Cal To Conclude 2024 Season Against Syracuse, Notre Dame

(L-R) Seniors Ellie Hamm, Annalea Maeder, Gianna Bartalo, Paige Morningstar and Ava Mehrten

VB11/25/2024 5:10 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Bears Will Honor Five Seniors Saturday

California volleyball will play its final road and home games of 2024 this week in a pair of rematches, starting with a 10 a.m. PT showdown against Syracuse in Syracuse, New York, Wednesday and finishing the year Saturday against Notre Dame at 2 p.m. in Berkeley.
 
Both matches will be broadcast on ACCNX. Saturday will also act as the Golden Bears’ (13-17, 5-13 ACC) Senior Day, where they will honor the careers of Paige Morningstar, Ellie Hamm, Gianna Bartalo, Annalea Maeder and Ava Mehrten.
 
Cal lost in four to North Carolina last Friday and defeated Duke 3-1 the following Sunday, both on the road. Xuemeng (Maggie) Li posted two games with 20-plus kills, bringing her current streak up to three; in both of those, she hit .380 or better. She and Peyton DeJardin each recorded a double-double in the match against Duke, while Natalie Lau notched 51 assists to tie for the second-highest total in any four-set ACC match this season.
 
Vs. Syracuse (14-16, 2-16)
Last Meeting: Oct. 12, 2024 (at Cal; Cal won 3-2)
All-Time Record: 1-0
Current Streak: Cal won last one
 
The Orange started off their year with 12-straight wins but have struggled in conference play, their only victories since being five-setters against Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. In the previous match this year between Syracuse and Cal, the Bears pulled out a reverse sweep thanks to the efforts of Li (17 kills) and Gianna Bartalo (30 digs), the latter of whom became just the 14^th Cal player to cross the 30-dig mark; on the other side of the court, the Orange’s Ava Palm and Sydney Waller posted 16 kills apiece, while Sydney Moore led all players with nine total blocks.
 
Syracuse ranks 34th in the NCAA with an average of 2.55 blocks per set but sit last in the conference with 10.13 kills per set, 9.58 assists per set and a .131 hitting percentage. Its most efficient attacker is Anastasiia Nikolnikova, who is hitting .343 on the year with 136 kills and also leads the squad with 1.19 blocks per set.
 
Vs. Notre Dame (11-16, 4-14)
Last Meeting: Sept. 29, 2024 (at Notre Dame; Notre Dame won 3-1)
Last Home Meeting: Oct. 24, 1985 (Cal won…