This past season may have been tough for Cal, but Potter finished 7th all time in assists, which makes it clear to say she is one of Cal's legendary setters. And Grote was named to the All-Pac 12 freshman team. So proud of this legend!


https://calbears.com/news/2021/4/7/volleyball-grote-earns-pac-12-all-freshman-team-honors.aspx
In other news, Director of Operations Betsy Sedlak has quit her job, so Cal has to find someone new to take over the position.

Knowlton has not given word about what he is going to do with the coaching staff, but it's hard to know the full story

calbears4ever said:

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Knowlton has not given word about what he is going to do with the coaching staff, but it's hard to know the full story

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Just curious: by posting this, are you suggesting that a change might or should be made? Or was it suggested somewhere that this would happen? Does "It's hard to know the full story" allude to something specific or jut the season in general?

I respect Crosson a lot and think that he is doing a good job overall (I met him when cal played utah during the 2019 season by the way). I was saying that because it's hard to know how Knowlton is feeling about this past season in general and if he will forgive the staff or not due to Cal's poor record this past season (that was arguably due to injuries and the absence of Mirkovic)

Injuries plus absence of Mirkovic, Forte and Anderson.
Limited practice time.
Heavier use of frosh who are learning the college game.

Crosson has been a winner - and knows Cal. The VB coaching has been in a bit of a turmoil and Crosson needs some time to rectify the situation.

The results this year are not acceptable - if understandable - with the available talent - and I'm sure Crosson thinks they are unacceptable.

You are absolutely right. Grote, Pantovic, and Bergmark had big shoes to fill at the beginning of the season, and while they all did well, it was clear that Cal needed them to step up and fill the holes better. Pantovic was thrust into games without any mentorship from Mirkovic, who will be back next season to really mentor her and show her what it takes to compete in the pac 12.

Limited practice hurt the entire team, even the more experienced ones. It was tough to rely heavily on freshies and sophomores against upperclassman heavy teams. Lilomaiava showed up in clutch moments, but was denied a lot by the opposition. I hope she can have a breakout junior season like Huizenga did. Meyer finished strong this season, and if she can keep it up, it will help Cal tremendously. With Mirkovic back, expect Cal to be a dark horse of sorts who can possibly get back to the NCAA's and maybe our first ever natty, who knows. The key is to keep all our superstars healthy and we'll be back to our 2019 selves again

I think the Bears have the hitters and blockers to compete and win - but the best Cal teams had Carli Lloyd at setter - and, yeah, she is one of the all time greats not just at Cal but for the NCAA so comparisons are unfair - and while I know Calbears4ever liked Potter, I was not as big a fan. So, I think the Bears' success next year will really depend on how far Jensen steps it up next year (or someone else).

Jensen has big shoes to fill next season, as Potter is one of Cal's top 10 setters all time (among Lloyd, of course). She will most likely be the starter unless Maeder beats her out for the job

calbears4ever said:

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I respect Crosson a lot and think that he is doing a good job overall (I met him when cal played utah during the 2019 season by the way). I was saying that because it's hard to know how Knowlton is feeling about this past season in general and if he will forgive the staff or not due to Cal's poor record this past season (that was arguably due to injuries and the absence of Mirkovic)

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Thanks. This is the best coaching staff Cal has had since I've been there. They are in a pretty deep hole due to covid. I am assuming Knowlton is not an idiot. So I doubt he is thinking about making a change from Crosson and Jen.

Hopefully not. Crosson was the best hire Knowlton made in his time as AD

As of today, no bears other than our graduating seniors plan to leave the team/are in the portal; will provide updates periodically. Do you think Cal will be bottom dwellers in the Pac-12 again, or are they poised for an ncaa berth? I certainly hope for the latter, yet there are many who say that the bears will always be irrelevant, which I disagree with, especially since they have a decent recruiting class this year
https://calbears.com/news/2021/5/4/volleyball-berkeley-bound.aspx

Additionally, it looks like Cal's D of Ops position is going to be filled by Andrew Fischer