HAYWARD, Calif. – Coming off a CCAA-opening weekend split, the Cal State East Bay volleyball team looks to prove itself in the second week of league play against Humboldt State and Sonoma State. The Pioneers (5-1, 1-1 CCAA) will look to close out the four-match homestand on a high note before their first road trip of the conference campaign next week.

Currently in a four-way tie for fifth in the CCAA, East Bay will take teams from both ends of the league standings this weekend, as Humboldt State enters the weekend at the bottom of the CCAA pile and Sonoma State leads the league with three wins in as many league matches. The Pioneers are looking to recover from a shaky start to the campaign, which saw them fall to Cal State LA in five sets to open the CCAA slate before bouncing back with a dominant, 3-0 sweep of Cal State Dominguez Hills last Saturday.

Though any hopes of matching last year's 4-0 start to the conference season have been dashed for Cal State East Bay, the team will have a chance to hand the Seawolves their first loss of the young CCAA campaign. Meanwhile, a hungry Humboldt State squad will be looking to pick up its first league victory. The Jacks and Pioneers are set for a 7 p.m. first serve at Pioneer Gym on Friday, while the Seawolves head to town on Saturday, with that match also set for a 7 p.m. start at Pioneer Gym.

LEADING THE WAY
Though junior Nicole Boyle cooled off a bit last week, she still leads the Pioneers with an average of 2.91 kills per set, while junior middle blocker Kitona Offord's .324 hitting percentage is the best among the starters and ranks 10th in the conference. Senior libero Leslie Ray is making a name for herself in the back row as she paces the team and conference in digs, averaging 5.41 per set, and has just two errors in 143 serve receive attempts for a .986 reception percentage. Meanwhile, Katie Allen is leading the team in service aces with 16 and Samantha Bruno is the top blocker 24 total blocks, followed closely by Offord and Morgan Hirzel with 19 apiece.

ROOFING COMPANY
Just two weeks into the 2011 season, the Pioneers are already taking advantage of their newly added height in the middle as they lead the CCAA in blocking. Cal State East Bay leads the conference in both total blocks with 60 and blocks per set with an average of 2.61. Freshman Samantha Bruno's 1.26 blocks per set lead the team, rank third in the CCAA and are 18th in Division II. The Pioneers' team total also ranks 10th in DII.

ACE IN THE HOLE
With just 23 sets under her belt in 2011, sophomore outside hitter Katie Allen is already five aces away from reaching her season total from 2010. Allen also leads the CCAA in the category, averaging 0.70 aces per set, which also ranks 22nd in Division II. Along with juniors Nicole Boyle and Tatum Bales, who have contributed eight and six aces, respectively, Allen has helped the Pioneers rank third in the conference in aces with an average of 1.87 per set.

JUDGING THE JACKS
Humboldt State enters Friday's match with a 3-4 overall record and 0-3 mark in CCAA play. The Jacks are coming off a sweep at Sonoma State on Wednesday night, when they were held under 15 points in all three sets and hit at a negative percentage for the match. Despite the setback, Humboldt's Oceana Matsubu is leading the conference and second in the nation in kills per set, laying down nearly 4.5 putaways in each set. Cheyann Deprue is pacing the Jacks' attack with a .290 hitting percentage, while Allison Drobash's 1.35 blocks per set and Bailey Kotas' 13 aces rank first and second in the CCAA, respectively. The Pioneers swept the season series with HSU in 2010 with a pair of 3-1 victories.

SCOUTING SONOMA STATE
At 5-2 overall and 3-0 in conference play, the Seawolves sit atop the CCAA standings going into this weekend's matches. Sonoma State is second in the conference in hitting percentage, swinging at a .265 clip so far. Keala Peterson's 3.52 kills per set lead the team and rank fifth in the CCAA, while setter Hayley Ross has run the offense well, ranking fourth in the league with 9.75 assists per set. The Sonoma defense is holding opponents to just a .139 hitting percentage and an average of just over 10 kills per set. The Seawolves will be looking to maintain their perfect conference record when they meet Cal State Monterey Bay (5-0, 2-0) on Friday night before traveling north to Hayward on Saturday. Last season, the Pioneers posted a pair of wins over SSU, including a 3-1 win at Pioneer Gym.