Friday, Oct. 5
vs. Cal State Stanislaus
(5-10, 2-5 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym
7 p.m.
Live Stats

Saturday, Oct. 6
vs. Chico State
(10-4, 4-3 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym
7 p.m.

Hayward, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay volleyball team returns home to the friendly confines of Pioneer Gym this weekend, and it will be a welcome homecoming for the road-weary Pioneers. East Bay (6-8, 1-6 CCAA) has a winning record at home, but is 0-5 in road matches since the beginning of conference play. Fortunately, the Pioneers play six of their next eight matches in Hayward. And with crucial matches this weekend against two NorCal foes, head coach Jim Spagle's crew will look to get back in the thick of the CCAA race. The Pioneers host Cal State Stanislaus on Friday and Chico State on Saturday, with both matches set for 7 p.m.

Cal State East Bay is coming off a three-set defeat at Cal State Monterey Bay Tuesday night, a match that the Otters controlled throughout. Still without veteran attackers Kitona Offord, Katie Allen, and Morgan Hirzel due to injuries, the Pioneers struggled to score points. This weekend, they'll try to rekindle some of their mojo from Saturday's win over Humboldt State and improve their play both at the net and behind the service line.

Despite the team's early struggles in conference play, several Pioneers have impressed. Sophomore libero Veronica Sanchez has made a big impact in recent weeks and currently leads the CCAA with 5.24 digs per set. Sophomore middle blocker Samantha Bruno has had somewhat of a breakout year, as well. She's the fourth-leading scorer for the Pioneers, and her season block average of 0.89 is good for seventh in the conference.

The Pioneers have relied on a trio of upperclassmen to handle most of the attacking, and all three have produced consistently thus far. Junior Suzy Ni Xu leads the team in kills per set, total attempts, and attack percentage, and she ranks second in blocks. Senior Nicole Boyle has done it all, ranking fifth in the CCAA in aces. She's also second on the Pioneers in kills per set (2.63), attack attempts (388), and digs per set (3.40). Finally, junior Hannah Bell is the team's third-leading scorer and ranks second in service aces. She and Boyle are the only Pioneers to average better than two kills and two digs per set.

SCOUTING STANISLAUS

The Warriors (5-10, 2-5 CCAA) are coming off a three-set home victory over Chico State that snapped a five-match losing streak. Cal State Stanislaus has struggled offensively, currently sitting 11th in the CCAA in kills per set and 10th in hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter Andrea Fett is the Warriors' leading attacker, and her 3.52 kill average is good for fifth in the conference. Freshman setter Kendall Munoz has had an impressive rookie campaign, ranking seventh in the CCAA with 8.81 assists per set and leading the team in service aces. Senior middle blocker Melissa Bishop has been the conference's sixth-best blocker, averaging 0.92 per set. The Pioneers won both of their matches against Cal State Stanislaus in 2011.

CHECKING IN ON CHICO STATE

The Wildcats (10-4, 4-3 CCAA) currently sit fifth in the conference, but have lost their last three matches, including a sweep at Cal State Stanislaus on Wednesday. As a team, they rank second in the CCAA in dig average, third in kill average, and fourth in dig average. Chico State boasts the conference's leading scorer in junior Alex Shurtz, who averages 4.47 kills per set. Shurtz has already twice been named CCAA Player of the Week. Sophomore middle blocker Lindsay Quigley has also been a force offensively, averaging 2.59 kills per set and ranking second in the CCAA with a .371 attack percentage. Chico also has the top-ranked setter in the conference, as senior Sable Villaescusa leads all players with 10.12 assists per set. Chico State was ranked among the nation's top-25 earlier in the season and will provide a formidable test for the Pioneers. East Bay has won three of its last four matches against the Wildcats, including a 3-1 victory last year in Pioneer Gym.