THE WEEK AHEAD:
The Titans begin the weekend when they welcome UC Davis to Titan Gym on Friday night to conclude a three-game home stand. On Saturday, the Titans head to UC Riverside to take on the Highlanders at SRC Arena.
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: Streaming video for both matches this weekend will be available. Links can be found at FullertonTitans.com.
Audio Webcast: An audio webcast of Friday's match will be available online. Links are available at FullertonTitans.com.
Live Stats: Live in-game stats will be available for both 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.
PINK NIGHT:
Friday night's game against UC Davis is "Pink Night" as fans are encouraged to wear pink to raise Breast Cancer awareness. Fans attending Friday's match will also receive a free Titans Rally Buff while supplies last.
FRIDAY, OCT. 17 VS. UC DAVIS (TITAN GYM), 7 P.M.
Cal State Fullerton (6-12, 0-5) vs. UC Davis (8-9, 3-1)
Series Record: Fullerton leads 13-6
Big West Record: Fullerton leads 10-4
First Meeting: Won, Oct. 29, 2004; 30-25, 30-19, 30-20
Last Meeting: Lost, Nov. 2, 2013; 14-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-20, 14-16
Current Streak: Lost 1
Last 10 Meetings: 7-3
UC DAVIS NOTES:
•The Aggies enter Friday's match up with the Titans riding a three-game winning streak and having won four of their last five matches. Two of those victories came on the road as the Aggies topped Cal Poly in four sets followed by a sweep of UC Santa Barbara. In their last match, the Aggies topped UC Riverside, the Titans other opponent this weekend, with a sweep at home.
•Along with the current three-game winning streak, the Aggies have been on the upswing recently after a rough start to the year. After dropping its first four matches of the season, UC Davis has rebounded nicely winning eight of the last 13 matches. Two of those five losses came against ranked opponents (Washington, Hawai'i).
•UC Davis struggled early in the season playing away from The Pavilion, losing its first six matches on the road or at a neutral site. But the Aggies' fortunes have changed recently as they have posted a 5-2 record in the last seven matches designated as road or neutral, with the last loss in that stretch coming against Northern Colorado on Sept. 20, a five-set match.
•The Aggies are currently ranked second in the Big West Conference in aces per set as a team, averaging 1.52 per game.
•Junior Kaylin Squyres leads the Aggies offense with 229 total kills and a 3.69 kills per set average, which ranks third in the Big West. She also leads the team with 178 digs and a 2.87 digs per set average. Allie Wegener is second on the team in those same categories, averaging 2.36 kills per set and tallying 144 kills so far this season. She has 155 digs in 61 sets played for a 2.54 average.
•Katie Quinn has been effective at providing the first line of defense at the net this year for the Aggies, averaging 1.29 blocks per set, a mark that ranks second in the conference and 42nd in the nation.
FULLERTON'S HISTORY FACING THE AGGIES:
Cal State Fullerton has gotten the better of the Aggies in the short history between the two teams. The Titans won the first ever match up between the programs in 2004 in straight sets. The Titans have suffered consecutive losses to the Aggies only once in the 10-year history of the series, coming in 2006 when the Aggies swept the season series. Fullerton won six straight matches against UC Davis spanning from 2009-2012. The teams have split the season series the past two seasons, with three of those four matches requiring five sets to decide a winner, including the last two The Aggies scored a 3-2 (25-14, 25-21, 20-25, 20-25, 16-14) win at The Pavilion in the last match between the teams on Nov. 2, 2013.
SATURDAY, OCT. 18 AT UC RIVERSIDE (SRC CENTER), 7 P.M.
