Tuesday, Oct. 1
7 p.m. vs Cal State Monterey Bay (8-4, 2-2 CCAA)
Pioneer Gym • Hayward, Calif.
Live Stats

HAYWARD, Calif. --- After two consecutive weekend splits at home to open California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play, the Cal State East Bay volleyball team wraps up its nine-match homestand by taking on Cal State Monterey Bay on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Pioneers (6-6, 2-2 CCAA), who are 6-2 at Pioneer Gym this season, begin a four-match road trip on Friday. 

WEEKEND RECAP
East Bay pulled yet another Jekyll-and-Hyde this past weekend, clicking on all cylinders in a win over Cal Poly Pomona, and then struggling in both serve receive and attack efficiency in a loss to Humboldt State. On Friday night, the Pioneers hit .276 and dominated the final three sets, capping it off by making zero attack errors in the fourth game. Amber Hall, Kitona Offord, and Katie Allen all posted 10 kills in the match, and Veronica Sanchez racked up a remarkable 33 digs in four sets. 

The following night, Humboldt State forced East Bay to a .114 attack percentage and 31 errors. They made a late run in the second set, scoring the last five points to take a 2-0 advantage in the match from which CSUEB couldn't recover. Hannah Bell was excellent off the bench with 11 kills and 12 digs. Samantha Bruno and Suzy Ni Xu also notched 11 kills apiece. 

CLIMBING THE RANKS
With 12 matches in the books, East Bay currently leads the CCAA averaging 1.77 aces per set. Individually, Sanchez (0.40 per set), Allen (0.37 per set), and Xu (0.33 per set) all rank in the top-six in that category. 

Although the team ranks last in the confernece in total digs per set, Sanchez has been extremely impressive so far. She currently leads the CCAA and ranks 10th in the nation with a dig average of 5.90. In four conference matches, she's racking up 7.73 scoops per set, more than two full digs more than her closest competitor.

CCAA STANDINGS
The majority of the conference schedule remains, but the Pioneers are currently right in the middle of it, tied with four other teams at 2-2.

Rank	School	CCAA Record	Pct.	Overall Record
1.	#16 Cal State San Bernardino	5-0	1.000	9-4
2.	#13 Sonoma State	3-1	.750	10-2
3.	#12 UC San Diego	3-2	.600	11-2
4.	Chico State	3-2	.600	6-6
5.	Cal State Monterey Bay	2-2	.500	8-4
6.	Humboldt State	2-2	.500	7-4
7.	Cal State L.A.	2-2	.500	7-5
8.	San Francisco State	2-2	.500	7-5
9.	Cal State East Bay	2-2	.500	6-6
10.	Cal Poly Pomona	1-3	.250	3-9
11.	Cal State Stanislaus	1-4	.200	4-9
12.	Cal State Dominguez Hills	0-4	.000	7-5

ABOUT THE OTTERS
After dropping five-set matches to Chico and Stanislaus to start the season, Cal State Monterey Bay swept this past weekend against Cal Poly Pomona and Humboldt State. As a team, they lead the CCAA in assist average and rank second in digs, kills, and hitting percentage. The Otters have three players averaging more than three digs per set. They're led offensively by Jessica Malcolm (3.82 kills/set) and Julia Ashen (5.04 kills/set), who leads the conference and ranks second in the nation in kills. 
 

Photos of Pioneer volleyball are available at KLCfotos.com/CSUEB