TITANS OPEN SEASON WITH CSF/LBSU BADEN INVITATIONAL:
The 2015 Cal State Fullerton Titans will take the court for the first time this season as they co-host the CSF/LBSU Baden Invitational this weekend. The Titans open with Duke on Friday night at 7 p.m.
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 Cal State Fullerton matches this weekend. The links can be found on FullertonTitans.com.
Audio Webcast: An audio webcast will be available for all three Titans matches this weekend. Links are available at FullertonTitans.com
Live Stats: Live in-game stats for all four matches at Titan Gym will be available. Links 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.
A NEW ERA
Ashley Preston was been appointed the seventh women's volleyball head coach in Cal State Fullerton history on Jan. 15, 2015. Preston comes to Cal State Fullerton after serving as women's volleyball head coach at Coppin State University for the past three years. In that short time, Preston became the all-time winningest coach in the program's history. In each of her three years with the Eagles, the team advanced to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament, advancing to the championship for the first time in program history in 2013.
YOUNG GUNS:
The Cal State Fullerton coaching staff is one of the youngest in the nation as the three full-time coaches are a combined 89 years old. In addition, volunteer assistant Naseri Tumanuvao preps for his first season at Cal State Fullerton at 28 years of age.
FRIDAY, AUG. 28 VS. DUKE (TITAN GYM), 7 P.M.
Cal State Fullerton vs. Duke
Series Record: First Meeting
First Meeting: NA
Last Meeting: NA
Current Streak: NA
Last 10 Meetings: NA
DUKE NOTES:
Duke put together a 22-8 campaign in 2014, marking the 26th time in the program's 44-year history that the Blue Devils topped 20 wins ... Duke has surpassed 20 wins in nine of the past 10 seasons, winning 25 or more matches in six of the past eight campaigns ... In 16 seasons under head coach Jolene Nagel, Duke has won 20 or more matches 13 times and 25-plus six times.
SATURDAY, AUG. 29 VS. ALABAMA (TITAN GYM), 11 A.M.
Cal State Fullerton vs. Alabama
Series Record: Alabama leads 0-1
First Meeting: Lost, Sept. 11, 1999, 14-16, 15-8, 13-15, 12-15
Last Meeting: Lost, Sept. 11, 1999, 14-16, 15-8, 13-15, 12-15
Current Streak: Lost 1
Last 10 Meetings: 0-1
ALABAMA NOTES:
The Crimson Tide (2014 Record: 26-8, 13-5) return every starter from last year's team that set a school record for wins in a single season. Alabama made its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2014 and won its first ever-postseason match, defeating Samford, 3-2, in the first round of the Tallahassee Regional. Heading into the 2015 season, Alabama was picked to finish second in the SEC and is receiving votes in the AVCA Preseason Top 25. Redshirt junior Krystal Rivers, a Third Team All-American selection last season, was picked to the Preseason All-SEC team for the second straight season this year.
SATURDAY, AUG. 29 VS. ST. MARY'S (TITAN GYM), 7 P.M.
Cal State Fullerton vs. St. Mary's
Series Record: First Meeting
First Meeting: NA
Last Meeting: NA
Current Streak: NA
Last 10 Meetings: NA
ST. MARY'S NOTES:
With a small roster and 10 underclassmen, the Gaels have five returners from 2014 in Madi Wilkerson, Mary Hernandez, Alexis Salmons, Clare Powers and Agnieszka Kudziela. Of the returning five, Salmons and Powers saw the most action. SMC played 107 total sets in 2014 with Salmons playing all 107 and Powers appearing in 96. Salmons finished the year with 194 kills and 123 blocks. Powers added 185 kills and 210 digs. Saint Mary's has enjoyed plenty of recent success, going 18-9 with three All-West Coast Conference players in 2013, narrowly missing out on the NCAA Tournament. SMC has six NCAA Tournament appearances (2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2012), with the Gaels owning a 4-6 mark in the NCAA postseason. Head coach Rob Browning is entering his 11th season in 2015. He is the eighth coach in the program's 28-year history, taking the helm in the spring of 2005. His teams have reached four NCAA Tournaments ('05, '08, '09, '12) and a WCC title in 2009. Browning enters 2015 with a record of 170-109 all-time at Saint Mary's.
SETTING THE TABLE:
Senior Mackenzie Olsen had a homecoming in her first season at Fullerton as the transfer from the University of Delaware was a vital piece of the Titans offense during the 2014 season. The Orange, Calif. native was a team captain and dished out 1,003 assists and averaged 9.55 assists per set. She set Fullerton to a .174 hitting percentage overall, which is tied for the 16th best mark in school history. Olsen recorded 40-plus assists 10 times during the season including a season-high 54 on Oct. 17 when the Titans nearly pulled off an upset of UC Davis at Titan Gym. The Titans setter also got the job done defensively, scooping 191 digs in 105 sets played, averaging 1.82 digs per set. Olsen led the team with eight double-doubles on the season.
REED THE DEFENSE:
Junior Paige Reed had an impressive follow-up campaign for the Titans in 2014. She picked up her production on the defensive end as a sophomore, tallying 312 digs and a 2.97 digs per set average, both improvements from her marks of 294 digs and 2.94 average as a freshman. Reed tallied double-digit digs in 14 matches for the Titans including 11 of the last 13 to end the regular season. She set a new career best with 32 digs in a four-set match against UC Irvine on Nov. 22 at Titan Gym. The mark tied for the 12th most digs in a single match in Titans history, the last occurrence taking place on Nov. 2, 2013 when Alyse Hensley recorded 32 against UC Davis in a five-set match. Reed was the first to reach 32 in less than five sets since 2006 when Vanessa Vela tallied 32 in four sets against Cal Poly.
THE COMEBACK:
The Titans have three players returning for their second season in Fullerton. Here's how they did in their first campaign with the Titans.
• Rachel Brown - Played in 98 sets, appearing in all 29 matches for the Titans. Finished the season with 151 digs and a 1.54 digs per set average. Set career high with 17 digs and four aces on Oct. 11 against UC Santa Barbara. Brown would go on to record double-digit digs in four matches.
• Katelyn Nielsen - Played in 79 sets for the Titans, recording 121 kills and 21 blocks (two solo). Set a career-best with 12 kills in a five-set victory over Georgetown on Sept. 20 and posted a personal best .364 hitting percentage (10-2-22) at UC Riverside on Oct. 18.
• Katie Roux - Recorded a double-double in her first match as a member of the Titans, posting 22 assists and 14 digs in Fullerton's opening night win over Bucknell. Played in 60 sets for the Titans in 2014, recording 99 digs, 29 assists and seven service aces as a freshman.
THOMAS COMES HOME FOR ONE MORE SEASON:
Fifth-year senior Kandace Thomas returned to California after three seasons playing for Ashley Preston at Coppin State. The Carson, Calif. native tallied 582 kills in 84 matches and 312 sets at Coppin State. She averaged 1.87 kills per set and also tallied 38 service aces. Thomas was also a solid presence at the net, tallying 185 total blocks in three years.