Cal State Fullerton (6-12, 0-5) vs. UC Riverside (2-14, 0-4)
Series Record: Fullerton leads 26-4
Big West Record: Fullerton leads 24-3
First Meeting: Won, Sept. 14, 1984; 15-10, 15-6
Last Meeting: Won, Nov. 9, 2013; 25-16, 25-11, 25-20
Current Streak: Won 18
Last 10 Meetings: 10-0
UC RIVERSIDE NOTES:
•The Highlanders have struggled this season and are currently in the middle of a 10-match losing streak. During that stretch, the Highlanders have been swept three times while also going five sets on three occasions.
•The Highlanders are ranked second in the conference with a 15.60 digs per set average. Maddie Hubbell leads the team with 226 digs and a 3.77 average while Sarah Bruchet is second on the squad with 126 overall digs and third on the team with a 2.10 average. Amanda Press is third with 120 digs overall digs and second with a 2.45 average.
•Offensively, the Highlanders are led by Ashley Cox with a 2.98 kills per set average, tallying 128 kills in 43 sets played so far.
FULLERTON'S HISTORY FACING THE HIGHLANDERS:
The Titans and Highlanders first met in 1984 but did not play each other again until 2000. The teams split the first six meetings before the Titans took control of the series. Dating back to November 22, 2002, the Titans have won 22 of the last 23 meetings between the teams including a current 18-match winning streak. The Titans last loss to UC Riverside came on October 28, 2004 at Titan Gym, falling in five sets. The Titans did not lose a set to the Highlanders in 2013 and have not dropped two sets in a match to UC Riverside since 2011.
Sophomore McKenna Painton traded in her libero jersey on Friday night and played a big part in the Titans offense over the weekend. The 5-foot-8 Painton recorded her first career double-double on Friday night, leading the team with 15 kills while also posting 15 digs and three blocks. Prior to that match, Painton had never recorded a block in her Titans career and had posted one kill in a match four times. She set career highs in kills (15), attempts (41), hitting percentage (.171) and total blocks (3) against the Mustangs. The following night, Painton proved it was no fluke as she posted her second double-double in as many nights, recording 14 kills and 11 digs against UC Santa Barbara. Overall, Painton averaged 3.62 kills and 3.25 digs per set on the weekend to go along with four blocks.
DOUBLE TROUBLE:
On Friday night, McKenna Painton and Mackenzie Olsen each recorded a double-double for the Titans in a four-set loss to Cal Poly. Painton posted 15 kills and 15 digs while Olsen dished out 44 assists to go along with 10 digs. It was the second time this season that a pair of Titans recorded a double-double in the same match. The first instance occurred on the first day of the season when Megan Kurz (15 kills, 17 digs) and freshman Katie Roux (22 assists, 14 digs) accomplished the feat.
CAREER NIGHTS:
Along with Painton's milestone-filled showing against Cal Poly, a number of other Titans also set new career highs over the weekend. Rachel Brown posted new career marks with 17 digs and four aces against UC Santa Barbara while senior Devin Ulmer recorded 15 digs in the same match to set a new career best. Freshman Stephanie Buss set a new career high with two solo blocks against Cal Poly and would finish the night with eight total blocks, tying her career best.
TURN AWAY FROM THE SKID:
The Titans enter this weekend having lost six straight matches and their first five conference games. It is the longest losing streak in conference since 2002 when the Titans dropped their first 16 matches in the Big West en route to a 1-17 finish in the conference.
BIG WEST MARKS
The Titans have a couple of players near the top of the conference rankings:
• Freshman Niki Withers is currently ranked second in the conference with a 3.70 kills per set average, which also ranks 80th in the nation. She also ranks third in the Big West with 244 total kills.
• Mackenzie Olsen has dished out 9.60 assists per set this season for the Titans, which ranks fifth in the Big West. Her 624 total assists have her ranked third in the Big West, a two-spot jump from last week's rankings.
CAROLYN ZIMMERMAN:
In her 13th season at Cal State Fullerton, Carolyn Zimmerman currently possesses an all-time record of 179-198 (.475). The sixth head coach in Fullerton's 37-year history; she is the winningest (.475) head coach in CSF volleyball program history.