CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2003

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

 

 

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

MEDIA NOTES

 

2003 CPP Record: 9-5. 2003 CCAA Record: 4-2

 

Broncos Prepare For A Shot At Nation’s No. 1 (Again): Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s volleyball team, coming off a tough weekend split against UC San Diego and Grand Canyon, will face an even more challenging stretch this week when the Broncos play three games in a five-day span. First up is Cal State San Bernardino, which defeated UC San Diego last Saturday in San Bernardino and is the new No. 1-ranked team in the nation. The Broncos will host the Coyotes on Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. in Darlene May Gym. It will mark the second time in five days that the Broncos will entertain a team ranked No. 1 in the nation. The Broncos hosted then-No. 1 UC San Diego and lost in four games last Friday. After facing the Coyotes, Cal Poly Pomona will hit the road for matches on Friday and Saturday against Sonoma State and San Francisco State. Cal Poly Pomona is 4-2 in the CCAA and alone in fourth place, one game out of second place. Cal State San Bernardino leads the conference with a 6-0 mark. The Seawolves are one of three teams tied at 3-3 in the conference after beating Cal State Bakersfield in five games and Cal State Stanislaus in three games last week. San Francisco State is 2-4 in conference action and beat Cal State Stanislaus in four games and lost to Cal State Bakersfield in three games last week. The Broncos are hoping to build upon a successful 2002 season that saw them compile a 20-11 record and achieve a 20-win season for the first time since 1997.

 

Last Week: The Broncos lost in a competitive four-game match to then-No. 1 UC San Diego on Friday in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Darlene May Gym. The Broncos and Tritons split the first two games before UC San Diego pulled away for a 30-22, 23-30, 30-17, 30-26 victory. Allison Anderson (So., Chino Hills, Ayala HS) had 16 kills and eight blocks to lead the Broncos, while Kellie Francis (So., Chino, Don Lugo HS) added 14 kills and one block. Kimberly Van Beek (Sr., Artesia, Whitney HS) had nine kills and three blocks, while Lindsay Fischer (Sr., Alta Loma, Alta Loma HS) had nine kills, three aces and six blocks. Emily Kennedy (So., Upland, Upland HS) had 50 assists. The Broncos got back on the winning track on Saturday with a 30-23, 25-30, 30-15, 30-18 win over Grand Canyon. Anderson, for the second straight match, had 16 kills, including five in the fourth game when the Broncos put the match away. She also added a team-high six blocks. Fischer had 11 kills and eight digs. Casey Riedel (Fr., Saugus, Saugus HS) had seven kills and four blocks, while Van Beek had seven kills and four blocks. Breezie Jordan (So., Ventura, Buena HS) had a team-high 11 digs and Kennedy had 37 assists. The match turned early in the third game when the Broncos raced to a 19-4 lead and never looked back. Fischer served for five straight points, while Anderson and Kennedy served for four straight points each. Elizabeth Defoort (So., Glendora, Citrus College) had four kills in the game. Grand Canyon led early in the fourth game, but the Broncos assumed control at 21-12 and coasted the rest of the way.

 

Scouting The Opposition: The Broncos are 18-12 all-time against Cal State San Bernardino is a series of streaks. Cal Poly Pomona won the first 10 and 18 of the first 20 meetings, but Cal State San Bernardino has won the last 10 matches. Cal State San Bernardino beat the Broncos in three games in San Bernardino and in four games in Pomona last year. The Broncos were without Kimberly Van Beek (Sr., Artesia, Whitney HS) in the second meeting. Cal Poly Pomona is 16-6 all-time against Sonoma State and won both matches in three-game sweeps last season. Cal Poly Pomona is 21-5 all-time against San Francisco State and beat the Gators in four games in both matches last season.

 

Rankings: Cal Poly Pomona did not receive any votes in the most recent national rankings released by the AVCA. Cal State San Bernardino jumped from third to first after its win over UC San Diego last week. The Tritons slipped to second. Pacific Region teams are ranked 1-2-3 because defending national champ BYU-Hawaii is rated third. A fourth region team, Western Washington, is fifth and a fifth region team, Hawaii Pacific, is 11th. Six teams from the Pacific Region will qualify for the playoffs.

