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Sophia Johnson posted a career-high 21 digs in last week’s match against Virginia.
Cal Has Four Matches Remaining In 2024
California volleyball will hit the road for the penultimate week of its 2024 season, first visiting North Carolina at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Friday at 4 p.m. PT before traveling to Duke on Sunday for an 11 a.m. showdown at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. Friday’s match will be broadcast on ACCNX, while Sunday’s will be shown on ACC Network.
Last weekend, the Golden Bears (12-16, 4-12 ACC). posted a sweep of Virginia Tech in its first-ever meeting with the Hokies, tying a season best with seven total service aces, before falling to the Virginia Cavaliers in four sets the next day. Three Bears – Xuemeng (Maggie) Li, Natalie Lau and Peyton DeJardin – posted triple-doubles in the latter match; Li (18), Lau (19) and Sophia Johnson (21) also set career highs in digs while the team recorded a season-high 105 digs (the most by any ACC team in a four-set contest this year), led by Gianna Bartalo’s 27.
Vs. North Carolina (19-6, 11-5)
Last Meeting: Sept. 6, 2019 (at Irvine, Calif. – UC Irvine Tournament; Cal won 3-0)
All-Time Record: 4-2
Current Streak: Cal won last two
The Tar Heels are a strong offensive team that rank third in the conference in assists per set (12.89), aces per set (1.78) and kills per set (13.77), the latter of which also ranks 31st among all Division I squads; they are also incredibly battle-tested with five five-set matches under their belts this year, including a marquee late-October win over No. 19 Florida State. Preseason All-ACC selection Mabrey Shaffmaster leads North Carolina with 306 kills and 43 service aces on the year, with her average of 0.52 aces per set ranking 19th best in the country; she also has 233 digs this season for the second-highest total on the team.
Vs. Duke (9-18, 5-11)
Last Meeting: Dec. 1, 2007 (at Duke – NCAA Second Round; Cal won 3-1)
All-Time Record: 1-1
Current Streak: Cal won last one
The Blue Devils rank last in the ACC in both opponent hitting percentage (.243) and blocks per set (1.62) but are not without their weapons – four players rank within the ACC’s top-10 women in at least one…
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