CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Bronco Sports News
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2004
Contact: Paul Helms
(909) 869-2812
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
MEDIA NOTES
2004 CPP Record: 11-7. 2004 CCAA Record: 6-2
Broncos Try To Rebound From a Tough Week: Cal Poly
Pomona’s women’s volleyball team, coming off two tough losses to
nationally-ranked opponents, travel to Carson
Wednesday night to take on Cal State Dominguez Hills. Cal Poly Pomona will then
host an alumni match on Saturday afternoon. The match with Cal State Dominguez
Hills will conclude the first half of California Collegiate Athletic
Association play. The Broncos are currently third in the conference with a 6-2
record, one-half game behind Cal State San Bernardino. The Broncos are trying
to build upon two consecutive winning seasons. Cal Poly Pomona concluded its
2003 season with an overall record of 19-11. The Broncos were also 14-8 in the
CCAA and finished in sole possession of fourth place. Coupled with a 20-11
record in 2002, the Broncos won 39 matches over the last two seasons, which
equals the best two-year win total since the 1993 and 1994 seasons. Those teams
also won 39 matches in two years. Cal Poly Pomona came within one victory of
recording back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the 1992 and 1993
seasons. The Broncos have won 18 or more matches in four of the last five
seasons.
Last Week: The Broncos had their seven match winning
streak snapped last week with consecutive losses against two nationally-ranked opponents.
Last Friday, Cal Poly Pomona suffered its first conference loss when the
Broncos fell to Cal State San Bernardino. The Coyotes, ranked 7th in
the nation, defeated the Broncos in three games, 30-19, 30-13, 30-25. Kellie Francis (Jr., Chino,
Don Lugo HS) led the Broncos with 12 kills and eight
digs. Christina Gordon (Jr., Moreno Valley,
Riverside CC) chipped in with eight kills and two blocks while Emily Kennedy
(Jr., Upland, Upland HS) had 33
assists and four digs for Cal Poly Pomona. The very next night, Cal Poly Pomona
took on another nationally-ranked opponent, this time No. 2 UC San Diego. The
Broncos again fell short, falling to the Tritons 30-19, 33-31, 30-24. Allison
Anderson (Jr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS) and Francis had
12 kills each to lead the Broncos. Kennedy (Jr., Upland,
Upland HS) had 34 assists, four kills, and three blocks, while Mallory Manzo (Fr., Fontana,
Etiwanda HS) and Kiting Kolar (Fr., La Canada,
La Canada HS) had 12 digs each.
Scouting the
Opposition: Cal Poly Pomona is 46-2
all-time against Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Broncos won both
matches last year, prevailing in three games in Darlene May Gym and then
closing the regular season with a four-game victory in Carson.
The Broncos have won the last 14 meetings between the two programs and have not
lost to the Toros since 1995.
Rankings: Cal Poly Pomona
received votes for the fourth
straight week in the American Volleyball Coaches Association, but did not crack
the Top-25. Two members of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (UC
San Diego in second and Cal State San Bernardino in seventh) were included in
the national Top-10, while Cal State Bakersfield and Cal Poly Pomona received
votes, but were not in the top-25. Five Pacific Region teams were included in
the top-25 and seven received votes in the poll. In a preseason poll of CCAA
coaches, the Broncos were picked to finish fifth in the conference behind UC
San Diego, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State L.A. and Cal State Bakersfield.
How About That Schedule: Cal Poly Pomona will once
again face a very challenging schedule in 2004. Cal Poly Pomona will face each
California Collegiate Athletic Association team twice in 2004 and UC San Diego
(2nd) and Cal State San Bernardino (7th) are included in
the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association’s national Top-25 poll.
The Broncos will be at UC San Diego on Friday, Nov. 5 and at Cal State San
Bernardino on Saturday, Nov. 6.
