HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team embarks on its longest road trip of the season this weekend as they visit two squads near the top of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings. The Pioneers drive north on Thursday for a showdown with Humboldt State, and then they return to the Bay Area before flying south to visit No. 14 Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday night.
WEEKLY RECAPThe Pioneers are coming off a tough trip to southern California last weekend in which they suffered a pair of three-set losses. On Friday night, Cal Poly Pomona turned in a strong defensive effort, racking up 44 digs and holding East Bay to just 36 total kills. The Broncos edged out the Pioners by three points in second set and two points in the third set to complete the sweep.
The next night, the Pioneers traveled down to UC San Diego and witnessed the Tritons play their best match of the year on offense. UCSD hit .316 as a team with 50 kills and 53 digs. Although East Bay played an efficient match and got a great perfromance from freshman
Micah Hammond (eight kills, five blocks, .462 pct.), it wasnt enough to overcome the Triton attack.
With the defeats, CSUEB's road record drops to 1-6, and the team has lost six straight matches overall. After this weekend, they'll be back home in the friendly confines of Pioneer Gymnasium for five matches in a row.
PIONEER POINTSCal State East Bay ranks ninth in the conference in hitting percentage (.184) and points per set (14.7). Since the start of CCAA play, they rank sixth as a team with 1.71 blocks per set.
Ashia Joseph ranks eighth in the CCAA in assists (8.08 per set) and sixth in service aces (0.34 per set). She's also second on the Pioneers with 131 digs this season.
Fellow senior
Amber Hall is the eighth-leading scorer in the conference at 3.33 kills per set, and she's third on the Pioneers with 121 digs. Hall recorded double-digit kills in 11 straight matches earleir in the season and led the team with nine kills in each match last weekend.
Samantha Bruno is second on the team with 2.65 kills per set,
Jovan Turner paces the squad in attack percentage (.256), and Hammond had a team-high 36 total blocks. All three of those stats rank in the top-20 in the CCAA individually.
Freshman
Brandi Brucato has been impressive during her rookie season. She has played in 55 of 57 sets this year and currently leads the team in total digs (164) and ranks second in aces (17).
Fellow defensive specialist
Angie Maina had 14 digs last weekend to lead the Pioneers. Through 16 matches, she's averaging 2.48 scoops per set and has already topped her career high for digs in a season with 114.
Current CCAA StandingsCCAA Statistical LeadersHISTORY WATCHBruno is Cal State East Bay's all-time leader in total blocks, and she added to her record with three last weekend, giving her 251 total. The senior
also leads all active Pioneers with 619 career kills, which places her just outside the program's top-10 all-time.After tallying 40 assists last week, Joseph now has 1,498 career assists, which ranks seventh in program history. She needs 301 more this season to move into sixth place.
Senior
Veronica Sanchez recorded 10 digs in last week's matches and now has 1,193 digs in her East Bay career, which ranks second all-time. She's second on the team averaging 2.90 per set this season.
SCOUTING THE JACKSThe Pioneers beat Humboldt State in Hayward back in September, but the Jacks have been red hot lately, winning seven of their last eight in CCAA play. They swept a pair of road matches at Cal State L.A. and Dominguez Hills last weekend. HSU ranks fourth in the conference in hitting percentage (.233) and second in kills, assists, and aces per set. They have four attackers averaging more than two kills per set, led by senior Ashley Owen (3.25 kills/set, .263 pct.). East Bay is 8-1 vs. Humboldt since joining the CCAA in 2010, and the Pioneers have a perfect 4-0 mark in Lumberjack Arena.
SCOUTING THE COYOTESCal State San Bernardino moved up to No. 14 in the national top-25 poll following road victories over Cal State L.A. and Dominguez Hills last week. They're seventh in the nation in attack percentage (.272) and second in blocks per set (2.61), while leading the CCAA in both categories. Outside hitter Alexandra Torline in second in the conference in kills (4.10 per set), and middle blockers Brenna McIntosh (2.39 kills/set, 1.32 blocks/set, .396 pct.) and Tori May (2.79 kills/set, 1.05 blocks/set, .392 pct.) both rank top-15 in the nation in hitting percentage. The Coyotes edged out the Pioneers in five sets when the team met earleir this year in Hayward. East Bay is just 2-6 against CSUSB as members of the CCAA, but one of those wins came last season in San Bernardino.
