SERVICE!: Winners of two straight and three of its last
four, the Cal State Fullerton women's volleyball team (9-5 overall, 2-3
in the Big West) continues a three-match road swing with a pair of Big
West contests this weekend.
The Titans travel to Stockton to take on national powerhouse Pacific on
Thursday night (Oct. 7) at 7 p.m. returning to Southern California to
meet Cal State Northridge on Saturday (Oct. 9) at 7 p.m. at the Matadome.
SERIES RECORDS: Cal State Fullerton is 0-40 all time
against Pacific in women's volleyball since the two teams first met in
1984... The Tigers swept the season series from the Titans last season,
each three-game sweeps... In 2002, Fullerton took Pacific to five games
at Titan Gym (eventually falling 16-14 in the fifth game), marking the
first time since 1997 that the Titans had won a game from the Tigers...
the Titans are 4-14 all time against Cal State Northridge, having lost
the last six consecutive meetings with the Matadors since they joined
the Big West... Fullerton's last win in the series came in a non-conference
meeting in 2000, winning in five games at Titan Gym.
AND THE WINS JUST KEEP ON COMING: Cal State Fullerton
earned its ninth win of the season on Friday against UC Riverside, marking
the most wins for the program since the 2000 squad finished 9-20 overall.
The two wins in conference play tie all of last year's total with 13 league
matches remaining.
SHORT AND SWEET: Of the Titans' nine victories this season, six
of those have come via three-game sweeps, including 3-0 wins in each of
the team's last three victories. Fullerton has been taken to four games
in a win only twice this season (Delaware & Idaho State) and have
one five-game victory (Texas State).
HOME COOKIN': Cal State Fullerton has been absolutely
scintillating at Titan gym this season, posting an 8-1 home mark thus
far in 2004. Fullerton opened the year 7-0 at home before falling to UC
Santa Barbara on Sept. 25, marking the best home start since the 1996
team went 5-2 in its first seven matches.
HIT ME!: Cal State Fullerton's Carley Dial and Tiffany
Dolven both rank among the conference's best hitters, standing fifth and
ninth, respectively, in this week's Big West statistical rankings for
hitting percentage. On the flip side, the Titan defense has done well
to limit the opposition's attack, holding opponents to a .174 hitting
percentage – the fourth lowest in the league.
GOING ALL IN WITH ACES: Serving has been a strength of
the Titans in 2004, and that is reflected in the most recent Big West
Conference statistical reports. Fullerton ranks second in the league with
2.00 per game and the Titans have two players rank among the top 10 in
the individual category: Alyssa Opeka stands fifth at 0.45 pg while Lauren
Goins ranks 10th at 0.37 pg.
DIG IT!: Freshman libero Vanessa Vella has left everything
on the court but ball marks this season as she ranks in the top 10 in
the conference in digs in her rookie season. Vella, who has 11 matches
with double-digit digs – including a career-high 27 vs. Idaho State
on Sept. 11 – ranks third in the league with 4.71 dpg.
MS. CONSISTENT: Cal State Fullerton senior Lauren Goins
may not have her picture in Webster's next to "consistent,"
but she could be the poster child if she wanted to. Goins has posted double-digit
kills in 12 of her first 13 matches (including the first seven straight)
and has a double-double on eight occasions in 2004.
She's well ahead of last year's pace when she had just five matches of
10-or-more kills in the first 10 matches and in 18 overall.
GOINS THE DISTANCE: Cal State Fullerton senior outside
hitter Lauren Goins continues to climb the record books in three different
categories.
Her 187 kills this season gives her 930 for her career and places her
firmly in fifth place all-time and just five more kills out of fourth.
If Goins matches her offensive output from last season (300 kills), she
would become only the fourth player in Fullerton history to reach the
1,000 kill mark.
In other record book news, Goins' seven digs this weekend give her 820
for her career, moving her into seventh place on that all-time list (57
short of sixth). Her 86th career ace served up on Saturday night moved
her into sole posession of seventh all-time, just five short of fifth.
ABOUT THE TITANS: Cal State Fullerton returns eight letterwinners
from last year's squad which went 8-22 overall (2-16 in the Big West),
including five players who started 20 or more matches in 2003. The roster
is very balanced with a good mix of experience (seven upperclassmen, including
four seniors) and youth (eight freshmen and sophomores). Fullerton also
returns a potent offense with the returners accounting for just ovr 92
percent of the offense last season, 96.5 percent of the team's blocks,
and just under 52 percent of the digs from 2003.
TITANS PICKED NINTH IN PRESEASON COACHES POLL: Cal State
Fullerton was picked to finish ninth in the Big West Conference this season
according to a poll of the league's head coaches. The Titans, who finished
10th last season, received 21 points to finish ahead of UC Riverside –
the source of Fullerton's only two conference wins in 2003.
UC Santa Barbara received nine first-place votes and was picked to repeat
as league champs for a third consecutive season with 99 points.
