11/4/2026 10:43 AM | Volleyball
The Golden Bears Have A Chance For Two Massive Wins On The Road
Following a roller coaster of a week that featured two battles against the No. 18 Stanford the California Golden Bears (16-7) will be heading to the Sunshine State to take on both Florida State (13-10) and Miami (11-10).
The road trip comes after Cal upset the Cardinal last Wednesday, sweeping their Bay Area rival for the first time in program history. Although the Bears are sporting a better record than both opponents, both programs have had strong moments. The Seminoles have won three out of their last four, while the Hurricanes have also won three out of their last four and even took a set off of No. 3 Louisville in the loss.
With the Bears coming in as the No. 53 team in the RPI, a couple of road victories would go a long way for their NCAA Tournament hopes.
@ Florida State (13-10, 7-5 ACC)
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Date and Time: Friday, Nov. 6, at 3 p.m. PT
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Location: Tallahassee, FL. | Tully Gymnasium
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Live Stream: ESPN+
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Live Scoring: StatBroadcast
@ Miami (11-10)
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Date and Time: Sunday, Nov. 8, at 10 a.m. PT
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Location: Coral Gables, Calif. | Freeman Indoor Stadium
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Live Stream: ESPN+
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Live Scoring: StatBroadcast
NEW FACES MAKING AN IMPACT
The Golden Bears had a huge offseason, highlighted by the addition of seven new players. Headlined by outside hitter Abby Zimmerman, who ranked as the No. 30 player in the country, and 2025 AVCA All-Region selection and PrepVolleyball 17U First-Team All-American Anna Flores, Jen Malcom has not been shy about utilizing her youngsters. Zimmerman and Flores have each been in the starting lineup every match and haven't shown their youth much, if at all. The duo has combined for 26 double-doubles on the season, while Zimmerman has racked up 295 kills and ranks second in the ACC in aces with 42. As for Flores, her 925 assists lead the ACC.
After not playing in the opening match of the year, Illinois transfer Cari Bohm has made her presence felt since becoming a mainstay in the lineup. She recorded a program-record 13 total blocks in Cal's lone loss to Saint Mary's, tying her with Ellen Orchard (2007 vs. UCLA) for the most in a single match. She also ranks fourth in the ACC in total blocks with 105.
SHERMAN'S JOURNEY FROM THE SAND TO THE COURT
Fifth-year senior Portia Sherman hasn't played indoor volleyball since her high school days at Dos Pueblos, where she was named Channel League MVP and led her program to its first title in 10 years at the time. Although it has been a while since she has played the sport in shoes, she provides a powerful arm and is one of the most decorated beach players in the country. Sherman and her doubles partner, Emma Donley, hold the Cal beach volleyball program records for single-season wins (31) and career wins (59). They also finished this past season as the nation's No. 4 overall pair, according to TruVolley. There may be a bit of a learning curve going from the sand to the court, but Sherman is looking to prove she can do both at the highest level.
BIG SHOES TO FILL
The Cal volleyball program is no stranger to the Arce-Zimmerman family, as the program's star freshman happens to be the daughter of Cal volleyball alumna and Cal Athletics Hall of Famer Lisa Arce Zimmerman. During her playing days, Lisa competed on the professional beach volleyball circuit for years and won a silver medal at the 1997 World Championships. She was also the first alternate for Team USA at the 2000 Olympic Games. During her time at Cal, she earned All-Pac-10 honors twice and ranked second all-time in both digs and kills when her career wrapped up.
Abby has started all three of Cal's matches thus far and is already seemingly living up to her ranking. Her breakout performance came in the team's win over UCSD, in which she racked up 24 kills and five aces.
ALL-TOURNAMENT PERFORMERS
Cal was well represented on the SFA All-Tournament Team, with a tournament-high three players selected. Thomsen was the headliner of the trio, as she was named MVP of the tournament following a two-game stretch in which she totaled 22 kills and 10 blocks, while also adding three aces against SFA. Joining her as members of the All-Tournament Team were senior libero Sophia Johnson and freshman outside hitter Abby Zimmerman.
Johnson racked up 30 digs in the two wins, pulling off some truly spectacular rally-saving plays. As for Zimmerman, she continues to prove why she was a top-30 recruit. She had 22 kills, 18 digs and six blocks across the two games, showcasing her versatility and power. At the Santa Clara Mission Classic, Zimmerman and Agolli were named Players of the Match, respectively.
CHINA'S SUMMER ADVENTURES
The team spent five days sightseeing in Beijing before spending eight days in Shanghai, where they played six games in seven days at the 2026 Spiking the Youth Power Tournament. Senior Ashley Li is from Shanghai, and both of her parents played volleyball there. She moved to the Los Angeles area when she was eight and returned to train with the team during COVID. Her dad helped arrange the trip and served as the tour guide while the team was there. As for the team, they bested the junior national teams of France, Bulgaria, Turkey, China and then played Shanghai University twice, beating them once before falling to them in the finals.
