Thursday, Nov. 1 @ Humboldt State (2-20, 0-15 CCAA)
Lumberjack Arena
7 p.m.
Live Stats 

Saturday, Nov. 2 @ Cal Poly Pomona (10-12, 6-9 CCAA)
Kellogg Gym
7 p.m.
Live Stats 

HAYWARD, Calif. – Coming off a home split and an emotional five-set victory last Friday, the Cal State East Bay volleyball team will begin its final stretch of road matches for the 2012 season. The Pioneers (9-13, 4-11 CCAA) will log their most travel miles of the year in the next few days when they head up to Humboldt State to battle the Jacks on Thursday. The team then has a day off to travel south before taking on Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday night.

WEEKEND RECAP

There were extreme highs and extreme lows for the Pioneer last week, as they managed a 1-1 record. East Bay took a 2-0 set lead on Thursday against Cal State LA, only to drop the next three sets for a devastating home loss. In the process, the Pioneers lost leading attacker Suzy Ni Xu to what appeared to be a serious leg injury. Xu was back in the starting lineup the following night, however, and gave the team a huge lift. The Pioneers played well but fell behind 2-0 to Cal State Dominguez Hills. At that point, they took over the match, dominating the final three sets to secure the win.

For the weekend, Xu hit a team-best .444 with 23 kills and four blocks. A number of other Pioneers turned in impressive performances, as well. Nicole Boyle led the team with 24 kills in the two matches and added 38 digs. Nikki Long hit .347 and was third on the Pioneers with 22 kills. Hannah Bell notched 20 kills, 28 digs, and five aces. Samantha Bruno hit .333 with 15 kills and five blocks, while Jade Sanford posted 14 kills and a team-high nine blocks. The Pioneer setters combined to average 11.60 assists per set, with Samantha Siebert totaling 61 assists and Danielle Stewart adding 42.

DIGGING FOR GOLD

Sophomore libero Veronica Sanchez dug out 57 balls in ten sets last week, which brought her team-leading average even higher. Sanchez is racking up 4.98 digs per set in conference matches, which leads CCAA.

MARATHON EXPERTS

Cal State East Bay played two more five-set matches last week, something that's becoming more and more of the norm. The Pioneers have now played eight five-set matches this season, posting a record of 3-5. Curiously, East Bay only reached a fifth set once in their first 10 matches, but seven of their last 12 matches have gone five sets. This trend is reflected in the stats, as the Pioneers currently lead the CCAA in total sets played.

ROAD REVERSAL

With four straight road matches over the next two weeks, the Pioneers will have to take care of business away from Pioneer Gym if they want to crawl up the conference standings. So far this year, East Bay is 2-6 in road matches, which includes just one win over a conference opponent. That lone CCAA victory was an impressive one over Cal Stat San Bernardino on the Pioneers' last road trip. They'll look to rekindle some of the magic from last Friday to try to establish their first road winning streak this season.

SCOUTING THE JACKS

Humboldt State enters the week on a 17-match losing streak, still in search of its first conference victory after losing at UC San Diego and Cal State San Bernardino last week. The Jacks rank last in the CCAA in kills and hitting percentage, but they rank second in service aces. Senior Alexa Rosendale leads the way for Humboldt State. She ranks top-10 in the conference in kills and aces, while averaging 3.23 kills and 3.23 digs per set. Libero Tiffany McCray is also having a solid season, ranking third in the CCAA with 4.42 digs per set. The Pioneers defeated the Jacks at home earlier in the season and boast a 7-0 record against Humboldt State since joining the conference in 2009.

BRONCO BREAKDOWN

Cal Poly Pomona enters the weekend sitting just ahead of the Pioneers in the CCAA standings at 6-9, having lost their last three matches. The Broncos' leading attacker is senior Diana Lake, who averages 3.13 kills and 3.05 digs per set. Freshman Alexa Hasen ranks fourth in the CCAA in hitting percentage at .325, while senior libero Kelly Bonja ranks second in dig average with 4.63. Cal Poly Pomona is one of the better teams in the conference at the net, led by Taylr Kreutziger, who's top-10 in the CCAA in blocking. The Pioneers can expect a hostile environment, as the Broncos lead the conference in home attendance. East Bay won both its matches against Cal Poly Pomona in 2011, but the Broncos defeated the Pioneers in five sets earlier this year.