 

How About That Schedule: Cal Poly Pomona will once again face a very challenging schedule in 2003. When the Broncos entertain Cal State San Bernardino on Wednesday, it will mark the second time in five days Cal Poly Pomona will have hosted the No. 1 team in the country. UC San Diego was ranked No. 1 last Friday when the Tritons knocked off the Broncos in four games. The Broncos faced three teams – Chaminade (HI), Findlay (Ohio) and Florida Southern – in the Cal Poly Pomona Invitational that received votes in the AVCA preseason National Top 25. Three CCAA programs are currently either in the Top 25 or receiving votes. Cal State San Bernardino (1) and UC San Diego (2) are the top two teams in the country, while Cal State L.A. received votes. The Broncos will face each CCAA squad twice this season. Cal Poly Pomona has already played – and beaten – Findlay of Ohio, which received votes in the latest poll.

 

On The Bench: Rosie Wegrich, who holds the Cal Poly Pomona standard for most wins by a head coach, is in her 12th year with the program. Wegrich has compiled a 539-401-10 record in 28 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 210-142 mark (.597) at Cal Poly Pomona and picked up her 200th win as Bronco head coach last season in a thrilling five-game victory over Cal State L.A. on Nov. 15, 2002. Wegrich also picked 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 return four starters and 10 players overall from their 2002 squad, including first-team All-CCAA outside hitter Lindsay Fischer (Sr., Alta Loma, Alta Loma HS) and second-team All-CCAA middle blocker Kimberly Van Beek (Sr., Artesia, Whitney HS). Fischer led the Broncos with 450 kills and 368 digs last season and is expected to be one of the top outside hitters in the region again this season. Fischer earned honorable mention All-Pacific Region recognition last season. The 450 kills were the sixth-highest single-season total in Cal Poly Pomona history. Van Beek was third on the team in kills with 277, second in blocks with 95 and led the team in service aces with 44 despite missing the final five matches of the season with a broken finger suffered in practice. Emily Kennedy (Fr., Upland, Upland HS) is back for her second year after a sensational freshman season. She recorded 1,251 assists last season, which is seventh on Cal Poly Pomona’s all-time single-season list. Allison Anderson (So., Chino Hills, Ayala HS) returns for her second season and has been outstanding in the Broncos’ first 14 matches. She appeared in all 31 matches last year and was fifth on the team in kills with 203 and third in blocks with 91. Two other players who missed either all or most of the 2002 season, Elizabeth Defoort (So., Glendora, Citrus College) and Kellie Francis (So., Chino, Don Lugo HS) are also back for the Broncos. Defoort suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Broncos’ second match of the season, while Francis was a redshirt in 2002 and did not play at all.

 

Look Who’s New: Cal Poly Pomona welcomes a strong recruiting class that is expected to make major contributions this season for the Broncos. Four freshmen – Lindsay Aarestad (Fr., Escondido, San Pasqual HS), Emmanuella Kariotis (Fr., Long Beach, Long Beach Poly HS), Casey Riedel (Fr., Saugus, Saugus HS) and Mallory Manzo (Fr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS) – have joined the squad, while a pair of juniors – Christina Gordon (Jr., Moreno Valley, Riverside CC) and Megan Meenan (Jr., Hermosa Beach, El Camino College) – are also new to the program. Riedel is fifth on the team in kills with 77, while Meenan is tied for seventh in service aces.

 

An Impressive Beginning: Allison Anderson (So., Chino Hills, Ayala HS) is off to a powerful start in 2003. Anderson opened the season with a strong showing in the Cal Poly Pomona Invitational. Anderson recorded 58 kills and 14 blocks in the Broncos’ first four matches and was named the tournament Co-Most Valuable Player. Anderson followed that up with 71 kills and 23 blocks in the Western Oregon Tournament. She set a new career high for the second straight week in kills when she recorded 27 in a five-game loss to Northwest Nazarene. She also had a career high in block assists in the tourney, posting 11 in a four-game loss to Western Oregon. Anderson posted a then-career-high 17 kills and five blocks in the Broncos’ tough five-game loss to Chaminade in the Cal Poly Pomona Invitational and she recorded 16 kills and had four blocks in the Broncos’ three-game victory over Alaska Fairbanks. Anderson recorded 16 kills in both of the Broncos’ matches last week against UC San Diego and Grand Canyon. Anderson’s single-match high in 2002 was 12 kills. She has reached double figures in kills in 12 of the Broncos’ first 14 matches after hitting double figures in four matches all last season.