Anderson Earns Player of the Week Honors:
Allison Anderson (Jr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS) was named the Molten California
Collegiate Athletic Association Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week for the
week of Sept. 6-12. Anderson, who earned All-America honorable mention last
year, had 29 kills to lead the Broncos to big road wins at Cal State L.A. and
Cal State Bakersfield. She averaged 3.22 kills per game and hit at a .290
percentage. She also had 1.44 blocks per game. Against Cal State L.A., Anderson
had 13 kills, six blocks, four digs, two assists and a service ace. Anderson
then added 16 kills on .361 hitting against Cal State Bakersfield to go along
with seven blocks, four digs and two aces. With the score tied at 12-12 in the
fifth game, Anderson produced three
kills to give the Broncos the 15-13 win in the deciding game. It was the first weekly
honor of Anderson’s Cal Poly Pomona
career. She is the first Bronco to earn CCAA Player of the Week honors since
Kellie Francis got the nod last season for the week of Sept. 29 – Oct. 5 after
leading the Broncos to a win over then-No. 1 Cal
State San
Bernardino.
On The Bench: Rosie Wegrich, who holds the Cal Poly
Pomona standard for most wins by a head coach, will begin her 13th
season with the program. Wegrich has compiled a 560-414-10 record in 29 years
as a head coach and is one of the most successful Division II coaches in the
nation. Before coming to Cal Poly Pomona, Wegrich coached at Division I
programs at Minnesota and Arizona.
She has a 231-155 mark at Cal Poly Pomona and picked up her 200th
win as Bronco head coach in a thrilling five-game victory over Cal State L.A.
on Nov. 15, 2002. Wegrich also picked up her 500th career win when
the Broncos posted a four-game win over Grand Canyon in
the final match of the 2000 season.
Look Who’s Back: The Broncos have seven players and
four starters returning in 2004. Allison Anderson (Jr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS)
led the team in kills last season with 442, which is ninth on the all-time
single-season list. She also led the team in blocks with 110. Anderson
received All-America honorable mention by the American Volleyball Coaches
Association, was named to the 10-player All-Pacific Region first team by the
AVCA and received second-team All-CCAA honors. Kellie Francis (Jr., Chino, Don
Lugo HS) was fourth on the team in kills with 180 despite missing several
matches with injury and should be a major contributor in 2004, while Elizabeth
Defoort (Jr., Glendora, Citrus College), fifth on the team in kills with 167,
should play a larger role on the team this season. Emily Kennedy (Jr., Upland,
Upland HS) led the team in assists last season with 1,395, which is the
second-highest single-season total in the program’s history. Kennedy is
currently second on the career assist list with 3,382. The Broncos also have
Breezie Jordan (Jr., Ventura, Buena
HS), who was second on the team in digs with 241, coming back.
Look Who’s New:
Cal Poly Pomona welcomes another solid recruiting class that should make major
contributions for the Broncos. Antoinette Kathol (Fr., Sierra Madre, La Salle
HS) is 6-foot-2-inches tall and the tallest middle blocker on the team since
Karla Tate. Kiting Kolar (Fr., La Canada, La Canada HS) is a 5-6 libero who has
been impressive and Jen Bullock (Sr., Anaheim, Eastern New Mexico) is a 5-9
setter with an impressive volleyball background. Stephanie Chen (Fr., Walnut,
Walnut HS) is another freshman libero who has been a contributor. The Broncos
are also expecting big things from Christina Gordon (Jr., Moreno
Valley, Riverside CC), who will see
extensive time at an outside hitter position, and Mallory Manzo (Fr., Fontana,
Etiwanda HS). Both players redshirted last season.
Taking
The Fifth: Cal Poly Pomona has made a habit of playing lengthy matches. Of the
Broncos’ first 18 contests, eight of them have been decided in five games. Cal
Poly Pomona is 5-3 in those matches, including a five-game win over Sonoma
State on Sept. 24. The Broncos
trailed in the fifth game, 9-6, but rallied and eventually broke a 12-12 tie on
a kill by Antoinette Kathol (Fr., Sierra Madre, La Salle HS) and a block by
Kathol and Emily Kennedy (Jr., Upland,
Upland HS). The match ended on a kill by Kellie Francis (Jr., Chino,
Don Lugo HS). Earlier this season, the Broncos endured a program-record five
consecutive matches that lasted five games. The old record was four. With eight
five-game matches already in the books, the Broncos are closing in on the
single-season record of nine set by the 1987, 1991 and 1997 squads. Cal Poly
Pomona is 3-0 in five-game matches away from home, going 2-0 against Alaska
Fairbanks in Alaska and edging Cal
State Bakersfield in Bakersfield.
