Cal State Fullerton will conclude non-conference play this weekend as they travel to the San Francisco Challenge to take on the host Dons along with North Dakota State and Yale beginning Friday from War Memorial Gym.
FOLLOW THE TITANS:
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titans athletics by following us on Facebook (FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans), Instagram (@FullertonTitans), and YouTube.com (YouTube.com/csfathletics). In addition, the volleyball team has established its own official Twitter page (@FullertonVB).
CATCH ALL THE ACTION:
Television: None
Streaming Video: Titans fans can catch a live video stream of all Fullerton matches this weekend at the USF Challenge. Links are available at FullertonTitans.com
Audio Webcast: None
Live Stats: Live in-game stats for all four matches at the USF Challenge will be available. Links at FullertonTitans.com
FRIDAY, SEPT. 18 VS. NORTH DAKOTA STATE (WAR MEMORIAL GYM), 4 P.M.
Cal State Fullerton vs. North Dakota State
Series Record: First Meeting
First Meeting: NA
Last Meeting: NA
Current Streak: NA
Last 10 Meetings: NA
NORTH DAKOTA STATE NOTES:
The Titans and Bison clash for the first time in program history on Friday afternoon at the San Francisco Challenge.
BISON ALL-TOURNAMENT SELECTIONS: North Dakota State's Jenni Fassbender, Brianna Rasmusson, Emily Minnick and Mikaela Purnell have all earned all-tournament honors during the first three weeks of play ... Fassbender made it 3-for-3 with her selection to Minnesota's Diet Coke Classic all-tournament team on Sept. 11-12 ... Fassbender averaged 3.00 kills and hit .245 in three matches ... She averaged 1.83 digs per set, and added five blocks, two assists and one ace ... Purnell came up with a career-high 24 digs in the 3-1 win over UCF (9-11-15) ... She averaged 3.67 digs per set, hit .175 and added four assists and a pair of aces ... Fassbender averaged 3.75 kills and hit .208 in three matches at NDSU's Baymont Inn & Suites Classic on Sept. 4-5 ... Fassbender averaged 2.75 digs per set, and added six blocks and three service aces ... Minnick hit .321 with 28 points, 25 kills and five blocks to join Fassbender on the all-Classic team ... During the first weekend, Fassbender and Rasmusson led the Bison at Missouri's Tiger Invitational on Aug. 28-29 ... Fassbender averaged 3.64 kills, hit .221 and added 17 digs and four blocks ... Rasmusson hit .280 with three service aces, and averaged 7.64 assists and 1.71 digs per set in three matches ... Rasmusson had a career-high 42 assists in the 3-2 loss at Missouri (8-28-15).
BISON IN THE NCAA STATISTICS: In the NCAA statistics released Sept. 15, North Dakota State ranks 33rd in kills (524) ... Individually, 5-foot-11 outside hitter Jenni Fassbender ranks 50th in kills (142) & 53rd in attacks (393).
FASSBENDER REACHES 1,000 KILLS: North Dakota State University's Jenni Fassbender, a 5-foot-11 senior from Kaukauna, Wis., became the 22nd NDSU player to reach 1,000 kills in a career midway in set two of the match against Towson (9-4-15) ... Fassbender has 1,072 kills to rank 19th all-time ... Former Olympian Janet Cobbs (1985-88) is NDSU's all-time kill leader with 2,091.
CLIMBING THE CAREER LADDER: North Dakota State University's Jenni Fassbender, Emily Milligan and Emily Miron are climbing the NDSU career statistical ladder ... In addition to 1,000-plus kills, Fassbender is also 10th in kills per set (3.03 avg), 15th in points per set (3.47 avg) and 16th in attack attempts (3,316) ... Fassbender has 53 matches with double-figure kills in her career, nine this season ... Five-foot-five junior defensive specialist Emily Milligan is current 3rd all-time in digs per set (3.63) with 923 digs in 254 sets ... Milligan is looking to become the 22nd NDSU player to reach 1,000 digs in a career ... Kari Fagnan (2004-07) is the all-time leader with 2,083 digs ... Additionally, 6-1 junior middle blocker Emily Miron is tied for 13th with 61 solo blocks and 20th in blocks per set (0.79).
SATURDAY, SEPT. 12 AT SAN FRANCISCO (WAR MEMORIAL GYM), 12:30 P.M.
Cal State Fullerton at San Francisco
Series Record: San Francisco leads 4-1
First Meeting: Lost, Sept. 15, 1990, 9-15, 6-15, 6-15
Last Meeting: Lost, Sept. 19, 2008, 25-20, 26-28, 16-25, 16-25
Current Streak: Lost 1
Last 10 Meetings: 1-4
SAN FRANCISCO NOTES:
The Titans and Dons face each other for the first time since 2008 and the sixth time overall. Fullerton is in search of its first win over San Francisco since 2005, a four-set win in Portland, Ore. The Dons come into the weekend undefeated and are led by Katarina Pilepic, who has posted 123 kills in 34 sets (3.62 p/s). Madison Murtagh (92k) and Oluoma Okaro (90k) are close behind in the kill column. Klara McKibben has dished out 255 assists (7.50 p/s) while Jurja Vlasic has 140 helpers in 31 sets. Both have served the Dons to a .296 attacking percentage.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 12 VS. YALE (WAR MEMORIAL GYM), 4:30 P.M.
Cal State Fullerton vs. Yale
Series Record: Tied, 1-1
First Meeting: Won, Sept. 18, 2010, 27-25, 25-14, 25-22
Last Meeting: Lost, Sept. 19, 2014, 21-25, 25-23, 20-25, 14-25
Current Streak: Lost 1
Last 10 Meetings: 1-1
YALE NOTES:
The Bulldogs enter the weekend winners of three straight after defeating Albany, Colgate and Rutgers at the Colgate Classic last weekend. Kelsey Crawford earned Ivy League Player of the Week honors after surpassing the 1,000-assist mark and earning tournament MVP honors. Crawford set the Bulldogs to their highest hitting percentage this season in a single set with a .364 mark against Colgate, then a .440 mark against Rutgers later in the day. Crawford, a sophomore, went for a double-double with 38 assists and 10 digs in a 3-1 win over Albany. She followed that up with 29 assists, six digs and two block assists in the 3-0 over Colgate. Crawford had 39 assists, eight digs, five kills and two blocks in a 3-1 victory over Rutgers of the Big Ten.
In addition freshman Kelley Wirth earned rookie of the week honors after earning all-tournament status and averaged 3.11 kills and 2.11 digs per set during the unbeaten weekend. She notched a career-highs with 14 kills and 13 digs in a 3-1 win over Rutgers. In the final set against Rutgers, Wirth had a block and kill on consecutive points to break open the set. Earlier in the day, she had 13 kills and hit .400 in a three-set win over Colgate. In the third set against Colgate, Wirth broke a 17-all tie and started a four-point run.
SWEET 16:
In the Titans five-set loss to Central Michigan on Sept. 11, Kyra Hill and Summer Kerins each set new career highs as they tallied 16 kills apiece. Hill posted a .353 attacking percentage while Kerins hit at a .343 clip. In the next match, Kandace Thomas got into the action and blasted 16 kills against Fresno State at a .556 (16-1-27) clip in a four-set loss to Fresno State. In both matches, three different Titans posted double-digit kills, marking the first time multiple Titans had accomplished that feat in a match this season.
DOUBLE UP:
Mackenzie Olsen notched her first double-double of the season against Central Michigan, dishing out 40 assists to go along with a season-high 10 digs. Olsen recorded eight double-doubles last season for the Titans, all of the assist/dig variety.
