SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Volleyball, women's basketball, men's basketball and men's cross country will be competing this week for Cal State San Marcos Athletics.
 
Volleyball will get the week started by traveling to San Bernardino for the CCAA Tournament beginning on Thursday. The fifth-seeded Cougars will face the fourth-seeded Stanislaus State Warriors at 5 p.m. for a shot to advance to the tournament's semifinals on Friday.
 
Women's basketball will travel to No. 6/7 UC San Diego to face the Tritons at RIMAC Arena on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The game will air live on ESPN3. Following their game in La Jolla, CSUSM will host San Francisco State in its Homecoming game on Saturday at 2 p.m. at The Sports Center.
 
Men's basketball will open up CCAA play at No. 5/6 UC San Diego on Thursday. Live coverage from RIMAC Arena will begin at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN3. The Cougars will then welcome San Francisco State for its Homecoming game on Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
Men's cross country will compete for a national championship at the NCAA Division II Championships in Sacramento. The race will begin at 11:15 a.m. at the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course.


VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Nov. 21 – 5 p.m.
No. 5 CSUSM (15-10, 9-7 CCAA) vs. No. 4 Stanislaus State (16-9, 11-7 CCAA)
San Bernardino, Calif. – Coussoulis Arena
Live Stats | Watch Live
CCAA Tournament Central
 
PREVIOUS WEEK

• The Cougars fell in four sets to UC San Diego on Saturday in their regular-season finale.     
• CSUSM's blocks per set average of 2.13 ranks 49th in the NCAA Division II statistics.
• The Cougars wrapped up the regular season as No. 2 in the CCAA in digs per set (15.39) thanks largely to conference leader Grecia Cordero-Barr's 4.62 average.
• Maddy Newcombe made her mark in two CCAA categories; third in service aces per set (.43) and fourth in total blocks (78).

CCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

• The Cougars and Warriors met in San Marcos on Oct. 18 and saw CSUSM take a 3-1 set victory (25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22).
• CSUSM is 4-2 in the all-time series against the Warriors.
• This marks the first time the two teams will meet on a neutral court.
• The winner of Thursday's match will advance to the semifinals of the CCAA tournament on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
• This is the Cougars' third consecutive CCAA Tournament appearance, the most among CSUSM athletic programs who don't get automatic bids.
• In 2018, the Cougars saw their season end after a four-set loss to Cal State East Bay in the first round of the CCAA Tournament last season.

THE LEONARD FILE

• Head coach Andrea Leonard enters her ninth season in charge of the Cougar volleyball team, a program she has built from the ground up since arriving on campus in 2010.
• Leonard has a 175-115 (.603) record as CSUSM's head coach.
• In 16 seasons as a collegiate head volleyball coach, Leonard holds a 267-241 (.526) career record. 
• Leonard was CSUSM's first-ever CCAA Coach of the Year after guiding the Cougars to a third-place finish in the overall standings in the 2017 season.

 
 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Nov. 21 – 5:30 p.m.
CSUSM (3-0, 1-0 CCAA) at No. 6 UC San Diego (3-0, 0-0 CCAA)
La Jolla, Calif. – RIMAC Arena
Live Stats | Watch Live (ESPN3)

Saturday, Nov. 23 – 2 p.m. (Homecoming)
CSUSM vs. San Francisco State (0-3)
San Marcos, Calif. – The Sports Center 
Live Stats | Watch Live
 
PREVIOUS WEEK

• The Cougars tallied two wins last week to remain perfect at 3-0 on the season.  
• CSUSM opened the week with a 73-62 victory at Cal State LA in its CCAA season opener last Tuesday.
• The Cougars recorded a 76-64 win over Point Loma on Thursday in a nonconference matchup.
• Three Cougars are averaging double figures in scoring with Dynnah Buckner leading the way with 17.3 point per game, followed by Emma Forel (15.3 PPG) and Jon'Nae Vermillion (14.0 PPG).
• CSUSM is leading the conference in field-goal percentage (49.4), assists per game (16.00) and defensive rebounds per game (30.7).   
• In the NCAA Division II national statistics, the Cougars are 14th in field goal percentage, 54th in assists and 42nd in defensive rebounds per game. 
• CSUSM is holding its opponents to a conference-low 3-point field-goal percentage of 19.0%, ranking the Cougars 13th in the nation. 
• Three games into the season, Stephanie Custodio is the only player in the CCAA who is perfect at the free-throw line after reaching double digits (10-of-10). 
• Forel and Vermillion are both ranked third in rebounds per game in the CCAA, averaging 8.7. 
• In the latest D2SIDA West Region Poll, the Cougars moved up three spots to No. 5. 

