Friday, Sept. 21
@ Cal State LA
(3-6, 1-1 CCAA)
The Eagles Nest
7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 22
@ Cal State Dominguez Hills
(3-6, 1-1 CCAA)
The Torodome
7 p.m.

Hayward, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay volleyball team wraps up its four-match conference-opening road trip this weekend down in southern California. The Pioneers (5-4, 0-2 CCAA) will look to turn the page after two tough road losses last week against bay area foes San Francisco State and Somona State. With the hope of evening up their conference record, the Pioneers will take on Cal State LA on Friday, followed by Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday, with both matches set for 7 p.m.

Senior Nicole Boyle has been the Pioneers' most consistent player so far, leading the way with 3.96 digs per set and ranking second on the team with 2.61 kills per set. Boyle is also hitting .242 for the season, which puts her in the CCAA's top-15. Junior Suzy Ni Xu, Cal State East Bay's other top attacker, had a quiet weekend after two all-tournament selections to open the year. Xu, however, still leads the Pioneers in kills per set (2.97) and total points (111), and she ranks second in blocks (14) and service aces (10). Junior middle blocker Brittany Dominguez has also been solid offensively, racking up 23 kills with just five errors for a team-best .360 attack percentage.

Despite dropping their first two conference matches without winning a set, the Pioneers have still bested their opponents in kills, attack percentage, assists, service aces, blocks, and total points for the season. This is a testament to the team's solid tournament play, but in two CCAA matches, Cal State East Bay has been its own worst enemy. Too many service errors and receiving errors created insurmountable deficits last weekend, so the Pioneers will look to play more fundamentally sound as they head south for two huge matches.

MOVING UP THE RANKS

With seven more blocks over the weekend, sophomore Samantha Bruno improved her team-leading block average to 1.00 blocks per set. This is good for third in the CCAA. (The Pioneers will face off against the two blockers ranked ahead of Bruno this weekend: Cal State Dominguez Hills' Whitney Lee and Cal State LA's Marquis Mora). Junior Hannah Bell also continues to appear on the conference leaderboard, ranking second in aces per set (0.45). Bell also ranks third on the Pioneers in kills per set (2.13), second in digs (94), second in points (88), and second in blocks (14).

BITTEN BY THE INJURY BUG

The Pioneers entered 2012 appearing to be a strong veteran squad, with just one freshman on the roster and six upperclassmen returning from last year's regular rotation. However, a few key injuries have left the Pioneers a bit short-handed, providing opportunities for other players to step up. The biggest loss has been senior middle blocker Kitona Offord, the Pioneers' leading attacker from 2011, who hasn't played in 2012. Senior Morgan Hirzel and junior Katie Allen, two of Cal State East Bay's top offensive players last year, have missed significant time as well. While the Pioneers hope to get healthier as the season progresses, the losses have allowed the team to utilize its depth. Players like Bell, Dominguez, and Jade Sanford have had a chance to play major roles for the Pioneers in the young season.

GAUGING THE GOLDEN EAGLES

Cal State LA also opened up CCAA play on the road last weekend, sweeping Cal State San Bernardino on Friday before dropping Saturday's match to UC San Diego in four sets. The Golden Eagles are led by reigning CCAA Player of the Week Marquis Mora, who posted 24 kills, four aces, nine digs, and 15 blocks in the two matches. The senior middle blocker is hitting a team-best .351 and also leads the squad in kills, blocks, and aces. Other top attackers for the Golden Eagles are Kimberly Silveyra, Iona Lofrano, and Sukhjit Athwal, each of whom average better than two kills per set. Cal State LA's victory over San Bernardino snapped a 44-match home winning streak for the Coyotes. Last year, the Pioneers dropped both of their matches to Cal State LA, and they haven't beaten the Golden Eagles in Los Angeles since joining the conference in 2009.

TARGETING THE TOROS

Cal State Dominguez Hills comes in with a 1-1 record in the CCAA. They began conference play on a SoCal roadtrip of their own last weekend, sweeping UC San Diego on Friday and then losing in three sets to Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday. Junior Elizabeth Krieger is the top attacker for the Toros, leading the team with 2.94 kills per set and 355 total attempts. She also ranks second with 3.17 digs per set. Junior Whitney Lee is the leading blocker in the conference, averaging 1.20 per set. She is also the Toros' second-leading scorer, notching 2.40 kills per set, while hitting a team-best .308. Freshman setter Dana Brown ranks fourth in the CCAA with 9.03 assists per set. Cal State East Bay defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills in both their matches last year, and the Pioneers have won two straight matches in the Torodome.