SAN MARCOS, Calif. –  For the second consecutive year,  the Cal State San Marcos volleyball team will open its 2024 season by sharing hosting duties with Point Loma in the PLNU/CSUSM Seaside Invitational. The Cougars host Simon Fraser at 5 p.m. on Thursday and Vanguard at 4 p.m. on Friday before venturing down to Point Loma on Saturday to take on Chadron State at 11 a.m. and Point Loma at 4 p.m. 
 

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 will be donning Cougar Blue for the first time on Thursday 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 2023 CCAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll, the Cougars were picked to finish seventh.

SEASON OPENER VS. SIMON FRASER

• Simon Fraser holds a 2-0 lead in the all-time series against the Cougars. 
• CSUSM fell in four sets (18-25, 25-14, 17-25, 22-25) to the Red Leafs last season at Point Loma. 
• The Cougars first faced Simon Fraser in 2019 at the D2 West Region Showcase at San Bernardino, dropping the match in three sets (18-25, 16-25, 26-28). 
• The Red Leafs finished the 2023 regular season fourth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) standings with an 11-7 conference record and a 16-10 overall record. 
• Senior outside hitters Brooke Dexter and Jocelyn Sherman were both selected to the GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team. 
• SFU was picked fourth in the 2024 GNAC Conference Preseason Poll, receiving two first-place votes. 

FRIDAY VS. THE LIONS

• Vanguard was approved to advance to the second year of its provisional membership in the NCAA Division II this past summer and began its tenure as a member of The PacWest Conference. 
• This will be the eighth match between these two teams with the Lions holding a slight lead in the all-time series at 4-3. 
• The two teams last met in 2014 when the Cougars swept the Lions, 25-23, 27-25, 25-20, in the final match of The Master's College Tournament. Vanguard was ranked No. 19 in the NAIA National Poll at the time. 
• The Lions concluded their final season in NAIA play with a 29-2 record, making it to the NAIA Tournament Quarterfinals. 
• VU won the GSAC Tournament with a five-set victory over Menlo College. 
• Thirteen Lions return from last year's team including NAIA All-American second-teamer Morgan Cole and GSAC Freshman of the Year Kayla Robinson. 
• Vanguard was picked to finish seventh in the 2024 PacWest Preseason Poll.

SATURDAY AGAINST CHADRON STATE

• Saturday's match will be the first meeting between Chadron State and CSUSM. 
• The Eagles finished the 2023 season with a 15-12 overall record and 8-6 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). 
• CSC made the RMAC playoffs in 2023 for the first time since 2003, falling to eventual conference tournament champion Regis in three sets (13-25, 19-25, 18-25). 
• All-RMAC second-teamer Bella Adams returns for her junior year after recording 96 blocks last season. 
• CSC was picked to finish eighth out of 15 teams in the 2024 RMAC Preseason Poll.

  
CO-HOST SHOWDOWN

• Saturday's match will be the 11th meeting between CSUSM and PLNU with the Sea Lions leading the all-time series at 8-2. 
• CSUSM is 1-3 when playing at Point Loma with the Cougars being victorious back in 2016 with a five-set thriller (25-17, 23-25, 25-23, 18-25, 15-11). 
• In 2018, the Cougars recorded their second consecutive five-set victory (19-25, 25-15, 25-18, 18-25, 16-14) over the Sea Lions, but the match occurred in The Sports Center. 
• PLNU concluded its 2023 campaign with a 21-7 record and went 18-2 in PacWest conference play. 
• AVCA All-Americans Abigail Nua and Anna Massari return in addition to six other Sea Lions for the 2024 season. Nua ranked fifth in kills per set (3.31) and Massari ranked eighth in the blocks per set (1.31) in the final NCAA Division II National Statistics. 
• PLNU was picked to finish first in the 2024 PacWest Preseason Poll.

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 208-161 (.564) record as CSUSM's head coach.
• In 19 seasons as a collegiate head volleyball coach, Leonard holds a 300-287 (.511) 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.