HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team has a busy week ahead as the student-athletes prepare to take on a trio of Bay Area rivals. On Wednesday night, the Pioneers conclude their five-match road trip at Cal State Monterey Bay at 7 p.m. This weekend, they return to the Hayward hills to host San Francisco State in the annual "Battle of the Bay" on Friday night. The following evening, CSUEB welcomes in Sonoma State for the annual "Dig for the Cure" match to support breast cancer research.
Wednesday's match in Seaside will have live video available at
otterathletics.com/live. Saturday's home game will also feature a live video broadcast via
pioneerwebtv.com.
WEEKLY RECAPLast weekend, the Pioneers picked up their first road win of the season at Cal State Dominguez Hills. After dropping the first set, they came back to eke out a 25-23 victory in game two. East Bay took control after intermission and won the match after posting a .458 attack percentage in the fourth set. They got strong performances on both sides of the net from
Jovan Turner (11 kills, 5 blocks),
Samantha Bruno (10 kills, 4 blocks), and
Kiani Rayford (9 kills, 2 blocks).
The following night, the Pioneers hung tough with a very talented Cal State L.A. team that hit .404 for the match, but they ultimately fell in three sets to split the weekend.
PIONEER POINTSCal State East Bay ranks sixth in the Caifornia Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a .207 team hitting percentage. They're also third in the league in total service aces (43).
Ashia Joseph ranks seventh in the CCAA in assists (8.36 per set) and fourth in aces (0.41 per set). She's also got a .327 attack percentage and ranks second on the Pioneers with 103 digs.
Fellow senior
Amber Hall is the sixth-leading scorer in the conference at 3.44 kills per set. She had double-digit kills in both matches this past weekend, making that 10 straight matches in which she's reach double figures.
Bruno is second on the team with 2.74 kills per set, and Turner leads the squad in blocks (29) and attack percentage (.282). Fellow freshman
Brandi Brucato paces the Pioneers in digs (3.44 per set), and all four of those numbers are among the top-20 in the CCAA.
Current CCAA StandingsCCAA Statistical LeadersHISTORY WATCHBruno leads all active Pioneers with 583 career kills, which places her just outside the program's top-10 all-time. And after four total blocks last weekend, she's up to 245 career blocks, second-most in school history and just two away from the program record.
On Saturday, Joseph moved into seventh place in program history with 1,396 career assists. She currently trails sixth place by 80.
With 18 scoops over the weekend,
Veronica Sanchez has now recorded 1,177 digs in her East Bay career, which ranks second all-time.
OUTLOOK ON THE OTTERSCal State Monterey Bay has a 2-4 conference record, same at East Bay, after splitting their last two weekends on the road, picking up wins over Stanislaus and Dominguez Hills. The Otters ranks last in the league in kills per set and assists, and they're 10th with a .173 hitting percentge. CSUMB does rank second in the CCAA in service aces. Junior Jessica Malcolm (2.97 kills/set) and senior Julia Ashen (2.50 kills/set) are the team's top attackers. The Pioneers are 3-5 against Monterey Bay since joining the CCAA in 2010, but they've never won in Seaside.
GUAGING THE GATORSSF State has split each of the first three weekends of CCAA play after falling to Cal State East Bay in five sets to close out preseason play at the Route 92 Showdown. The Gators ranks second in the league in scoring, and they're fourth with a .228 attack percentage. SF State has six attackers averaging at least two kills per set, led by Jazmine Williams (2.53 kills/set, .346 pct.), and setter Jacquie Brice is second in the league in assists (10.60 per set). The Pioneers are 4-5 against the Gators since joining the conference with a 4-1 record at home.
SCOUTING THE SEAWOVESSonoma State swept UC San Diego and Cal Poly Pomona at home last weekend, and they currently lead the league in kills and digs per set. The Seawolves have three outstanding outside hitters: Madelyn Densberger (2.62 kills/set, 4.26 digs/set), Kelsey Hull (3.59 kills/set, 3.71 digs/set), and reigning CCAA Player of the Year Caylie Seitz (4.67 kills/set, .312 pct.), who's one of the top-10 scorers in the nation. East Bay is 3-5 against Sonoma as members of the CCAA, but beat them last season in Hayward when the Seawolves were ranked No. 11 in the country.
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