SHOWDOWN AT UC SAN DIEGO

• The Tritons were ranked No. 6 in last week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 Poll while coming in at No. 7 in the D2SIDA Top 25 Poll.
• CSUSM will look to capture its first win over the Tritons in program history as UCSD holds an 8-0 lead in the all-time series.
• UCSD registered a pair of wins at the West Region Crossover Classic at Azusa Pacific last weekend, topping Western Washington (76-68) and Seattle Pacific (79-67).
• The last time these two teams met was in the 2019 CCAA Tournament semifinals with the then-No. 2 nationally-ranked Tritons coming out on top at 70-63.
• The Tritons' 34 turnovers are the second lowest in the CCAA, 33rd lowest in the nation. 
• UCSD ranks first the conference and 33rd in the nation in assist turnover ratio (1.24). 
• The Tritons are leading the CCAA and are 41st in the nation in 3-point field goal per game (8.7). 
• UCSD's Julia Macabuhay is leading the CCAA in scoring (21.3 PPG),  3-point field goal percentage (60.0%) and assists (7.0). 
• Macabuhay's assists per game rank her seventh in NCAA Division II. 
• Humboldt State transfer Tyla Turner is second on the team, averaging 15.7 points per game.
• The Tritons are favored to win their fifth consecutive regular-season conference crown according to the 2019-20 CCAA Women's Basketball Preseason Poll.
• For the second consecutive week, UCSD is ranked second in the D2SIDA West Region Poll.

HOMECOMING GAME VS. SF STATE

• The Cougars hold a 4-2 lead in the all-time series against the Gators and are 2-1 in The Sports Center.
• The Gators are still searching for their first win of the 2019-20 season.
• SF State dropped contests to Alaska Fairbanks (71-66) and No. 16 Alaska Anchorage (110-82) at the D2 West Coast Classic Nov. 9-10 in Anchorage.
• Last Wednesday, the Gators fell 88-71 to Dominican in San Rafael.
• SF State is leading the CCAA in blocked shots per game after averaging 5.33 in their first three games.
• Three Gators are in the CCAA's top 5 in blocked shots with Kalea Pickeral-Dennis ranked third with a 1.7 average. Ashley Hart and Madison Corder are tied for fifth with a 1.3 average. 
• Jolene Armendariz is SF State's leading scorer, averaging 16.7 points per game. 
• Pickeral-Dennis is fifth in the CCAA in rebounding, averaging 8.3 per game. 
• SF State's first six games of the season are on the road.
• Prior to Saturday's game, the Gators will travel to Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday.
• SF State was picked to finish ninth in the CCAA Preseason Poll.  

 
THE JIMENEZ FILE

• Head coach Renee Jimenez enters her fifth season in charge of the Cougar women's basketball team, a program that is only in its eighth season of existence.
• Jimenez has compiled a 174-129 (.574) in her 12 seasons coaching in the CCAA, spending two seasons at Cal State San Bernardino after a five-year stint at Cal State Monterey Bay.

MEN'S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Nov. 21 – 7:30 p.m.
CSUSM (4-1) at No. 5/6 UC San Diego (3-0)
La Jolla, Calif. – RIMAC Arena
Live Stats | Watch Live (ESPN3)
 
Saturday, Nov. 23 – 4 p.m. (Homecoming)
CSUSM vs. San Francisco State (2-2)
San Marcos, Calif. – The Sports Center
Live Stats | Watch Live
 
PREVIOUS WEEK

• The Cougars went 3-0 last week with wins against San Diego Christian (89-57), Academy of Art (68-52) and Alaska Fairbanks (88-75).
• For their efforts at the Otter Invitational, Alex Gil-Fernandez and Khalil Fuller were named to the All-Tournament Team.
• Blake Seits led the Cougars with 14.3 points per game while shooting 63.6% in the Cougars' three victories.
• Head Coach B.J. Foster earned his 50th career win in the Cougars' victory against Academy of Art.
• CSUSM is tied with Cal State East Bay for 10th in the latest release of the D2SIDA West Region Poll.
• CSUSM's scoring margin of 14.0 points ranks second in the CCAA and 42nd nationally.
• The Cougars have the fourth-best scoring defense in the CCAA and 44th best nationally at 65.4 points allowed per game.
• CSUSM has shot 49.8% from the field in the first two weeks of action – third best in the league and 50th best in Division II.
• The Cougars' turnover margin of 4.80 ranks second in the CCAA and 33rd nationally.
• CSUSM's 11.4 steals per game are only second to Cal State LA's 11.5 while the team's 57 total steals rank second nationally.
• The Cougars have forced 20.4 turnovers per game – 14th nationally.
• Fuller has the second-best field-goal percentage in the league and 55th best in the nation at 63.6%.
• Gil-Fernandez comes in at No. 9 in the CCAA with a field-goal percentage of 55%.
• Seits has the third-best percentage from beyond the arc in the CCAA at 54.2% while his percentage ranks 46th nationally.
• Bryce Sloan's 4.6 assists per game rank fourth in the CCAA while his 23 total assists lead the league and rank 27th nationally.
• Jayce McCain's 19 steals lead the nation while his 3.8 per game rank second in the CCAA and fifth nationally.

