CBU Volleyball Ready to Serve Up 2021 Season
1/19/2021 1:30:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
RIVERSIDE – With first serve of the 2021 season officially less than a week away, California Baptist University volleyball is antsy to get out and compete.
CBU is set to open the new season, full of just conference matches, with a back-to-back with Utah Valley in the Van Dyne Gym on Jan. 25-26 at 6 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. It will end a 432-day layoff from its last match on Nov. 20, 2019 after the fall 2020 season was postponed to January due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are just really excited and ready. The team did a great job this fall training and going to school and figuring things out in this new school environment. We put in a lot of quality work," Coach Branden Higa said. "Having to go through a fall where we usually have volleyball and then don't, we were chasing a season. We knew we had to wait until spring, and that can be tough but our team handled it really, really well."
This year, CBU will need to replace several key losses, including its libero and one of its primary setters. The Lancers' 17-woman roster is balanced with eight returners and nine newcomers. In fact, balance is a key word for the team this year.
"I think we are really balanced," Coach Branden Higa said. "We have players that can play and players that can score at every position in terms of hitters. We have a great group of setters and liberos, and we have some depth and a lot of balance offensively. That will be a tremendous strength for us."
The Lancers have put together two impressive seasons in NCAA Division I and the WAC, with a 35-27 overall record over that span. CBU went 21-11 overall, qualified for the National Invitational Volleyball Championship, and took fourth in their league with a 9-7 record in 2018.
This CBU team is predominately made up of 11 underclassmen, including seven true freshmen. Senior returners Sydney Marks and Tesa Oaks, along with graduate transfer Calissa Hoye will look to lead the young group, along with impact juniors Cassidy Dennison, Ellie Voss and Hana Okuhara.
After being named to the 2021 WAC All-Preseason Team last week, Marks and sophomore returner Christine Graf are back to anchor the right side. They were the Lancers' top-two offensive threats last season, as they combined for 605 kills last season.
"Syd and Christine will anchor that right side for us," Higa said. "Christine did a great job for us last year, she's improved as a block and an attacker, too."
Oaks, Dennison and Hoye give CBU three experienced options at outside hitter. Oaks is set to return from an injury that held her out of last season. She will look to build on her phenomenal sophomore season where she led CBU in points (464) and kills (408) en route to being name a 2018 All-WAC First Teamer.
Dennison is an all-around threat who averaged 2.06 digs and 1.91 kills a set in 2019, as she played in 29 of 30 matches and made 19 starts. Hoye, a transfer from the University of Iowa, gives the Lancers another strong option on the outside. She averaged 3.81 kills a set (294 total) with seven double-doubles over 77 sets in 2018 as a junior for the Hawkeyes.
"We think both Tesa and Cali are going to have an impact for us," Higa said. "Cass started for us last year and is 100 percent competing for the starting spot. She is a great all-around volleyball player and we look for her to contribute in all categories this year."
CBU will run a 6-2 offense again this year, with junior returner Hana Okuhara and sophomore Valparaiso transfer Leah Pease splitting time at setter after the graduation of Natalie Zimmerer, who was a mainstay at the position the last two seasons.
"Hana returns for us, and I think Leah will fill in for what we lost with Nat," Higa said. "We want to run the 6-2, we have good right sides, we have good setters and we have a core of outside hitters who can play complete rotations and that's what you need in a 6-2."
Voss, Chandler Gorman and freshmen Ashlyn Nevrla and Logan Manley give the Lancers several options at middle blocker, as well. The biggest question mark at this point is the libero position, with sophomore Paige Johnstone and freshmen Jennifer Blessing, Julia Udell and Sara Duran all vying for the position.
"They're definitely competing for it, we have a group of pretty talented defensive players. They can pass, defend and serve and so whatever options we end up going with it's going to be good," Higa said.
It figures to be another difficult conference slate, with two-time defending WAC champion NM State being the overwhelming favorite win its third-straight title. Grand Canyon and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley are the preseason No. 2 and 3 picks, respectively, in the WAC.
CBU has been picked to finish fourth in the 2021 WAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
"I think the conference is looking pretty good, I am bummed we don't have out-of-conference play to show the quality of who we are. We are a really good volleyball conference," said Higa, noting the WAC has been a top-12 league in the nation the last two years. "We have a high-level of volleyball going on, and I think the WAC will be good again. I don't expect there to be any sort of dip."
Of course, the Lancers' aspirations go beyond a top-four finish in 2021, as they will look to win the conference title for the first time in program history.
"There's one goal every year and that doesn't change," Higa said. "We are excited and grateful we get a chance to compete. With so many things going on with this pandemic, just the fact we are at a place that will allow us to compete and support us, our student-athletes and their passion is everything. We are here to compete. We know it will be different because of COVID-19 but we want to compete well. I couldn't be more grateful to CBU and its commitment to us."
