SAN MARCOS, Calif.— The Cal State San Marcos volleyball team will head south Tuesday, August 20 for a pair of matches against San Diego Christian and Trinity Christian to open the 2013 season.
 
The Cougars are likely to be ranked in the NAIA Top-25 when the preseason poll comes out Tuesday, having advanced past the opening round of the NAIA National tournament and within a one-set tiebreaker of moving past pool play into the final bracket play last season. The Cougars were ranked in all 13 polls throughout last season.
 
CSUSM, now competing in it's third season as a program, finished 30-15 overall last year and won its second consecutive Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Conference Title without dropping a set in its four tournament matches.
 
SCHEDULE

Match 1
Tuesday, August 20 – 3:30 p.m.
Cal State San Marcos (0-0) at San Diego Christian (0-0)
El Cajon, Calif. – SDCC Gym
 
Match 2
Tuesday, August 20 – 5:30 p.m.
Cal State San Marcos (0-0) vs. Trinity Christian (0-0)
El Cajon, Calif. – SDCC Gym
 
SEASON PREVIEW
 
The Cougars are a young team with no seniors and 12 new additions, but that doesn't mean they are lacking for talent. CSUSM returns NAIA All-American honorable mentions Taylor DeGraaf and Alyssa Foster, who were also named A.I.I. Player of the Year and A.I.I. Setter of the Year in 2012. For a full season preview, please click here.
 
SMOKIN' ACES

The Cougars have been known as an aggressive offensive team, especially at the opening of points. CSUSM led the NAIA last year in services aces, firing away 326 blasts from behind the line for an average of 2.08 per set. Defensively, the Cougars allowed just 0.87 aces per set. Individually, Taylor DeGraaf led the team with 65 aces in 2012, and ranked 18th in the NAIA.

PLAYING THE FIELD
 
CSUSM is 6-0 lifetime against San Diego Christian, including a 3-0 record in 2012. In all, the Cougars have taken 18 of 20 sets against the Hawks in the past two years. In the last meeting between the teams, Alyssa Foster nearly recorded a rare triple double, tallying 40 assists, nine digs, and seven kills (for a .700 hitting percentage).

CSUSM vs San Diego Christian All-Time History

 
Cal State San Marcos and Trinity Christian (Ill.) have never met. The Trolls finished 32-10 overall in 2012, and finished third in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC).
 
FIRST HOME GAMES
 
Cal State San Marcos will play the first of eight home matches for the raucous Cougar faithful on Monday, September 9 against Hope International. The following day, September 10, CSUSM will host local rival and reigning NAIA National Champion Concordia (Calif.). Both games will take place at 7:00 pm at Escondido High School.