Bears Prepare For Final Two Matches Of 2022

VB11/21/2022 5:23 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Cal Will Honor Sydney Lilomaiava On Senior Day

BERKELEY – After posting its fifth straight five-set match against Arizona State on Sunday, California volleyball (7-21, 0-18 Pac-12) hopes to close out the season strong this week against two of the nation’s top teams. The Bears will host No. 10 Oregon at Haas Pavilion on Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 12:00 p.m. PT before traveling to No. 6 Stanford in Palo Alto on Friday, Nov. 25 at 6:00 p.m.
Cal will be honoring lone senior Sydney Lilomaiava at Wednesday’s match, her last as a Golden Bear.

Cal is 53-32 all-time against Oregon. This year’s Ducks squad is one of the most efficient offensive teams in the nation, ranking 6^th nationally with 13.49 assists per set, 7^th with a .291 hitting percentage and 9^th with 14.29 kills per set. They have stars all over the roster: senior Brooke Nuneviller ranks 4^th in the conference with 418 kills on the season, while junior Hannah Pukis leads the Pac-12 with 11.22 assists per set. Leading Oregon’s underclassmen are sophomore Kiari Robey, whose .408 hitting percentage ranks 3^rd in the Pac-12, and freshman Mimi Colyer, one of the conference’s top performers in both kills (439 – 3^rd) and kills per set (4.22 – 5^th).

The Bears forced then-No. 5 Stanford to four sets in the last meeting between the two teams (Sept. 21 at Haas Pavilion), but are just 13-82 historically against the Cardinal. As a team, Stanford ranks 7^th in the nation in both kills per set (14.41) and assists per set (13.45). Like Oregon, they boast top players at every level and position, with four women ranking in the conference’s Top Five in two separate categories. Senior Kendall Kipp’s 0.42 service aces per set and 4.29 kills per set stand at 2^nd and 3^rd, respectively, while junior Elena Oglivie leads the Pac-12 with 4.19 digs per set (and ranks 5^th with 398 total digs). Sophomores Kami Miner (11.22 assists per set – 1^st Pac-12; 1066 assists – 3^rd Pac-12) and Sami Francis (1.45 blocks per set – 2^nd Pac-12; .394 hitting percentage – 4^th Pac-12) round out the Cardinal’s standout core.

 

GROTE’S GLORY

Lydia Grote made Cal history in November, posting 28 kills against UCLA (Nov. 10) – the most by any Golden Bear in a single game since 2010 – and matched that total two days later against USC. In the latter match, she recorded 94 attacks for the most in one game all-time by any Cal player. She currently leads the Bears with 394…