FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton opens Big West Conference action in a big way this weekend as they host first-place CSUN followed by a showdown with longtime rival Long Beach State at Titan Gym.
THE WEEK AHEAD:
The Titans begin Big West Conference play this week when they host defending conference tri-champion CSUN on Friday followed by a matchup with Long Beach State on Saturday night.
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: Friday night's match against CSUN will be broadcast on ESPN3 while Saturday's confrontation with Long Beach State will be live streamed. All links are available at FullertonTitans.com.
Audio Webcast: Both Fullerton matches will have an audio webcast. Links are available at FullertonTitans.com.
Live Stats: Live in-game stats will be available for both of the Titans matches this weekend. Links can be found at FullertonTitans.com
TICKETS:
Tickets for all Titans home games can be purchased online at fullertontitans.com, or at the Cal State Fullerton Athletics Ticket Office, located in the Titan House on campus off of Gymnasium Drive on the northeast side of Titan Gym. Game day sales and will call tickets will open an hour prior to the scheduled time at the specific venue. All Cal State Fullerton students with a school ID get free admission.
TITANS PROMOTIONS THIS WEEK:
Fans attending Friday's match against CSUN make sure to stick around at the conclusion of the contest as the Titans will have their first autograph session of the season. On Saturday night, the Titans will have a #wearyourcolors T-Shirt giveaway as fans will receive free Titan T-Shirts while supplies last.
BIG WEST ACTION SET TO BEGIN THIS WEEK:
All nine teams in the Big West Conference will open up their conference schedule this weekend. Last season, Fullerton finished eighth in the Big West after going 4-12. In the previous three seasons, the Titans had accumulated a 39-27 record including a 14-2 mark in 2010 when the Titans secured their first Big West Conference championship. Overall, the Titans hold a 126-466 conference record.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 26 VS. CSUN (TITAN GYM), 7 P.M.
Cal State Fullerton (6-7, 0-0) vs. CSUN (9-3, 0-0)
Series Record: CSUN leads 27-11
Big West Record: CSUN leads 20-7
First Meeting: Lost, Nov. 16, 1980; 11-15, 12-15, 9-15
Last Meeting: Lost, Oct. 31, 2013; 11-25, 16-25, 22-25
Current Streak: Lost 6
Last 10 Meetings: 3-7
CSUN NOTES:
•The Matadors won two of three matches in the last three tournaments they participated in during non-conference play, including the USD Invitational last week. They defeated No. 19 San Diego and their only loss came to Stanford, which is ranked No. 1 in the country. The Matadors also claimed the UNLV Invitational title with three straight wins to start the season.
•The Matadors bring a 20-10 (.667) overall record in conference openers into Friday's Big West opener against the Titans. Since joining the Big West in 2001, CSUN is 6-7 in its last 13 conference openers but has won two of its last three, including a five-set victory over UC Davis last season.
•Senior Casey Hinger became the 11th player in CSUN history to reach 1,000 career kills last week in the Matadors win over Eastern Washington. She finished the weekend with 1,018 career kills, which ranks her 10th on the CSUN all-time list. She joins fifth-year senior Natalie Allen, who last season became the 10th player to reach 1,000 career kills. Allen is now up to 1,123 kills, which ranks her seventh on the CSUN all-time list.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 27 VS. LONG BEACH STATE (TITAN GYM), 7 P.M.
Cal State Fullerton (6-7, 0-0) vs. Long Beach State (10-4, 0-0)
Series Record: Long Beach State leads 64-5 (since 1980)
Big West Record: Long Beach State leads 63-5 (since 1980)
First Meeting: Lost, Oct. 10, 1980; 4-15, 5-15, 12-15
Last Meeting: Lost, Nov. 16, 2013; 25-21, 23-25, 20-25, 20-25
Current Streak: Lost 3
Last 10 Meetings: 1-9
LONG BEACH STATE NOTES:
• Long Beach State recorded its 10th victory of the season with a four-set win over Bakersfield last Friday. It is the first time that the 49ers have gotten 10 non-conference wins since 2010.
