Oct. 27, 2011
SERVICE: The Titans (9-12, 4-5) return home to host Cal State Northridge (10-10, 4-4) Friday and UC Riverside (5-17, 2-6) on Saturday after a disappointing trip to the Central Coast last Friday and Saturday nights. Both of this weekend's matches will begin at 7 p.m.
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
It will be the second time around for the Titans and their opponents. Fullerton lost in three games to Northridge back on Oct. 1 and edged Riverside in a five-set match back on Sept. 30.
The Titans went into the weekend in a three-way tie for second place - just a game and a half behind league-leading Long Beach State - but tumbled into a tie for sixth place with UC Davis - three and a half games out - after losses to UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly.
Career nights from Leah Maurer (18 kills, 13 digs, 3 blocks) and Gabrielle Dewberry (33 digs) were lost as Fullerton fell to the Gauchos, 19-25, 27-29, 25-23, 13-25, Friday night at The Thunderdome. Setter Andrea Ragan also became the first Titan to reach the 4,000-assist plateau with 35 assists in the loss.
Cal Poly made quick work of the Titans on Saturday, sweeping them 25-20, 25-22, 26-24 in Mott Gym. The Mustangs used just seven players and hit .259 to even the season series with the Titans. Kayla Neto was the only Titan to reach double figures in kills with 12. Ayana Whitaker shared the match high with five block assists.
HEAR THE MATCH: Both matches this weekend will be broadcast on fullertontitans.com with Patrick Alog on the mic. Click the headphones atop each page on the website and select the game you want to listen to. Its that simple to follow all the action from Titan Gym.
DON'T FORGET TO DRESS UP: Kick off Halloween weekend the right way and wear your Halloween costume Friday night (Oct. 28) and get in for free. There will also be prizes for the best costumes.
VERSUS CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE: The Titans had their 3-match winning streak against the Matadors snapped back on Oct. 1 and have now won in five of the last seven going back to the 2008 season. Fullerton has posted an all-time mark of 11-22 against Northridge dating back to the schools' first meeting in 1980. Since the Matadors joined the Big West in 2001, the Titans are 7-15 in league action. The two teams are all knotted up, 8-8 in the all-time series at Titan Gym.
VERSUS UC RIVERSIDE: Cal State Fullerton holds an all-time mark of 20-4 against the Highlanders on the volleyball court dating back to their first meeting in 1984. Fullerton has fared better at home (11-1) than on the road (9-3) but has pretty much dominated the all-time series - no matter where it was played - going 17-1 since 2002. Since UCR joined the Big West Conference in 2001, Fullerton has a 18-3 advantage in league play. The Titans are currently riding a 13-match winning streak with the Highlanders.
GABBY DIGBERRY: Gabrielle Dewberry became the second Titan to record 30-or-more digs this season (Kayla Neto, 30, Sepr. 24 vs. UCSB), scooping up a match-high 33 attack attempts on Oct. 21 at UC Santa Barbara . It's just the 10th time in school history that an individual has recorded 33-or-more digs in a single match, and the first time since 2010 (Cami Croteau, Nov. 20, 2010, 38 digs) that someone has had more than 32 digs. Dewberry is tied with former libber Vanessa Vella for the eighth-most digs in a single match for Cal State Fullerton.
THERE'S A NEW ASSIST LEADER IN TOWN: On Oct. 14, senior setter Andrea Ragan became the Titans' all-time leader in career assists midway through the first set against Pacific. She finished the night with 31 assists and 3,930 in her career, breaking Julie Geissert's old mark of 3,907. Ragan upped her total the next night with 40 assists against UC Davis and will continue to raise the bar until her final match of the year. She became the Titans' first player to ever amass 4,000 assists on Oct. 21 at UC Santa Barbara.
TOP 3 CSF ASSIST LEADERS:
1. 4,041, assists, Andrea Ragan (291 sets), 2008-pres.
2. 3,907 assists, Julie Geissert (252 sets), 2004-07
3. 3,621, assists, Kim Levey (389 sets), 1999-02
NETO BANDITO: Neto has moved passed Alyssa Opeka, Alex Wolnisty, Heather Bassett and Sarah Morrison on the career kill list this season and sow sits alone in the no. 7 all-time slot. Is on the verge of becoming just the seventh player in Titan history to reach the 1,000 kill mark. She is just 43 kills away with eight matches to play on the 2012 schedule.
CSF CAREER KILLS
1. 1,534 - Brittany Moore (2005-08) / Susan Herman (1986-89)
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6. 1,114 - Lauren Goins (2001-04)
7. 957 - Kayla Neto (2009-present)
8. 954 - Sarah Morrison (2001-05)
9. 935 - Heather Bassett (1995-96)
10. 917 - Alex Wolnisty (2006-09)
CONFERENCE WINS: Before last year's break out season that saw the Titans go 14-2 in the Big West, the Titans had never won more than nine in a single season. Currently, the Titans are 4-5 in 2011 and have won 12 of their last 17 league matches and 18 of their last 25. The Titans are also 16-6 in their last 20 conference home matches. Fullerton has lost five of its last 6 Big West matches.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Fullerton has won 20 of the last 23 matches at Titan Gym. The Titans are 4-2 this year at Fullerton following up a record-breaking year in 2010 when they went 16-1 on their home court.
SMALL VICTORY: Cal State Fullerton took a set from their long-time nemesis, Long Beach State, on Oct. 8 for just the fourth time at the Walter Pyramid since it opened in 1994. It was the first time since 2008 that the Titans had taken a set from the 49ers. The Titans have lost 58 straight to the 49ers since winning four times in their first six meetings.
EVEN NUMBERS: The Titans 29th and final game of the 2012 regular season will be Carolyn Zimmerman's 300th game as a Div. I Head Coach. It will have taken her 10 full seasons to reach the 300 match marker. Zimmerman, at 292 matches, has seen the third-most games among Big West Coaches, trailing veteran coaches Brian Gimmilaro (894 matches over 27 yrs. with Long Beach) and Kathy Gregory (923 matches over 28 yrs. with UC Santa Barbara). Northridge's Jeff Strok is right on Zimmerman's tail with 282 matches under his belt in this, his tenth season.