SAN MARCOS, Calif. –  The Cal State San Marcos volleyball team (4-6, 2-0 CCAA) will host Cal State Dominguez Hills (7-1, 2-0 CCAA) at 5 p.m. matchup on Friday before facing No. 23 Cal State LA (4-6, 2-0 CCAA) on Saturday at 3 p.m. 

LAST WEEK

• The Cougars went 2-0 last weekend on the road in their opening weekend of CCAA play.
• CSUSM recorded a four-set victory at Cal State East Bay, defeating the Pioneers 25-21, 18-25, 25-23 and 25-23. 
• The Cougars followed that victory with another four-set win at Cal State Monterey Bay by scores of 25-16, 26-24, 30-32 and 25-23. 
• Hedqvist collected a career-best 23 kills against CSUMB, bypassing her previous record of 19 kills recorded on two occasions – vs. CUI (Aug. 26, 2022) and vs. CSUMB (Oct. 13, 2022).

BY THE NUMBERS

• CSUSM ranks third in the CCAA in team digs with 576.
• With 443 assists, the Cougars moved up to third in the conference.
• Tori Goff is the CCAA leader and ranks 30th in the nation with 22 service aces.
• Goff is dishing out 9.12 assists per set, ranking her fourth in the CCAA. 
• Trinity Barr ranks fourth in the conference in total kills with 133 while Hedqvist ranks sixth with 127. 
• Mia Christensen is fourth in the CCAA with 133 total digs. 

CCAA HOME OPENER VS CSUDH

• This will be the 15th time CSUSM and CSUDH have faced each other, with only one meeting before the NCAA Division II era (2015-present). 
• CSUSM is 9-5 in the all-time series against CSUDH. 
• The Cougars split the season series with the Toros last season with each team winning in four sets on their own court. 
• CSUDH is on a five-match win streak after going undefeated at the Seawolves/Penguins Classic on Sept. 8-9 and opening conference play at 2-0 with wins over Stanislaus State (3-1) and Chico State (3-0). 
• CSUDH is the NCAA Division II leader in blocks per set, averaging 2.83. The Toros have accumulated 93.5 total blocks, ranking them 23rd in the nation. 
• After only playing two matches in 2022, sophomore middle blocker Teagan Irish is the CCAA leader while ranking fourth in the nation in blocks per set (1.48) and total blocks (49). 
• CSUDH was picked to finish 11th in the 2023 CCAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll. 

SATURDAY AGAINST NO. 23 CSULA

• CSULA also went 2-0 in its first weekend of conference play, recording a sweep over Chico State and a four-set win against Stanislaus State. 
• Prior to conference play, the Golden Eagles competed in the Colorado Premier Challenge, defeating then-No. 17 West Florida (3-2) before falling to RV Central Missouri (2-3), then-No. 16 Regis (0-3) and then-No. 23 Lewis (2-3). 
• Five of the six losses that CSULA has suffered this season were against Top 25 nationally-ranked teams. 
• CSUSM is 3-11 in the all-time series against CSULA and 1-5 at home. 
• The Cougars were swept by the Golden Eagles in both meetings last season
• The last CSUSM win over CSULA occurred in 2018 in Los Angeles when the Cougars recorded a four-set victory. 
• CSULA ranks second in the CCAA with 496  kills and 451 assists. 
• Emily Elliott is fourth in the conference in attacks per set (4.88) and points per set (4.38). 
• CSULA was selected as the favorite to repeat as CCAA Champions in the 2023 CCAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll. 

LOOK INSIDE THE COUGARS

• The Cougars return five starters from the 2022 season - Trinity Barr (OH), Sofia Hedqvist (OH), Jessica Thomas (OH), Mia Christensen (DS/L) and Jackie Phillips (DS/L)
• Seven will be donning Cougar Blue for the first time on Friday with four being true freshmen and three junior college transfers. 
• The Cougars finished their 2022 campaign with an 8-17 overall record and were 7-11 in CCAA play – eighth in the CCAA standings. 
• As a team in the CCAA statistics, CSUSM concluded 2022 ranked seventh in blocks per set (1.87). 
• In the 2023 CCAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll, the Cougars were picked to finish ninth.

THE LEONARD FILE

• Head coach Andrea Leonard enters her 13th 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 200-152 (.568) record as CSUSM's head coach.
• In 17 seasons as a collegiate head volleyball coach, Leonard holds a 292-278 (.512) 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.