HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team plays its final two road matches of the 2014 season this weekend against a pair of Bay Area foes. The Pioneers visit Sonoma State on Friday night, followed by SF State on Saturday night, with both contests slated for 7 p.m.
WEEKLY RECAPEast Bay won four out of five matches on its recent homestand, improving the team's record at Pioneer Gymnasium to 8-6. They picked up their second straight sweep last weekend with victories over both Cal State L.A. and Dominguez Hills. On Friday, the Pioneers pulled off a thrilling win over CSULA, needing extra points to claim each of the final two sets. The duo of freshmen middle blockers had a big night, as
Micah Hammond hit .455 with seven kills and three blocks, and
Jovan Turner hit .500 with nine kills and a pair of blocks.
The next night, East Bay needed just three sets to hand CSUDH its eighth straight loss. The team hit .289 in the victory, led by senior attackers
Amber Hall (11 kills, eight digs) and
Samantha Bruno (eight kills, three blocks, .538 pct.)
PIONEER POINTSHall has recorded double-digit kills in 19 of the team's 23 matches this season. With two weeks left to play, she leads the team and ranks fifth in the CCAA in scoring with 3.46 kills per set.
Bruno is also in the conference's top-20 overall at 2.69 kills per set. In CSUEB's last match against Sonoma State, she became the program's all-time leader in career blocks (256)
. She also ranks ninth in school history with 695 kills, which leads all active Pioneers.Libero
Angie Maina leads the team in digs for the season (260) after scooping out 38 balls in seven sets last weekend. The junior ranks eighth in the CCAA with 4.32 digs per set in league play.
Ashia Joseph ranks second in the CCAA in service aces (0.40 per set) and seventh in assists (8.45 per set). Joseph has totaled 1,729 assists for her Pioneer career, which ranks seventh
in program history. She needs just 70 more this season to move into sixth place.Current CCAA StandingsCCAA Statistical LeadersSCOUTING SONOMA STATEThe first-place Seawolves are receiving votes in the national top-25 poll after beating both Cal Poly Pomona and UC San Diego on the road last weekend. They lead the league in kills, assists, and service aces per set, and rank second with a .255 hitting percentage. SSU is led by two of the conference's top attackers in reigning CCAA Player of the Year Caylie Seitz (4.53 kills/set, .333 pct.) and senior Kelsey Hull (3.72 kills/set, 3.35 digs/set, .314 pct.). The Pioneers are 3-6 against Sonoma since joining the CCAA in 2010, with the Seawolves picking up a 3-0 victory in Hayward earlier this season.
SCOUTING SF STATEThe Gators have lost three of their last four, defeating UC San Diego last week, but falling at Cal Poly Pomona. They're second in the league in digs per set, and they rank sixth with a .209 hitting percentage. Jaclyn Clark (3.13 kills/set, 2.98 digs/set) is the team's top attacker, and setter Jacquie Brice ranks second in the CCAA in assists (10.70 per set). Cal State East Bay is 4-6 against the Gators since joining the CCAA. This will be the rubber match of the season series, as the teams have split their first two meetings of 2014.
