-12 team member and the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Her six Pac-12 Freshman of the Week awards also tied a conference record. In her freshman year, she posted 441 kills - third most among all Pac-12 players - with 4.35 points per set (4th Pac-12); she was also second on the team with 34 aces and third with 265 digs. After two weeks of play, Li leads the ACC with 96 kills and 107.5 total points.
 
MAEDER'S MARK
Senior setter Annalea Maeder is coming off her best season yet, in which she earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention status for the first time in her career after totaling 1,037 assists (9.18 assists per set) and 46 service aces, the latter of which tied for the 10th-highest single-season total in program history and was the third most among all Pac-12 players. Maeder had 19 total matches with 30 or more assists; she also tied for a team-high 11 double-doubles and was second on the team with 286 digs. Currently, she ranks sixth in program history with 2,759 career assists and sixth with 123 career aces.
 
WECLOME TO THE ACC
The Bears wasted no time making their presence felt as new members of the ACC. For their performaces in going 3-0 at the season-opening Rose City Showdown in Portland, sophomore Maggie Li and senior Annalea Maeder were named ACC Offensive Playser 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, inlcuding 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).
 
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