After rolling through Nevada and New Mexico State last weekend, the Cal volleyball team will face its first real test of the season this weekend.
The Bears (2-0) travel to Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., to take part in Friday’s Bluejay Invitational. They will battle two opponents that made the NCAA tournament in 2012: Creighton (2-0) and Northern Colorado (2-1). But before that action can start, Cal has to play South Florida (3-1) on Friday.
The Bears expect to easily dispatch the Bulls in the first match of the weekend, as South Florida had not made the NCAA tournament since 2002. Though their 3-1 record appears impressive, none of those three wins have come against teams from a major conference.
Following that match, Cal will play Northern Colorado on Saturday at 8 a.m. Pacific. The early start time won’t intimidate the Bears — they practice at 8 a.m. every day.
“We’re a morning team with our practice,” said Cal coach Rich Feller. “So I think we’ll be okay.”
Northern Colorado is a team that also goes by the Bears and wears blue and gold, but the similarities end there. Those Bears are coming off of a gruesome loss to Colorado State, in which the UNC offense hit just .028 on the night.
Based on Cal’s hot start so far, the Bears from the coast should be favored over those from the mountains.
At 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, the marquee match up will begin. Cal will face its first ranked opponent of the season in No. 19 Creighton. Being the first match against a top-25 opponent, this tilt against Creighton is the first opportunity the Bears have to put themselves on the map — and possibly in the top 25. In order to win, they’ll have to pass effectively and minimize some of the mistakes from the previous two matches.
“Passing is going to be key for us,” Feller said. “If we can pass, we can run our offense and then we have a chance to score.”
In addition to passing, the Bears will need big performances out of Adrienne Gehan and Lillian Schonewise to top the Bluejays. Gehan is currently averaging a team-best 4.33 kills per set with an impressive .477 hitting percentage. But those stats are dwarfed by Schonewise’s ridiculous, Pac-12 leading .667 hitting percentage. Schonewise, who redshirted last year, also has yet to have a hitting error through the first two games of the season.
“I’m just really hungry to be out there and play again,” said Schonewise. “We’ve all been working real hard, so it’s exciting to finally watch it pay off.”
For Schonewise, this is more than just a chance to beat a ranked opponent and keep up her impressive play — it’s a return home.
Schonewise is from Nebraska, and her family will be at the game — something that rarely happens when she’s played at Cal. And the entire squad will benefit from Schonewise’s homecoming.
“We are all going as a team to my house for dinner,” Schonewise said, smiling. “It’s exciting. All my family will be there — aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents — who usually don’t get to see me play.”
Contact Riley McAtee at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @riley_mcatee