Cal Poly Pomona is 2-3 in five-game matches at home, losing to Seattle Pacific,
Seattle University
and the University of Indianapolis
and beating Sonoma State
and Western New Mexico. The Broncos were 2-3 in
five-game matches last season, beating then-No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino and
Chico State, while losing to Chaminade, Northwest Nazarene and Sonoma
State. The Broncos were 2-5 in
five-game matches in 2002 and 3-5 in 2001. Cal Poly Pomona was 7-2 in five-game
matches in 1997 when the Broncos were 24-8 overall and last qualified for the
NCAA Division II playoffs.
The Leaders Of The Stats: Kellie Francis (Jr., Ontario,
Don Lugo HS) leads the Broncos with 281 kills, while Allison Anderson, a
honorable mention All-American in 2003, is second with 257. Christina Gordon
(Jr., Moreno Valley,
Riverside CC) has 171 kills and Elizabeth Defoort
(Jr., Glendora, Citrus
College) has 128 kills. Anderson’s
hitting percentage of .313 leads the team. Emily Kennedy (Jr., Upland,
Upland HS) leads with 736 assists, while Jen Bullock
(Sr., Anaheim, Eastern
New Mexico) has 116. Kennedy leads with 29 aces, while Kiting
Kolar (Fr., La Canada,
La Canada HS) has 28. Kolar leads in digs with 241,
while Jordan has
144. Antoinette Kathol (Fr., Sierra Madre, La Salle
HS) has a team-high 65 blocks, while Anderson
has 64.
CAL
POLY POMONA
Women’s Volleyball
CPP Schedule
8/26 at Alaska
Fairbanks! W, 3-2
8/27 vs. Findlay! L,
1-3
8/28 vs. Western
State! W, 3-0
8/28 at Alaska
Fairbanks! W, 3-2
9/1 vs. Seattle
Pacific L,
2-3
9/3 vs. Indianapolis^ L, 2-3
9/3 vs. Seattle
University^ L,
2-3
9/4 vs. Western
New Mexico^ W,
3-2
9/4 vs.
Chaminade^ L,
0-3
9/10 at Cal
State L.A.* W, 3-1
9/11 at CS
Bakersfield* W,
3-2
9/14 vs. University
of La Verne W, 3-0
9/17 at Chico
State* W,
3-0
9/18 at CS
Stanislaus* W,
3-0
9/24 vs. Sonoma
State* W, 3-2
9/25 vs. CS Monterey
Bay* W, 3-1
10/1 vs. CS San
Bernardino* L,
0-3
10/2 vs. UC San
Diego* L,
0-3
10/6 at CS
Dominguez Hills* 7:00 p.m.
10/15 at CS Monterey
Bay* 7:00 p.m.
10/16 at Sonoma
State* 7:00
p.m.
10/22 vs. CS
Bakersfield* 7:00 p.m.
10/23 vs. Cal
State L.A.* 7:00
p.m.
10/29 vs. CS
Stanislaus* 7:00 p.m.
10/30 vs. Chico
State* 7:00
p.m.
11/5 at UC San
Diego* 7:00 p.m.
11/6 at CS San
Bernardino* 7:00 p.m.
11/10 vs. CS
Dominguez Hills* 7:00 p.m.
11/12 vs. Grand
Canyon* 7:00 p.m.
*Denotes CCAA Game
!= Midnight Sun
Invitational, Alaska Fairbanks
^= Holiday Inn-Select Diamond Bar/Cal Poly Pomona
Invitational