 

Leading With Lindsay: Lindsay Fischer (Sr., Alta Loma, Alta Loma HS), who is coming off one of the best seasons in the program’s history, is a top candidate for All-Pacific Region honors again this year. In 2002, Fischer became the first Cal Poly Pomona player since 1998 to earn All-Pacific Region recognition. She received honorable mention. Fischer recorded 450 kills and 368 digs last season and led the team in both categories. Even more important for the Broncos: she stayed healthy. In 2001, Fischer suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth match of the year and the Broncos struggled to a 10-20 mark. With Fischer back in 2002, the Broncos went 20-11. With 135 kills so far this season, Fischer has moved into third place on Cal Poly Pomona’s career kill list with a total of 1,094. Cathy Bell is the all-time leader with 1,556 and Ellen Migasi is second with 1,336.

 

A Hit On And Off The Court: One of Cal Poly Pomona’s top players, Kimberly Van Beek (Sr., Artesia, Whitney HS), is also one of the Broncos’ top students. Van Beek earned second-team All-CCAA honors last season despite missing the final five matches with a broken finger. She led the team in service aces with 44 and was third in kills (277) and second in blocks (95). Van Beek has started strongly this season, recording 167 kills and 35 blocks in the Broncos’ first 14 matches. She is second on the team in both categories. She recorded a career-high 24 kills in the Broncos’ four-game win over UC Davis on Sept. 13 and had 41 kills in Cal Poly Pomona’s wins over Chico State and the Aggies. She had a team-high 18 kills in the Broncos’ five-game loss at Cal State Bakersfield on Sept. 19. Van Beek excels in the classroom as well. The psychology major earned Verizon Academic All-America District VIII honors last season and carries a sparkling 3.8 grade point average. She is a member of the university’s President’s Honor List and the Dean’s List.

 

Thanks For The Assist: Emily Kennedy (So., Upland, Upland HS) is picking up where she left last season when she put together one of the best freshman seasons in Cal Poly Pomona history. Kennedy, who recorded 1,251 assists last season, already has 653 in the Broncos’ first 14 matches this season. She set a new career high with 70 assists against Northwest Nazarene in the Western Oregon Tournament. Kennedy had 210 assists in the four matches in Oregon. She also has 22 block assists this season, which is fourth on the team and she leads the squad with 18 service aces.

 

The Leaders Of The Stats: Allison Anderson (So., Chino Hills, Ayala HS) leads the Broncos in kills with 204, while Kimberly Van Beek (Sr., Artesia, Whitney HS) is second with 167 and Lindsay Fischer (Sr., Alta Loma, Alta Loma HS) is third with 135. Anderson also leads in blocks with 68, while Van Beek has 35 and Fischer has 31. Emily Kennedy (So., Upland, Upland HS) leads the team with 653 assists and 19 service aces.  Anderson had 16 aces, while Van Beek and Fischer have 13 aces each. Fischer leads the Broncos in digs with 135, while Breezie Jordan (So., Ventura, Buena HS) has 104.

 

 

 

CAL POLY POMONA

Women’s Volleyball

 

CPP Schedule & Results

 

8/29     vs. Florida Southern!                            W 3-1

8/29     vs. Chaminade!                                     L 2-3

8/30     vs. Findlay!                                           W 3-0

8/30     vs. Alaska Fairbanks!                           W 3-0

9/5       vs. Central Washington^                       W 3-0

9/5       vs. St. Martin’s^                                   W 3-0

9/6       vs. Northwest Nazarene^                     L 2-3

9/6       at Western Oregon^                             L 1-3

9/12     vs. Chico State*                                   W 3-1

9/13     vs. UC Davis*                                      W 3-1

9/19     at CS Bakersfield*                               L 1-3

9/20     at CS Stanislaus*                                  W 3-0

9/26     vs. UC San Diego*                               L 1-3

9/27     vs. Grand Canyon*                               W 3-1

10/1     vs. CS San Bernardino*                       7 p.m.

10/3     at Sonoma State*                                 7 p.m.

10/4     at San Francisco State*                        7 p.m.

10/9     vs. Cal State L.A.*                               7 p.m.

10/10   vs. CS Dominguez Hills*                       7 p.m.

10/17   at UC Davis*                                       7 p.m.

10/18   at Chico State*                         7 p.m.

10/24   vs. CS Stanislaus*                                7 p.m.

10/25   vs. CS Bakersfield*                              7 p.m.

10/30   at UC San Diego*                                7 p.m.

10/31   at Grand Canyon*                                7 p.m.

11/5     at CS San Bernardino*             7 p.m.

11/7     vs. San Francisco State*                       7 p.m.

11/8     vs. Sonoma State*                                7 p.m.

11/14   at Cal State L.A.*                                7 p.m.

11/15   at CS Dominguez Hills*                        7 p.m.

*Denotes CCAA Game

!= Cal Poly Pomona Invitational

^= Western Oregon Tournament