SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Making its fourth appearance in the NAIA National Championship, the No. 22 Cal State San Marcos volleyball team will face College of Idaho in the Opening Round on Saturday, Nov. 22 in Caldwell, Idaho.
 
The Schedule
Match 38 - NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Opening Round
Saturday, November 22 – 1 p.m.
No. 22 Cal State San Marcos (27-10) at No. 24 College of Idaho (19-11)
Caldwell, Idaho – J.A. Albertson Activities Center
Live Stats/Video

Tournament Ticket Information
Ticket prices for the NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round are $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for seniors and children ages 5-17. 
 
Opening Round Information
A total of 24 teams will compete at 12 campus sites on Saturday, Nov. 22 in the NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round – with the winners advancing to the NAIA Championship Final Site, in Sioux City, Iowa, Dec. 2-6.
 
Other Opening Round Games
There are 11 other matches being played across the nation on Saturday, Nov. 22. They are: Xavier (La.) at No. 12 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.); Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) at No. 13 Davenport (Mich.); Menlo (Calif.) at No. 14 Eastern Oregon; Point Park (Pa.) at No. 15 Georgetown (Ky.); Union (Ky.) at No. 16 Madonna (Mich.); College of the Ozarks (Mo.) at No. 17 Southern Oregon; Kansas Wesleyan at No. 18 Jamestown (N.D.); Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) at No. 19 Indiana Wesleyan; Evangel (Mo.) at No. 20 Wayland Baptist (Texas); Concordia (Ore.) at No. 21 Vanguard (Calif.); Embry-Riddle (Fla.) at No. 23 Coastal Georgia.
 
Twelve Teams Receive Pass To Final Site
The top-11 teams in the final top-25 poll, along with the host institution, were seeded through to Sioux City – No. 1 Rocky Mountain (Mont.), No. 2 Park (Mo.), No. 3 Concordia (Calif.), No. 4 Biola (Calif.), No. 5 Texas-Brownsville, No. 6 Missouri Baptist, No. 7 Northwestern (Iowa), No. 8 Columbia (Mo.), No. 9 Viterbo (Wis.), No. 10 Midland (Neb.), No. 11 Grand View (Iowa), and host Briar Cliff (Iowa).
 
How We Fared Against The Field
Of the 36 teams that got their ticket punched to the big show, the Cougars have faced eight opponents, going 4-6 – including wins over Southern Oregon, Vanguard, Embry-Riddle (Fla.) and College of Idaho. Note that three of the six losses occurred in the first four matches of the season. The Lady Yotes are 4-8 with wins against tournament teams Midland (Neb.), Eastern Oregon and two wins against Concordia (Ore.).

College of Idaho Preview
All-time series record vs. C of I: 2-0
Last meeting: W, 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-15, 15-12). The Cougars went the distance with the Lady Yotes and came out on top to collect their second five-set victory of the Biola Summer Slam on Aug. 22. Senior Kelli McLin led the Cougar offense with 12 kills while senior Alyssa Hubbard and junior Jordan Banich chipped in 11 kills.
C of I Breakdown: The Lady Yotes are making their sixth Opening Round appearance of the NAIA National Championship. They earned byes to the final site four other times . C of I is hot at home, recording an 116-9 record in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center since October of 2005. Key Players: senior outside hitter Emily Ottinger (3.39 kps); junior middle blocker Kylie Porter (2.92 kps, 83 blocks); junior setter Sierra Porter (10.38 aps, 22 aces). 
 
How We Got Here
The Cougars (27-10) will be making their fourth consecutive NAIA National Championship appearance after winning the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Tournament and receiving the automatic bid. CSUSM swept the Ashford Saints (25-16, 25-19, 25-22) in the tournament final.  Senior Alyssa Foster collected her second A.I.I. Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Joining Foster on the All-Tournament team was senior Alyssa Hubbard along with freshmen Samantha Flores and Kristin Parker.
 
Another Cold Weather Trip
The Cougars will embark on another journey, out of the warmth of the California sun, for the second consecutive week as they travel to Caldwell, Idaho.  The temperatures are expected to be in the 20s with a 100 percent chance of rain on Saturday.  The Cougars are prepared with heavy coats and beanies but lucky for them, volleyball is an indoor sport so as long as the gym stays warm and dry, they are good to go!  

Travel Plans
The Cougars will fly out Thursday from San Diego into Boise before traveling the 30 miles to Caldwell. The team will get a practice in Thursday night and another one on Friday afternoon.  C of I will host a banquet brunch Saturday morning prior to the match.

Four Conference Titles = Four National Championship Trips
As four-time A.I.I. Tournament champions, the Cougars will be making their fourth consecutive Opening Round appearance of the NAIA National Championship.  CSUSM has moved on to the final site once; they beat then No. 22 Vanguard in four-sets in 2012 Opening Round. At the final site, the Cougars went 1-2 inside the Tyson Events Center with their victory coming in a sweep over The Master's College.

Representing California Strong
The Cougars have accumulated a 12-3 record against non-California schools in 2014. CSUSM has faced teams from 10 different states outside of California: Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon (3 schools) and Washington. Note that the Cougars have faced two of these opponents on two different occasions They swept Warner Pacific twice and split with Southern Oregon. 

NAIA Poll
After steadily climbing up the NAIA poll ladder for three consecutive weeks, the Cougars repeated at No. 22 in this week's final NAIA Coaches' Top 25 poll with the postseason poll slated for Dec. 10. The Lady Yotes returned to the top 25 at No. 24 for the first time since the NAIA Preseason Poll was released in August.

Who We Are
CSUSM is an NAIA Division I institution which competes in the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Conference. CSUSM was accepted into NCAA Division II Candidacy Year One and the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) during the summer and is currently going through a three-year transition phase in order to gain full NCAA DII status for the 2017-18 season. The 2014-15 season will be the school's final year in the NAIA.
 
Cougars Dominate A.I.I. Postseason Honors
The CSUSM volleyball team placed six Cougars on the A.I.I. All-Conference teams on top of picking up three major awards. Andrea Leonard collected her fourth Coach of the Year accolade while senior Alyssa Foster was named Player of the Year in addition to earning her third consecutive Setter of the Year honor. Joining Foster on the all-conference first team was Brooke Butler, Jordan Banich, Cheyenne Richards and Kristin Parker. Senior Alyssa Hubbard was named to the second team.