 
COUGARS HEAD TO LA JOLLA

• CSUSM will head to La Jolla to face UC San Diego on Thursday.
• The Tritons were ranked No. 5 in last week's National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 25 Poll while coming in at No. 6 in the D2SIDA Top 25 Poll.
• In UCSD's lone game last week, the Tritons earned a 33-point victory at Saint Martin's on Monday.
• The Tritons are No. 1 in the latest release of the D2SIDA West Region Poll.
• UCSD has the third-best scoring offense in the CCAA at 86.3 points per game while it also has the third-best scoring defense at 64.7 points per game.
• The Tritons are shooting 49.8% from the field and rank fourth in the conference.
• UCSD is holding its opponents to 39.1% from the field – third best in the CCAA.
• From three, the Tritons have the second-best field-goal percentage in the league at 41.9%.
• UCSD's assist/turnover ratio of 1.94 leads the conference.
• The Tritons are dishing out a league-leading 21.33 assists per game – ninth most in the country.
• UCSD is averaging the third-most three pointers in the nation at 14.7 per game.
• The Tritons' free-throw percentage of 87.1% ranks fourth nationally.
• Chris Hansen is UCSD's leading scorer and rebounder at 19.7 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game.
• CSUSM is 2-5 in the all-time series against UCSD and is 1-3 when playing the Tritons in La Jolla.
• The Cougars' last win at UCSD occurred in Jan. 2017 as CSUSM came up with the 72-67 victory.
• The Tritons are currently on a four-game winning streak against the Cougars.

 
HOMECOMING AGAINST THE GATORS

• The Gators are 2-2 on the season and suffered back-to-back losses against Alaska Anchorage (81-69) and Angelo State (88-68) this past weekend.
• Before heading to San Marcos, SF State will make a stop at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday.
• The Gators' scoring margin of 0.3 ranks next-to-last in the CCAA.
• SF State's scoring offense of 74.5 points per game ranks 10th in the league.
• The Gators' field-goal percentage of 47.1 ranks seventh in the conference.
• SF State's rebounding margin of 1.0 ranks eighth in the CCAA while the team's 22.5 defensive rebounds per game are a league worst.
• The Gators have the worst assist/turnover ratio in the conference at 0.68.
• SF State ranks 12th for assists per game (9.75) and 13th for steals per game (4.75).
• Linton Acliese III is the Gators' leading scorer and rebounder at 18.3 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game.
• CSUSM is 2-5 in the all-time series against SF State and is 1-3 when playing in San Marcos.
• The Cougars' last win against the Gators occurred in Feb. 2018 as they earned an 86-79 victory in San Francisco.
• SF State has won three consecutive games against CSUSM.

THE FOSTER FILE

• Head coach B.J. Foster enters his fourth season in charge of the CSUSM Men's Basketball program after taking over the head position in 2016.
• Under his leadership, the Cougars advanced to the CCAA Tournament for the first time in 2017-18 after finishing the season with a 15-7 conference record and a 20-9 overall record.
• Prior to becoming head coach of the Cougars, Foster was an assistant coach with the team from 2013 to 2016.
• Foster has tallied a career record of 51-39 (.567).

 
 
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Saturday, Nov. 23
NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships
Sacramento – Arcade Creek Cross Country Course
Course Map
Live Results | Watch Live ($)
 
RACE START TIMES
Men's 10K – 11:15 p.m.

THIS WEEK

• The CSUSM men's cross country team will be making program history on Saturday as it competes in the NCAA Division II National Championship for the very first time.
• With a third-place finish at the West Regional, the Cougars were awarded an automatic bid to nationals.
• The top 40 runners in the race will receive NCAA Division II All-American honors.

 
LAST OUTING

• Joshua Litwiller was crowned the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association West Region Athlete of the Year (USTFCCCA) after winning the region with a time of 29:54.3.
• The men's team took third at the NCAA West Regional Championships in Monmouth, Oregon.
• Shea Vavra's 16th-place finish earned him All-West Region honors along with Litwiller.

USTFCCAA RANKINGS

• The men's team remains at No. 15 in the latest USTFCCCA Top-25 national rankings.
• The Cougars made their national ranking debut in week one at No. 18 with their highest ranking at No. 15 in week two and seven.