• The 49ers continue to lead the Big West in holding opponents to a .156 hitting percentage. They rank second in the conference in both digs and blocks per set.
• Long Beach State will face only its third and fourth true road tests as it has played eight matches at home and four on a neutral court. The Beach is 1-1 in true road matches with a loss to Illinois to open the season and their win over Bakersfield last week. While away from Walter Pyramid, the Beach has posted a record of 3-3 and has outhit its opponents .233 to .212.
• Senior Tyler Jackson continued her rise up Long Beach State's top-10 list for career digs. She most recently passed Ashley Lee for eighth all-time and ran her career total to 1,170 digs. She is just 10 digs behind Sheri Sanders for seventh and 26 behind former teammate Janisa Johnson for sixth.
RECAP OF THE FULLERTON CLASSIC:
Cal State Fullerton wrapped up non-conference play with one win in three tries at the Fullerton Classic Presented by Embassy Suites - North Orange County. The Titans opened the tournament with a tough loss to defending Ivy League Champion Yale, falling in four sets. The Titans committed 35 attacking errors in the match and posted a meager .090 hitting percentage in the match. The Bulldogs also protected the net, registering 16 blocks. Freshman Niki Withers led the way with 18 kills while Holland Crenshaw added 13 and setter Mackenzie Olsen added her second double-double of the year, dishing out 39 assists to go along with 10 digs.
On day two, the Titans opened the action with their second five-set match of the season. Fullerton got a dynamic 25-kill performance from Withers en route to their first five-set victory of the year. It was Withers' third 20-kill performance of the season and her 12th consecutive double-digit kill output of the year. Freshman Katelyn Nielsen also had a career-best performance, notching 12 kills while Olsen dished out 42 assists. Defensively, the Titans tallied 75 digs as a team and had three players record double figures including libero McKenna Painton's team-high 21.
The Titans wrapped up the tournament with a matchup against No. 22 UCLA. It was Fullerton's first encounter with a ranked team this season and the Bruins scored a sweep over the Titans. In the match, Crenshaw tallied a season-high seven blocks (two solo) while Withers had three blocks of her own.
THREE'S COMPANY
For the third time this season, Cal State Fullerton outside hitter Niki Withers was named the Big West Conference Freshman Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday.
Withers nabbed her third award in four weeks to start the season. She was named to the Fullerton Classic Presented by Embassy Suites – North Orange County's All-Tournament Team after leading the weekend with 56 kills and a 4.67 kills per set average.
BIG WEST MARKS
The Titans rank in the top five in a number of categories in the Big West Conference. They are third in the conference in total assists (556) and kills (620). Fullerton is ranked fourth in the Big West in service aces (62), total digs (717), and digs per set (14.63). The Titans are also ranked fifth in the conference with a 1.27 aces per set average.
On the individual side, the Titans also have a number of players near the top of the conference rankings:
• Freshman Niki Withers leads the Big West with 194 total kills and ranks second with a 3.96 kills per set average. She also ranks third in the Big West, averaging 4.23 points per set.
• Holland Crenshaw ranks sixth in the conference with a .318 hitting percentage and also places 11th in the conference with a 3.81 points per set average.
• Sophomore libero McKenna Painton ranks fifth in the conference with 4.04 digs per set average and third in the big west with 198 total digs.
• Mackenzie Olsen has dished out 9.56 assists per set this season for the Titans, which ranks fifth in the Big West. Her 459 total assists ranks third in the conference.
CAROLYN ZIMMERMAN:
In her 13th season at Cal State Fullerton, Carolyn Zimmerman currently possesses an all-time record of 179-193 (.481). The sixth head coach in Fullerton's 37-year history, she is the winningest (.481) head coach in CSF volleyball program history.
