FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton hits the road this week to take on UC Davis at Hickey Gym in the Titans' lone Big West match this week.
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: None
Audio Webcast: An audio broadcast for Saturday night's match against the Aggies will be available courtesy of UC Davis. Links at FullertonTitans.com.
Live Stats: Live in-game stats for the Titans match at UC Davis will be available through StatsBroadcast. Links at FullertonTitans.com
SATURDAY, OCT. 10 AT UC DAVIS
(HICKEY GYM), 7 P.M.
Cal State Fullerton at UC Davis
Series Record: Cal State Fullerton leads 13-8
First Meeting: Won, Oct. 22, 1980, 15-8, 15-6, 15-10
Last Meeting: Lost, Nov. 13, 2014, 25-21, 25-16, 25-9
Current Streak: Lost 4
Last 10 Meetings: 6-4
UC DAVIS NOTES:
-TO RECAP: UC DAVIS (7-11) picked up its first two Big West Conference wins, both thanks to strong finishes... Senior OH Kaylin Squyres had 24 kills and junior OH Kendall Walbrecht notched a career-high 19 in Wednesday's win over UCR... Squyres hit 10-1-17 (.529) in the fourth, while Walbrecht had five kills in each of the third and fourth sets... On Saturday, the Aggies improved from a disastrous opening frame to hit .361 in the fourth... Squyres hit 17-1-33 (.485) in the last two sets after entering the match break at 8-5-29 (.103).
Squyres was rewarded for her weekend with Big West Conference Player of the Week honors, while freshman libero Malia Bolko was named Defensive Player of the Week... Squyres totaled 49 kills (6.12 per set) with a .285 average and 21 digs (2.62)... This is her first such award in 2015 after claiming it three times as a junior... Bolko had dig totals of 25 and 17 in the two matches for weekend average of 5.25... The two also led the serve-receive corps with only four aces allowed on 108 total serves (.963)... The Aggies handled serves well on either side of net; committing only eight receive errors as a team while serving up 15 aces of their own... Junior Allie Wegener and freshman Emily Allen also split up duties on the passing line.
-MILESTONE WATCH: Squyres became the ninth player in school history to reach 1,000 career kills, as her Saturday total raised her overall figure to 1,023... She needs 27 to surpass Heidi Knapp (1988-91), 30 to eclipse Jen Bryan (1993-96), and 36 to move ahead of former teammate Devon Damelio (2010-13) on the school's career list... Also within range later in the year would be fifth-place Jill Changaris (1,209 from 1993-96)... Changaris – now Jill Muhe – is now the head coach at San Francisco State... Coincidentally, she has a senior OH nearing the 1,000-kill circle... Odder still, Muhe's predecessor was Michelle Patton, who now helms the Aggies' Wednesday opponent, UC Riverside.
-STAT RANKINGS: Squyres' award-winning output moved her into the top spot of the Big West Conference's kps leaders (4.73), ahead of Hawaii's Nikki Taylor (4.58)... She also ranks first in total kills (317) and total digs (241)... Squyres' conference kills average now stands at a robust 5.93, well ahead of CSUN's Cieana Stinson (4.57) and Cal Poly's Adlee Van Winden (4.50)... Bolko held at No. 3 in digs per set (4.03) but broke the 4.0 barrier after her previous week... Wegener ranks second in aces (0.35)... Sophomore Aima Eichie (1.15) stayed ahead of injured teammate Kelechi Ohiri (1.10) among the blocks leaders... Walbrecht has averaged 3.13 kills per set in conference play, thanks to a move from the right pin to left... She ranks 9th on the Big West-only leaderboard.
THE 700 CLUB:
Fifth-year senior Kandace Thomas set a new season high on Oct. 2 against No. 10 Hawai'i, posting a .700 (7-0-10) attacking percentage. It surpassed her previous mark of .556 (16-1-27) at Fresno State on Sept. 11, although that mark is still the best on the team this season for a player with 12 or more kills in a match. Thomas' career high attacking percentage was set in her junior season at Morgan State when she tallied 18 kills on 27 attempts without an error for Coppin State on the road at Morgan State on Oct. 20, 2013.
HIGGINS WITH THE HELPERS
J'Nai Higgins saw extended time playing at setter for the Titans in a 3-0 loss to No. 10 Hawai'i on Oct. 2 at Titan Gym. Higgins dished out a career-high 11 assists for Fullerton, accounting for more than half of the team's 21 helpers on the night against the Rainbow Wahine.
LIVING ON THE HEARTBREAK:
The Titans have played four five-set matches this season and lost them all by a combined 13 points including Wednesday's two-point loss at Irvine.
SMITH POSTS CAREER HIGH IN KILLS...AGAIN:
Freshman Kyra Smith set a new career high with 14 kills at UC Irvine on Sept. 30. That came after she set new high at UC Riverside with 13 kills on Sept. 25. It was her first career double-digit kill performance. She also attacked at a .545 (13-1-22) clip, the second-best mark by a player on the team this season with a minimum of 12 kills in a match.
FIFTY DIMES:
Mackenzie Olsen set a season high with 50 assists on Sept. 30 at UC Irvine. Olsen also had eight digs and added three kills without an error against the Anteaters.
WHAT'S YOUR TWENTY?:
Paige Reed set a new season high with 20 digs on Sept. 30 in the Titans five-set loss at UC Irvine. It is the most recorded by a Titans player this season and was her seventh match with 15 or more digs this season.
ATTACK FROM ALL SIDES:
Kyra Smith (14), Megann Delgado (11), Kandace Thomas (11) and Kyra Hill (11) all recorded double-digit kills on Sept. 30 at UC Irvine. It was the first time the Titans had four players record double-digit kills since Oct. 17, 2014 in a five-set loss to UC Davis at Titan Gym.
DOUBLE DEUCE:
Mackenzie Olsen recorded her second double-double of the season on Sept. 25 against UC Riverside. She tallied season highs with 45 assists and 12 digs and matched her career high with seven blocks against the Highlanders. Olsen set her career high back on Oct. 5, 2012 against UNC Wilmington during her freshman season at the University of Delaware.
DELGADO SETS CAREER HIGH:
Freshman Megann Delgado hammered down a career-best 18 kills on Sept. 25 in the conference opener at UC Riverside. Delgado also set a new best with a .275 hitting percentage (18-7-40).
WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY:
The Titans set a new season-high with 27 blocks (three solo) at UC Riverside on Sept. 25. Mackenzie Olsen, Kandace Thomas and Kyra Hill all tied or set new career highs in blocks. Olsen tied a career best with seven block assists while Thomas set a new best with seven assists, tying her career high in overall blocks. Hill posted four blocks (two solo), a new career best. Her two solo blocks were also a new career high while her two block assists tied a career best.
WE CAN DIG IT:
The Titans set a new season-high with 74 digs at UC Riverside on Sept. 25. Fullerton had five players record double-digit digs, led by Rachel Brown's career high 18 while Paige Reed tallied 17 digs. Precious Manu also got into the action, setting a new career high with 13 digs while Mackenzie Olsen set a new season-high with 12 digs en route to a double-double. Katie Roux finished with 11 digs on the night.
THE WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY:
Fullerton has lost its first 15 matches of the season for the fourth time since 1980 and first since 1994. The Titans went 1-28 after losing the first 26 matches of the season. In 1993, Fullerton lost 18 straight games to open the year and dropped 25 straight to start 1992.