CBU is set to open the new season, full of just conference matches, with a back-to-back with Utah Valley in the Van Dyne Gym on Jan. 25-26 at 6 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. It will end a 432-day layoff from its last match on Nov. 20, 2019 after the fall 2020 season was postponed to January due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are just really excited and ready. The team did a great job this fall training and going to school and figuring things out in this new school environment. We put in a lot of quality work," Coach Branden Higa said. "Having to go through a fall where we usually have volleyball and then don't, we were chasing a season. We knew we had to wait until spring, and that can be tough but our team handled it really, really well."
This year, CBU will need to replace several key losses, including its libero and one of its primary setters. The Lancers' 17-woman roster is balanced with eight returners and nine newcomers. In fact, balance is a key word for the team this year.
"I think we are really balanced," Coach Branden Higa said. "We have players that can play and players that can score at every position in terms of hitters. We have a great group of setters and liberos, and we have some depth and a lot of balance offensively. That will be a tremendous strength for us."
The Lancers have put together two impressive seasons in NCAA Division I and the WAC, with a 35-27 overall record over that span. CBU went 21-11 overall, qualified for the National Invitational Volleyball Championship, and took fourth in their league with a 9-7 record in 2018.
This CBU team is predominately made up of 11 underclassmen, including seven true freshmen. Senior returners Sydney Marks and Tesa Oaks, along with graduate transfer Calissa Hoye will look to lead the young group, along with impact juniors Cassidy Dennison, Ellie Voss and Hana Okuhara.
After being named to the 2021 WAC All-Preseason Team last week, Marks and sophomore returner Christine Graf are back to anchor the right side. They were the Lancers' top-two offensive threats last season, as they combined for 605 kills last season.
"Syd and Christine will anchor that right side for us," Higa said. "Christine did a great job for us last year, she's improved as a block and an attacker, too."
Oaks, Dennison and Hoye give CBU three experienced options at outside hitter. Oaks is set to return from an injury that held her out of last season. She will look to build on her phenomenal sophomore season where she led CBU in points (464) and kills (408) en route to being name a 2018 All-WAC First Teamer.
Dennison is an all-around threat who averaged 2.06 digs and 1.91 kills a set in 2019, as she played in 29 of 30 matches and made 19 starts. Hoye, a transfer from the University of Iowa, gives the Lancers another strong option on the outside. She averaged 3.81 kills a set (294 total) with seven double-doubles over 77 sets in 2018 as a junior for the Hawkeyes.
"We think both Tesa and Cali are going to have an impact for us," Higa said. "Cass started for us last year and is 100 percent competing for the starting spot. She is a great all-around volleyball player and we look for her to contribute in all categories this year."
CBU will run a 6-2 offense again this year, with junior returner Hana Okuhara and sophomore Valparaiso transfer Leah Pease splitting time at setter after the graduation of Natalie Zimmerer, who was a mainstay at the position the last two seasons.
"Hana returns for us, and I think Leah will fill in for what we lost with Nat," Higa said. "We want to run the 6-2, we have good right sides, we have good setters and we have a core of outside hitters who can play complete rotations and that's what you need in a 6-2."
Voss, Chandler Gorman and freshmen Ashlyn Nevrla and Logan Manley give the Lancers several options at middle blocker, as well. The biggest question mark at this point is the libero position, with sophomore Paige Johnstone and freshmen Jennifer Blessing, Julia Udell and Sara Duran all vying for the position.
"They're definitely competing for it, we have a group of pretty talented defensive players. They can pass, defend and serve and so whatever options we end up going with it's going to be good," Higa said.
It figures to be another difficult conference slate, with two-time defending WAC champion NM State being the overwhelming favorite win its third-straight title. Grand Canyon and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley are the preseason No. 2 and 3 picks, respectively, in the WAC.
CBU has been picked to finish fourth in the 2021 WAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
"I think the conference is looking pretty good, I am bummed we don't have out-of-conference play to show the quality of who we are. We are a really good volleyball conference," said Higa, noting the WAC has been a top-12 league in the nation the last two years. "We have a high-level of volleyball going on, and I think the WAC will be good again. I don't expect there to be any sort of dip."
Of course, the Lancers' aspirations go beyond a top-four finish in 2021, as they will look to win the conference title for the first time in program history.
"There's one goal every year and that doesn't change," Higa said. "We are excited and grateful we get a chance to compete. With so many things going on with this pandemic, just the fact we are at a place that will allow us to compete and support us, our student-athletes and their passion is everything. We are here to compete. We know it will be different because of COVID-19 but we want to compete well. I couldn't be more grateful to CBU and its commitment to us."
Players Mentioned
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