Friday, Oct. 19
vs. Sonoma State (13-6, 7-4 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym
7 p.m.
Live Stats 

Saturday, Oct. 20 -- “Battle of the Bay”
vs. San Francisco State (13-5, 8-3 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym
7 p.m.
Live Stats

HAYWARD, Calif. – Every team deals with adversity over the course of a season. Sometimes key players get injured; sometimes the ability to execute doesn't translate from the practice court to live matches; sometimes the ball simply doesn't bounce your way. Now at the halfway point in their 2012 CCAA schedule, the Pioneers have faced each of these challenges thus far. However, there are some moments that make us forget about the frustrations and disappointments, and remind why sports can be so much fun. Last Friday night was one of those moments, as the Cal State East Bay volleyball team (7-11, 2-9 CCAA) erased a 2-0 deficit at Cal State San Bernardino and beat the defending conference champions in five sets. It was the first CCAA road victory of the season for the Pioneers.

As a reward, Cal State East Bay gets to host four straight home matches as they attempt to climb back into the CCAA race. The Pioneers will have their work cut out for them, however, with two extremely tough opponents coming to town this weekend. East Bay will take on Sonoma State on Friday and San Francisco State the following night, with both matches set for 7 p.m. at Pioneer Gym. Saturday's match against the Gators will be the annual “Battle of the Bay.”

COYOTE KILLERS?

Since the Pioneers joined the CCAA in 2009, Cal State San Bernardino volleyball has been the class of the conference. With three first-place finishes and a 73-4 conference record in that time, the Coyotes have been next to unbeatable. However, the Pioneers do seem to have San Bernardino's number. After Friday's match, Cal State East Bay is now responsible for two of the four Coyote losses in the past four seasons (with the last one coming in 2010). Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that the Pioneers beat Cal State San Bernardino at their gym. The Coyotes have now posted a record of 69-3 at home in the last five years, but that mystique clearly doesn't faze the Pioneers.

LEADING LIBERO

Sophomore Veronica Sanchez has continued to make strides in her first season as the regular starting libero. She racked up 26 digs in the two matches last weekend to lead the team. Sanchez is now averaging 4.50 digs per set in conference matches, which ranks fourth in the CCAA.

LAST WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

Senior Jade Sanford played two of the best matches of her career on the road trip. She was instrumental in the win over Cal State San Bernardino, hitting .667 with 11 kills and six total blocks. For the weekend, Sanford hit an impressive .519 with 18 kills and seven blocks. Junior Hannah Bell stepped in as one of the focal points of the Pioneer attack last weekend, leading the team with 23 kills and 73 attempts in the two matches. She was also second on the squad with 25 digs. For the season, Bell is one of two Pioneers to average better than 2.0 kills and 2.0 digs per set. Junior Suzy Ni Xu is East Bay's leading scorer, averaging 2.81 kills per set, and she was solid on the road trip, notching 22 kills and hitting .233 from the opposite side.

Sophomore middle blocker Samantha Bruno had a solid weekend, as well. She hit .435 with 12 kills and a team-high eight total blocks. Bruno leads the Pioneers in blocking for the season, averaging 0.84 per set. Junior Samantha Siebert and senior Danielle Stewart have settled into (almost) a 50/50 split with the setting duties. Both played well this weekend, with Siebert totaling 41 assists and Stewart adding 33. Stewart also had an impressive road trip defensively, averaging 2.56 digs per set, good for third on the team. Senior Nicole Boyle struggled offensively last week with only 12 kills, but she's the Pioneers' second leading scorer, putting up 2.36 kills and 3.0 digs per set.

SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES

Sonoma State enters the weekend tied for fourth in the CCAA. They swept their homestand last weekend (winning all six sets) to snap a three-match losing streak. As a team, they lead the conference in kills per set, points per set, hitting percentage, and assists per set. Allyson Sather, the Seawolves' leading attacker, is sixth in the CCAA in 3.30 kills per set. Libero Nicole Gragnola ranks third in the conference in dig average (4.57). Kelsey Hull and Madelyn Densberger both average more than 2.0 kills and 2.0 digs per set. The three top attackers for Sonoma State all rank in the CCAA's top-13 in hitting percentage. Cal State East Bay lost on the road to the Seawolves in three sets earlier in the season, and they have dropped their last three matches against Sonoma State.

GAUGING THE GATORS

San Francisco State heads into the Battle of the Bay tied for second in the CCAA at 8-3 after losing their last match in four sets to Cal Poly Pomona. As a team, the Gators lead the conference in service aces and digs per set and rank second in kill average. Kelly Ostello leads the team with 3.56 kills per set, good for fifth in the conference, as SF State's top attacker. Middle blocker Meagan Wright, meanwhile, ranks seventh with a .312 hitting percentage. Iris Tolenada is the Gators' offensive catalyst. She leads the CCAA, averaging 10.46 assists, while also contributed 2.96 digs per set. Jessica Nicerio has performed as one of the conference's best liberos, ranking second with 4.71 digs per set. San Francisco State defeated the Pioneers in September, but East Bay topped the Gators when the teams last met in Hayward in 2011.