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Bears Take Tough Road Trip To Southern California

Oct 1, 2013

Friday, Oct. 4
6 p.m. PT - Cal (8-3, 1-1 Pac-12) at No. 16 UCLA (9-3, 0-2)
Pauley Pavilion - Los Angeles, Calif.
Coverage: Pac-12 Networks, Live Audio, Live Stats, Twitter
Cal All-Time Series vs. the Cardinal: 6-56
Last meeting: L, 3-0 (11-15-2012)

Sunday, Oct. 6
1 p.m. PT - Cal at No. 2 USC (12-1, 2-0 Pac-12)
Galen Center - Los Angeles, Calif.
Coverage: Pac-12 Networks, Live Audio, Live Stats, Twitter
Cal All-Time Series vs. the Trojans: 11-50
Last meeting: L, 3-2 (11-16-2012)

BERKELEY - The Cal women’s volleyball team takes its first Pac-12 road trip of the season, and it’s arguably the most challenging. The Bears will face two ranked teams this week as it faces No. 16 UCLA on Friday night at Pauley Pavilion followed by a match Sunday afternoon against No. 2 USC at the Galen Center. Both matches will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks.

Following The Bears
Both of Cal’s matches this week will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks, with Anne Marie Anderson and Amy Gant providing the call on Friday and Anderson and Kelli Tennant doing the honors on Sunday. An online radio broadcast of both matches can also be found by accessing the volleyball schedule page on CalBears.com. Cal Assistant Athletic Communications Director Jonathan Okanes handles the play-by-play. Real-time live stats are also available on the volleyball schedule page at CalBears.com.

Social Studies
Follow the Bears through social media all season in a variety of ways. Real-time match updates, links and other content is available by following Cal Volleyball on Twitter. The Cal Volleyball Facebook Page also has extensive content about the team on and off the court. And join the Bears ride this season through a camera lens at the Cal Volleyball page on Instagram.

Probable Starters
No.    Name            Pos.    Ht.    Yr.    Hometown
12    Joan Caloiaro        S    5-11    Sr.    Saratoga, Calif.
5    Adrienne Gehan        OH    6-3    Sr.    Dallas, Texas
18    Michelle Neumayr    OH    6-1    So.    San Mateo, Calif.
23    Christina Higgins    OPP    6-2    Jr.    Inglewood, Calif.
1    Lillian Schonewise    MB    6-3    So.    Papillion, Neb.
4    Lara Vukasovic        MB    6-5    So.    Zagreb, Croatia
9    Maddy Kerr        L    5-7    Fr.    San Diego, Calif.

Catching Up With The Bears
Cal split its first two Pac-12 matches of the season last week, falling in four sets to No. 7 Stanford before sweeping Arizona at Haas Pavilion. The Bears had set point in the fourth set against the Cardinal and lost their three sets by a combined seven points. Senior outside hitter Adrienne Gehan led Cal in both matches, totalling 19 kills and 17 digs against Stanford and 13 kills in the victory over the Wildcats.

Feller Nears 600-Win Mark
Cal head coach Rich Feller needs just 10 wins to become the 17th active coach and 28th ever in Division I history to reach the 600-win mark for his career. Feller, who is in his 15th season leading the Bears, has amassed a career record of 590-323 in 29 years of coaching overall. Feller spent the first 14 years of his career as the head coach at Colorado State. Feller entered the season ranked 17th among active coaches in career wins. American’s Barry Goldberg and Sam Houston State’s Brenda Gray each reached the 600-win mark earlier this season.

Pinpoint Passing Fuels Efficient Attack
Cal’s coaching staff placed an extra emphasis on passing during training camp, and it appears to be paying off. Pinpoint passing has been one of the primary reasons the Bears are ranked 12th in the country and third in the Pac-12 with a .293 hitting percentage. Senior setter Joan Caloiaro is running a precise offense and Cal’s hitters are benefitting. Middle blocker Lara Vukasovic is seventh in the conference with a .407 hitting percentage.

Gehan Greatness
Senior outside hitter Adrienne Gehan is an early-season contender for Pac-12 Player of the Year honors. The senior from Dallas, Texas ranks third in the conference and 20th nationally with 4.35 kills per set and is hitting an impressive .304, one of the top marks in the nation among outside hitters. Gehan also averages 3.22 digs per set and has been one of the Bears’ primary passers in an offense hitting .293. Gehan was named tournament MVP in the Cal Molten Classic and the Bluejay Invitational.

Latest on Lara
Sophomore Lara Vukasovic is embracing her new role as a middle blocker. Entering the week, Vukasovic ranks seventh in the Pac-12 with a .407 hitting percentage and is averaging 2.42 kills per set. Vukasovic was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Bluejay Invitational and Hilton Garden Inn Invitational.  Vukasovic was a part-time starter at both outside hitter and opposite hitter last season as a freshman.

Michelle Neumayr’s Long Road Back
Outside hitter Michelle Neumayr made her long-awaited college debut in the Bears’ season-opener against Nevada on Aug. 30 at the Cal Molten Classic. Neumayr, who was the No. 27 Senior Ace by Prepvolleyball.com at Burlingame High School, tore the ACL in her left knee the summer before her freshman year at Cal. Then after fully recovering, she tore the same ligament last summer. Two surgeries and hours of rehab later, Neumayr is finally on the floor for the first time at Cal. Neumayr was also selected as a team captain for the 2013 season, along with senior outside hitter Adrienne Gehan.

