CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2004

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

 

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

MEDIA NOTES

 

Final 2003 CPP Record: 19-11. Final 2003 CCAA Record: 14-8 (4th place)

Final Pacific Region Ranking: 7

 

Broncos Are Optimistic On Eve Of 2004 Opener: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s volleyball team, coming off two highly successful seasons in a row, will get its 2004 campaign underway later this week in a place far, far from home. The Broncos will play four matches in the Midnight Sun Invitational at Alaska Fairbanks. Cal Poly Pomona will face the host school twice – in its 2004 season opener on Thursday night and again in the tournament finale on Saturday. The Broncos will also face 2003 NCAA Division II playoff qualifier Findlay (Ohio) on Friday and Western State (Colo.) on Saturday afternoon. Following the tourney, the Broncos will return home for a series of five straight home matches. Cal Poly Pomona will face Seattle Pacific on Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 3 p.m. in the Broncos’ 2004 home opener and then host the Holiday Inn Select Diamond Bar/Cal Poly Pomona Invitational beginning on Friday. The Broncos concluded their 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 have 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.

 

Coming Up This Week: The Broncos will open their 2004 season at the Midnight Sun Invitational at Alaska Fairbanks. The Broncos will face the host Nanooks twice. The Broncos beat the Nanooks, 30-25, 30-23, 30-24 in the Cal Poly Pomona Invitational last season and are 6-1 all-time against Alaska Fairbanks. Cal Poly Pomona will also face Findlay (Ohio), whom the Broncos defeated, 30-22, 30-25, 30-24 in the Cal Poly Pomona Invitational last year. Cal Poly Pomona is 1-1 all-time against Findlay. The Broncos will also face Western State on Saturday in the Midnight Sun Invitational. The Broncos and Mountaineers have never met.

 

Where We Left Off: For the second straight season, Cal Poly Pomona ended a regular season with a flourish. Just like the Broncos did in 2002, Cal Poly Pomona finished out the 2003 season with four consecutive victories. When the NCAA Division II playoff pairings were announced, the Broncos were left out of the six-team Pacific Region field. Cal Poly Pomona was rated seventh in the last Pacific Region poll. Allison Anderson (Jr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS) led the Broncos with 442 kills and earned All-America honorable mention. She became the first Cal Poly Pomona player since Ellen Migasi in 1997 to earn All-America recognition. Anderson also was a part of the 10-player All-Pacific Region first team and earned second-team All-California Collegiate Athletic Association honors as well. Lindsay Fischer and Kimberly Van Beek concluded their fantastic Cal Poly Pomona careers by joining Anderson on the All-CCAA second team. The Broncos also got outstanding seasons from setter Emily Kennedy (Jr., Upland, Upland HS), who was 24th in the NCAA Division II in assists per game with 12.46, outside hitter Kellie Francis (Jr., Chino, Don Lugo HS), who had a breakthrough season with 180 kills, Elizabeth Defoort (Jr., Glendora, Citrus College), who had 167 kills and Casey Riedel (So., Saugus, Saugus HS), who had 109 kills. Breezie Jordan (Jr., Ventura, Buena HS) was named the team’s Best Defensive Player and Most Improved Player.

 

Rankings: Cal Poly Pomona did not receive any votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s preseason national Top-25 poll, which was released earlier this month. Two members of the California Collegiate Athletic Assocition (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 State L.A. 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.

 

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 preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association’s national Top-25 poll. Last season, when the Broncos defeated Cal State San Bernardino on Oct. 1, it marked the second time in five days that Cal Poly Pomona hosted the No. 1 team in the country. UC San Diego was also ranked No. 1 on Sept. 26 when the Tritons knocked off the Broncos in four games.

 

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 549-407-10 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 220-148 mark (.598) 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 return several of their top players, although three student-athletes, Lindsay Fischer, Kimberly Van Beek and Rachel Hastert, completed their eligibility in 2003. The Broncos have seven players and four starters returning in 2004. Allison Anderson (Jr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS) led the team in kills 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 American Volleyball Coaches Association 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. After two seasons, Kennedy is already third on the career assist list with 2,646. She should be one of the top setters in the CCAA once again this season. 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 in preseason practices and Jen Bullock (Sr., Anaheim, Eastern New Mexico) is a 5-9 setter with an impressive volleyball background. The Broncos are also expecting big things from Christina Gordon (Jr., Moreno Valley, Riverside CC), who should see time at an outside hitter position. Gordon redshirted last season.

 

The Leaders Of The Stats: Allison Anderson (Jr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS) led the Broncos in kills in 2003 with 442, while Kimberly Van Beek was second with 356 and Lindsay Fischer was third with 315. Anderson also led in blocks with 110, while Van Beek had 83 and Fischer had 62. Emily Kennedy (Jr., Upland, Upland HS) led the team with 1,395 assists and 38 service aces. Fischer led the Broncos in digs with 299, while Breezie Jordan (Jr., Ventura, Buena HS) had 241.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAL POLY POMONA

Women’s Volleyball

 

CPP Schedule

 

8/26     at Alaska Fairbanks!                             8:00 p.m.

8/27     vs. Findlay!                                           6:00 p.m.

8/28     vs. Western State!                                1:00 p.m.

8/28     at Alaska Fairbanks!                             8:00 p.m.

9/1       vs. Seattle Pacific                                  3:00 p.m.

9/3^     vs. Indianapolis^                                   1:30 p.m.

9/3^     vs. Seattle University^               7:30 p.m.

9/4^     vs. Western New Mexico^                   1:30 p.m.

9/4^     vs. Chaminade^                                    7:30 p.m.

9/10     at Cal State L.A.*                                7:00 p.m.

9/11     at CS Bakersfield*                               7:00 p.m.

9/14     vs. University of La Verne                     7:00 p.m.

9/17     at Chico State*                         7:00 p.m.

9/18     at CS Stanislaus*                                  7:00 p.m.

9/24     vs. Sonoma State*                                7:00 p.m.

9/25     vs. CS Monterey Bay*             7:00 p.m.

10/1     vs. CS San Bernardino*                       7:00 p.m.

10/2     vs. UC San Diego*                               7:00 p.m.

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