SAN MARCOS, Calif. –  The Cal State San Marcos volleyball team (2-9, 0-4 CCAA) will conclude its four-match road trip this weekend at Sonoma State (5-5, 2-2 CCAA) on Thursday at 7 p.m. and at Cal Poly Humboldt (6-6, 2-2 CCAA) on Saturday at 2 p.m. 

LAST WEEK

• CSUSM went 0-2 last weekend on the road in CCAA action. 
• For the second consecutive Friday, the Cougars dropped a five-set (23-25, 225-21, 10-25, 25-23, 10-15) heartbreaker. This time it was at then-No. 17 Cal State LA in the Golden Eagles' home opener. 
• On Saturday, CSUSM fell in three straight sets at Cal State Dominguez Hills by scores of 18-25, 13-25 and 19-25. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• CSUSM ranks fourth in the CCAA in blocks per set (1.93) and digs per set (15.40). 
• Alyssa Gurrola is fourth in the conference with a 1.00 block per set average. 

THURSDAY NIGHT AT SONOMA

• This is only the 10th time CSUSM and Sonoma State have faced each other, all in the NCAA Division II era (2015-present). 
• In 2023 and 2021, the two teams only faced each other once with CSUSM recording wins in both matches in The Sports Center. 
• The Cougars have only played three matches in eight years with one game being canceled due to wildfires in the area. CSUSM is 1-2 at The Wolves' Den. 
• CSUSM fell in three sets in 2022 in Rohnert Park but tallied a 3-1 win over the Seawolves in 2017. 
• The Seawolves opened CCAA play with a three-set loss against then-No. 14 Cal State LA but followed up with back-to-back four-set victories over Cal State Dominguez Hills and Stanislaus State. SSU dropped a five-set match last Saturday to Chico State. 
• The Seawolves are dishing out the second-highest assists per set average (12.35) in the conference. 
• Bryan Slayton's 24 aces this season ranks her first in the CCAA in aces per set (0.65) and 10th in the nation. 
• SSU was picked to finish sixth in the 2024 CCAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll. 

SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN ARCATA

• CSUSM holds an 8-2 record in the all-time series against Humboldt and is 3-1 when playing in Lumberjack Arena.
• The Cougars are on an eight-match win streak against the Lumberjacks, recording a sweep in San Marcos over Humboldt last year. 
• After falling to Cal State Dominguez Hills in their CCAA opener, the Lumberjacks pulled off an upset against then-No. 14 Cal State LA in a five-set thriller two nights later. 
• The Lumberjacks went 1-1 last weekend, falling in three sets at Chico before bouncing back with a four-set victory at Stanislaus State. 
• Humboldt is sixth in the CCAA in aces per set (1.73). 
• Awelina Fakalata is fourth in the conference with a 4.18 kills per set average. 
• Humboldt was selected to finish 10th in the 2024 CCAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll.

LOOK INSIDE THE COUGARS

• The 2024 CSUSM roster consists of eight players competing in their final collegiate season with five being four-year members of the Cougar family – Mya Galvan, Alyssa Gurrola, Kelli Miechowicz, Jackie Phillips and Jessica Thomas. 
• Two new Cougars will only play one season for CSUSM – Danielle McCasland, a graduate transfer from Concordia University Irvine, and Gracie Zaitz. 
• Five others are donning Cougar Blue for the first time with three being true freshmen and two junior college transfers. 
• The Cougars finished their 2023 campaign with a 12-15 overall record, were 10-8 in CCAA play and returned to the CCAA Tournament for the program's fifth appearance. 
• As a team in the CCAA statistics, CSUSM concluded 2023 ranked seventh in blocks per set (1.93) while holding opponents to 1.74, the third lowest in the conference. 
• In the 2024 CCAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll, the Cougars were picked to finish seventh.

THE LEONARD FILE

• Head coach Andrea Leonard enters her 14th 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 210-170 (.553) record as CSUSM's head coach.
• In 20 seasons as a collegiate head volleyball coach, Leonard holds a 302-296 (.505) 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.