2012 Women's Volleyball Prospectus

SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos women's volleyball team will open its 2012 season Wednesday and Thursday in a four-team round-robin tournament hosted by La Sierra. The Cougars, now in their second year as a program, return six starters and 12 letterwinners from a 2011 squad which finished 29-8 overall, won the A.I.I. championship and competed in the NAIA national tournament.

SCHEDULE
La Sierra Tournament
Matches 1 & 2
Wednesday, August 15 – 9:00 a.m.
Cal State San Marcos (0-0) vs. San Diego Christian (0-0)
Wednesday, August 15 – 2:00 p.m.
Cal State San Marcos (0-0) vs. Hope International (0-0)
Riverside, Calif. – La Sierra Gym

La Sierra Tournament
Matches 3 & 4
Thursday, August 16 – 12:30 p.m.
Cal State San Marcos (0-0) vs. Montana Western (0-0)
Thursday, August 16 – 5:30 p.m.
Cal State San Marcos (0-0) vs. La Sierra (0-0)
Riverside, Calif. – La Sierra Gym

OLDER AND WISER
After bursting into the national scene in their debut season, taking down four nationally ranked opponents - including No. 1 Fresno Pacific - the Cougars have their sights set even higher in 2012. Last year, the Cougars faced the obstacle of getting to know each other, as high school teammates Alyssa Foster and Kara Barkdoll (Central Catholic, Ore.) were the only players whom had ever played together. Not only that, but 10 of the 16 players on the roster were freshmen with no college experience.

This year's tight-knit group has a year's experience under the belt and will be extremely comfortable playing together. All but two players have returned to the team that won 20 of its final 23 games down the stretch last season.

KEY RETURNERS
Cal State San Marcos returns the dynamic one-two punch of A.I.I. First Teamers Alyssa Foster and Taylor DeGraaf. As freshmen last year, the duo established themselves as top NAIA players as Foster, a setter who ranked 20th in assists per game, set up DeGraaf on the outside. DeGraaf, who recorded at least 11 kills in all but two matches last year, earned NAIA All-America Honorable Mention and finished fourth in the nation in kills per game.

The Cougar attack will also be led by senior outside hitters Lindsey Mitchell and Lindsey Sappington.  Mitchell, second on the team with 285 kills a year ago, was selected to the A.I.I. All-Tournament Team in 2011, while Sappington recorded a match-high 19 kills in the A.I.I. Championship game against La Sierra.

Outside hitter Brittany Thompson proved to be somewhat of a silent killer in 2011, quietly racking up impressive performances and efficient statistics. Thompson led the Cougars in hitting percentage (.300) and blocks per set (.42), and is likely to break out in a big way as a sophomore.

Sophomore middle hitters Kara Barkdoll (6'1”), Erin Talafus (6'0”), and Kelli McLin (6'0”) will be counted on up front to be a wall for opposing attackers, in addition to their scoring duties. All three proved to be capable defenders and attackers in 2011, and will benefit tremendously from getting significant playing time as freshmen at the college level.

KEY LOSSES
The Cougars lose two players from a season ago in libero Teanna Robinson and outside hitter Jacqui Lewis. Robinson filled in all over the court in 2011, and was tied for fourth on the team with 1.88 digs per set. Lewis, who had 1.55 kills per set as a freshman but was hindered by injuries will remain with the Cougars as a student manager in 2012.

NEWCOMERS
CSUSM added three new faces to the mix in setter Brittany Esposito and outside hitters Jaycee Arthur and Andi Vordermann. Arthur, a product of Ramona High School and junior transfer from nearby Palomar College, ranked among the top-10 in Southern California Community College Volleyball with nearly three kills per set. Vordermann was a standout at Serrano High School with 3.0 kills per game and a .469 hitting percentage as a junior, and was named to the All-Area Team by the Barstow Desert Dispatch before playing at Dana Hills High School her senior year. Esposito was a key starter for Temecula Valley High School before transferring to Murrieta Calvary Chapel for her senior year, where she earned Ambassador League MVP.

ROAD TRIP
CSUSM is on the road for the first four weeks of the season, playing in the La Sierra, Biola, University of Great Falls, and Cal Poly Pomona Tournaments. The Cougars were 19-4 last year on the neutral courts, and 6-2 in away games.

PLAYING THE FIELD
The Cougars are 6-1 lifetime against the four teams they will play at the La Sierra Tournament. They went 3-0 last year against San Diego Christian, winning nine out of10 total sets played. CSUSM won in straight sets in its only meeting against Hope International, and has never played Montana Western.

The key matchup in this tournament for San Marcos will be against La Sierra, who the Cougars are 2-1 against and defeated in the A.I.I. Championship game last year (25-16, 25-18, 22-25, 25-23). Earlier last season, La Sierra stunned CSUSM on the Cougars' home floor in four sets, holding the Cougars to just 14 points in the final set- the second-fewest CSUSM scored in a single stanza all season. Prior to that, CSUSM defeated La Sierra in four sets on the Golden Eagles' home court in Riverside.

TOP OF A.I.I.
The Cougars debuted at No. 1 in Monday, August 13's  Preseason A.I.I. Group Poll. La Sierra, Jamestown (N.D.), Ashford (Iowa), Mayville State and Rochester rounded out slots two through six, respectively.

FIRST HOME GAME
Cal State San Marcos will play the first of eight home matches this season in front of the Cougar faithful Tuesday, September 11 against reigning national runner-up Concordia University (Calif.). The Cougars will look to avenge two previous losses to the Eagles from last season. DeGraaf loved facing Concordia last season, notching game-high kill totals in both contests while combining for 35 kills and .347 hitting percentage.