CCAA
Cougars Begin 2021 Season on the Road
SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos volleyball team begins its 2021 campaign this weekend on the road, traveling to Northern California to take on Fresno Pacific and Dominican.
MATCH 1 | FRESNO PACIFIC
Date
Friday Sept. 3 2021
Time
2 p.m.
Location
Fresno, Calif.
Venue
Special Events Center
Records
CSUSM (0-0)
FPU (0-0)
Live Stats
SideArm Stats
Live Video
Team1Sports
COVID-19 Policy
See the FPU Department of Athletics' COVID-19 policy.
FACEOFF IN FRESNO
Friday's match will be the fourth meeting between CSUSM and FPU with the Cougars holding a 3-0 all-time record.
This will mark the first time these two teams will play in FPU's Special Events Center.
In their first meeting, the Cougars pulled off huge upset by taking down the NAIA top-ranked Sunbirds in four sets in CSUSM's inaugural season (2011).
CSUSM swept FPU when the teams faced each other in the 2017 Cougar Classic in The Sports Center.
The two squads played each once again in 2017 with CSUSM securing a four-set victory in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase hosted by Western Oregon.
Junior outside hitter Corinne Acosta was selected PacWest Preseason Player of the Year after taking the regular-season honor in the shortened 2020 season.
FPU was picked to finish seventh in the PacWest Preseason Poll.
MATCH 2 | DOMINICAN
Date
Saturday Sept. 4 2021
Time
12:30 p.m.
Location
San Rafael, Calif.
Venue
Conlan Center
Records
CSUSM (0-0)
DUC (0-0)
Live Stats
Stretch
Live Video
Stretch
COVID-19 Policy
See the Dominican Department of Athletics' COVID-19 policy.
DEETS ON DOMINICAN
The Cougars and Penguins have only faced each other once in program history.
CSUSM snagged a sweep over Dominican at the 2016 D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase at Cal State East Bay.
Dominican played a shortened season in the spring of 2021, finishing with a 4-3 record.
The Penguins concluded their 2019 campaign with a 3-24 record.
Dominican's lone wins came against Fresno Pacific, Academy of Art and Holy Names.
The Penguins return starting outside hitter Tiffany Wong, who led the team in kills per set (2.37) and was second in digs per set (3.53).
The Penguins were picked to finish last alongside Academy of Art in the PacWest Preseason Poll.
LOOK INSIDE THE COUGARS
The Cougars are anxious to get back on the court after their season was canceled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CSUSM returns five starters from the 2019 season – Grecia Cordero-Barr (L), Kassy Doering (MB), Micah Hébert (OH), Madison Turner (S) and Emily Vander Weide (OH).
Nine will be donning Cougar Blue for the first time on Friday with the combination of last year's and this year's freshman classes.
The 2019 season ended on a high note with the Cougars recording their first-ever CCAA Tournament victory, a five-set thriller over Stanislaus State.
CSUSM's 2019 season came to an end in the next match, falling to eventual NCAA Division II National Champion Cal State San Bernardino.
As a team in the CCAA statistics, CSUSM concluded 2019 ranked third in kills per set (13.08), blocks per set (2.12) and digs per set (15.40).
Grecia Cordero-Barr was the CCAA leader in digs per set (4.70) and was second in total digs (437).
In the 2021 CCAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll, the Cougars were picked to finish third.
THE LEONARD FILE
Head coach Andrea Leonard enters her eleventh 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 176-116 (.603) record as CSUSM's head coach.
In 16 seasons as a collegiate head volleyball coach, Leonard holds a 268-242 (.525) 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 during the 2017 season.