Cal opens ACC home game against Wake Forest, NC State

Donald Collier/KLC Photos

Xuemeng (Maggie) Li has led Cal in kills in all but two games this season.

VBOct 2, 2024 4:46 pm | From: Cal Athletics

The Bears want to get back on track in the Haas Pavilion

BERKELEY – California volleyball hosts two ACC opponents this weekend to open a four-game homestand, hosting Wake Forest on Friday evening and NC State on Sunday afternoon. This is the first time in program history that the Golden Bears (8-6, 0-2 ACC) will face either team. Both games will be broadcast on ACCNX.

Last weekend, Cal lost on the road to No. 5 Louisville in three sets and Notre Dame in four sets. The Bears were Louisville's first unranked opponent of the season, holding the sophomore Cardinals to under .200 hitting Sophia Johnson She achieved her best career result with four service aces against the Fighting Irish.

vs. Wake Forest (9-4, 1-1)

Last meeting: None
All-time record: 0-0

The Demon Deacons finished ninth in the ACC last year but have had a very competitive start to 2024, with three of their four losses coming in five sets. Much of their success is due to their defense, which held opponents to a combined hitting percentage of .155 (25th NCAA) and an average of 2.61 blocks per set (36th NCAA). Leading the way at the net is veteran middle blocker Tina Grkovic, who ranks 12th nationally with 71 blocks per year and 41st with 1.31 blocks per set. On the offensive side of the ball, junior outside attacker Paige Crawford leads the team in both kills (133, 2.51 per set) and service aces (22, 0.42 per set).

vs. NC State (7-3, 2-0)

Last meeting: None
All-time record: 0-0

The Wolfpack, which finished fifth in the ACC in 2023, defeated Virginia Tech last weekend to open conference play 3-1. As a team, they excel on both defense (15.22 digs per set) and at the service line (1.81 aces per set), ranking second and fourth, respectively, among all ACC teams. Graduate libero Skye Stokes leads the team in both categories with 143 digs (3.97 per set – 7th ACC) and 15 service aces (0.42 per set – 7th ACC) recorded in the last two games alone a total of 32 digs.

LI LEADS

Sophomore outside hitter Xuemeng (Maggie) Li is looking to take another step forward in her second year after a sensational rookie season that saw her earn VolleyballMag All-America Honorable Mention, AVCA Pacific West Region Freshman of the Year and All-Pacific West Region Honorable Mention, an All-America Honorable Mention. Pac-12 team member and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Her six Pac-12 Freshman of the Week awards also represented a conference record. In her first year, she recorded 441 kills – the third most among all Pac-12 players – at 4.35 points per set (4th Pac-12) . She was also second on the team with 34 aces and third with 265 digs. After five weeks of play this season, Li leads the ACC with 203 kills (3.98 per set – 5th ACC) and 226.0 points (4.43 per set – 7th ACC). She led the team in scoring in all but two of 14 games this season, reaching double figures in kills in 11 of them.

Breakthrough year for LAU

Junior setter Natalie Lau has started each of the last 10 games for the Bears and is currently fifth in the ACC with an average of 9.91 assists per set. She also leads the team with 347 assists per year and five double-doubles. Her first collegiate start was on September 6 against Utah State, where she recorded 40 assists and 10 digs along with three kills, two aces and two blocks. In the next game against Saint Mary's, she posted a career-best performance of 64 assists (and 18 digs), the best performance by any ACC player in a five-set contest that year. Another career performance followed three days later, recording four blocks as well as 45 assists and 13 digs against Wyoming.

Glory to GIANNA

Graduate transfer Gianna Bartalowho spent her undergraduate career in Denver, has quickly become one of the Bears' best defensive players in the team's first five weeks of play. She has scored double-digit digs in 13 of Cal's 14 matches so far and is ranked second in the ACC at 220 this year at a third-place mark of 4.31 per set. A pioneer, Bartalo earned All-Summit League Honorable Mention honors her senior year and ranks seventh on Denver's all-time career list with an average of 3.73 digs per set.

FANTASTIC FRESHMAN

Middle blocker Kate Mansfielda rookie from Plano, Texas, has been a standout offensive player for Cal this season. She has recorded seven matches with a batting average over .300 and has had two consecutive games with double-digit kills this season – first against Saint Mary's (11, .474) and Wyoming (10, .333) in week three against UC Irvine (16, .419). ) and Santa Clara (11, .625) the following week; She led the team in kills in the last two games. Mansfield is also strong on the defensive side of the net with 28 blocks on the year, including a five-block effort at Saint Mary's.

WELCOME TO ACC

The Bears wasted no time in making their presence felt as new members of the ACC. For her efforts in the 3-0 win at the season-opening Rose City Showdown in Portland, sophomore and senior Maggie Li Annalea Mäder were named ACC Offensive Player of the Week and ACC Setter of the Week, respectively. Li averaged 4.45 kills per set – tops in the conference in week one – while posting a .281 hitting percentage. Her 24 kills in a five-set win over San Francisco marked a career high. Maeder delivered a conference-best 122 assists in Portland, including 60 in the win over the Dons.

NEW CONFERENCE, NEW STAFF

Head coach Jen Malcom joined the Bears in January 2024 from UCLA, where she was associate head coach in 2023; She previously 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. The staff also includes 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 most recently an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton (2021-23), while Murray served as an assistant coach at Campbell (2023) and Andreno at Winthrop (2022-23). .

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