Cool Caloiaro
Senior setter Joan Caloiaro has been extremely efficient leading the Bears’ offense through the first two weeks of the season. She has quarterbacked an offense that ranks seventh in the nation with a .293 hitting percentage and averages 11.50 assists per set, good for third in the Pac-12 and 14th nationally. Caloiaro made a seamless transition leading Cal’s offense last season after transferring from San Francisco. She finished 2012 ranked fourth in the Pac-12 with 10.4 assists per set. Caloiaro has a notable volleyball family. Her cousin, Kerri Walsh, is a three-time Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball.

Freshmen Class Ranked No. 21 Nationally
Cal’s six-member recruiting class features three “Fab 50” selections by Volleyball Magazine and was ranked as the No. 21 class  in the country by Prepvolleyball.com. Not only were middle blocker Jenelle Jordan, setter Alyssa Jensen and libero Maddy Kerr named to the Fab 50 list, each also was tabbed as a “Senior Ace” by Prepvolleyball.com. Defensive specialists Sarah Cole, Sabrina Blackwell and Katie Curci round out the 2013 recruiting class.

Bears Picked To Finish 7th In Preseason Poll
Cal was selected to finish in seventh place in the Pac-12 standings in a preseason vote among the conference’s coaches. The Bears received 59 points in the ballotting, six points behind sixth-place Arizona State and seven ahead of eighth-place Arizona. Stanford was chosen to win the conference championship.

About UCLA
• The Bruins play their first home matches of the season this week after playing their first 12 on the road. Before playing Cal, UCLA hosts No. 7 Stanford on Wednesday.
• The Bruins were picked to finish in fifth place in the preseason Pac-12 coaches poll.
• UCLA has posted quality wins over Santa Clara and Creighton, two teams Cal has also beaten this season. The Bruins are coming off a five-set loss at Colorado on Saturday.
• Junior outside hitter Karsta Lowe ranks fifth in the Pac-12 with 4.04 kills per set.

About USC
• The Trojans have won six in a row since losing their only match of the season against San Diego.
• Sophomore Samantha Bricio, the 2012 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, ranks third nationally with 0.73 service aces per set.
• The Trojans were picked to finish in second place in the preseason Pac-12 coaches poll.
• USC will play No. 7 Stanford on Friday before taking on the Bears.

The Cal Leader Board
Hitting Percentage: Lara Vukasovic - .407
Kills: Adrienne Gehan - 161 (4.35/set)
Assists: Joan Caloiaro - 414 (11.5/set)
Blocks: Lillian Schonewise - 39 (1.08/set)
Digs: Maddy Kerr - 130 (3.51/set)
Service Aces: Joan Caloiaro - 12 (0.33/set)

Bears On Pac-12 Leader Board
Hitting Percentage: Lara Vukasovic - .407 (Seventh)
Kills per set: Adrienne Gehan - 4.35 (Third)
Assists per set: Joan Caloiaro - 11.50 (Third)
Digs per set: Maddy Kerr - 3.51 (Ninth)

Next Week
The Bears return home to continue Pac-12 play against Colorado and Utah. Cal hosts the Buffaloes on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. and then welcomes the Utes to Haas Pavilion on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. Both matches will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks.

Diggin’ It With Adrienne Gehan
Go inside Cal’s volleyball program every week with Adrienne Gehan’s blog, “Diggin’ It With Adrienne Gehan,” on CalBears.com. Every week, Gehan will provide an inside look at everything going on with the program. From their on-court battles to the locker room to the classroom to road trips, Gehan, a senior outside hitter, will pull back the curtain to give fans a closer look at Cal’s volleyball program.

Gehan To Appear On “Inside The Locker Room”
Senior outside hitter Adrienne Gehan will be a guest Wednesday on “Inside The Locker Room,” a new hour-long radio show that features guests from all over Cal Athletics. The show runs from 7-8 p.m. every Wednesday and originates from the Field Club at Memorial Stadium, where it is open to the public. Cal coach Rich Feller was a guest on the first broadcast at the end of August. Football coach Sonny Dykes appears every week and Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour is scheduled to appear on this week’s program. The show is hosted by Cal football and radio broadcaster Todd McKim.

California Golden Bears Usage Guidelines
When referring to University of California intercollegiate athletic teams, please use California or Golden Bears on first reference. Cal or Bears may be used on second reference. Terms such as UC Berkeley, Cal-Berkeley, Berkeley or California-Berkeley (or other similar variations) are incorrect and should not be used in connection with Cal Athletics.

Cal Still Nation’s No. 1 Public University
Cal was rated as the No. 1 public university in the United States for the 16th year in a row in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings that were released earlier this month. UCLA and Virginia were second among public universities in the 2014 Guide to America’s Best Colleges. U.S. News also lists Cal among the top universities in strong commitment to teaching, least amount of student debt upon graduation and a top choice among high school guidance counselors.