Friday live stats | Saturday live stats

HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay volleyball team will return to the road on Friday, making its second road trip of the CCAA season to take on Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State. The Pioneers (8-3, 4-3 CCAA) will look to close out its first three-match week of the conference campaign with a pair of wins against the Warriors on Friday and the Wildcats on Saturday.

East Bay is coming off its first three-game sweep of the CCAA season on Tuesday, when it topped Cal State Monterey Bay, 25-18, 25-18, 25-14, at Pioneer Gym. The Pioneers will be looking to post their first weekend sweep of the league slate after opening the conference season with three straight splits. Cal State East Bay enters the weekend in fifth place in the CCAA, just one game behind Chico State. Both Cal State San Bernardino and Sonoma State remain undefeated in conference play.

The Pioneers come into the weekend ranked second in the CCAA and 22nd in Division II in blocking, averaging 2.28 blocks per set. Freshman Samantha Bruno leads the team with 1.12 blocks per set, ranking third in the conference and 28th in the nation. East Bay is also fifth in the conference in digs per set, led by senior libero Leslie Ray's 5.53 digs per set, which leads the league and ranks 14th in Division II.

Cal State East Bay will meet Cal State Stanislaus on Friday at Fitzpatrick Arena at 7 p.m. The Pioneers will then head north to take on the Wildcats at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Acker Gym.

TOP OF THE CHARTS
Junior Kitona Offord leads the Pioneers with 2.58 kills per set and is tops among the starters with a .362 hitting percentage., which also ranks fourth in the CCAA. Offord is also second on the team in blocks per set, averaging 0.80. Newcomer Nicole Boyle and sophomore, Katie Allen are not far behind Offord, averaging 2.52 kills per set each. The pair, along with Leslie Ray, are also setting the tone for the Pioneers in the back row, combining for just 33 reception errors in 706 serve-receive chances, successfully passing over 95 percent of the serves they receive. Ray also leads the conference in digs, averaging 5.59 per set.

FRESH FACES
With 17 newcomers on the Pioneer roster, there was no doubt several of the team leaders would be in their first season in the red and black. Among those fresh faced leaders are Danielle Stewart and Kristin Neary, who have shared setting duties this season, directing the offense and combining for 427 assists so far. Neary is pacing the team with 6.74 assists per set and ranks second on the team in both aces and digs, while Stewart is not far behind, dishing out 4.24 assists per set. Meanwhile Samantha Bruno is the top blocker on the team and ranks third in the conference in blocks, helping the Pioneers average 2.33 blocks per set. The freshman middle blocker is also third on the team and second among starters, hitting at a .284 clip.

ACES WILD
Just halfway into her sophomore campaign, sophomore Katie Allen has already surpassed her team-leading aces total from a year ago. The Modesto native has racked up 23 aces and leads the CCAA, averaging 0.55 aces per set. The outside hitter also ranks 55th in Division II and is on pace to lay down 56 aces this season.

SCOUTING CAL STATE STANISLAUS
The Warriors enter the weekend looking to snap a four-match losing streak that has seen them lose all four in three sets. Cal State Stanislaus is 6-4 overall and 2-4 in conference play and is coming off a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Chico State on Wednesday. Lianne Vicchio's 3.78 kills per set lead the Warriors and rank fifth in the conference, while Melissa Bishop's 0.47 aces per set are second in the CCAA behind Katie Allen. Bishop is also leading Cal State Stanislaus at the net, averaging 0.91 blocks per set, which ranks seventh in the league. In 2010, the Pioneers and Warriors split the season series, with CSUS sweeping the Pioneers in Turlock.

WATCHING THE WILDCATS
Chico State enters the weekend looking to extend a two-game winning streak. The Wildcats (10-3, 5-2) are 6-2 in their last eight matches and have yet to lose at Acker Gym this season. Currently sitting in fourth place in the CCAA, Chico State ranks third in the league in hitting percentage, swinging at a .228 clip for the season. The Wildcats are led by Makenzie Snyder and Jessica Leek, who both average more than three kills per set, while setter Sable Villaescusa's 10.52 assists per set rank second in the CCAA. Last season, the Pioneers posted a season sweep over Chico State which included a five-set victory in Chico. The Wildcats will meet Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday night.