HAYWARD, Calif. -- The 2015 volleyball season concludes for Cal State East Bay on Thursday night at 7 p.m. when the Pioneers host California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) newcomer Cal State San Marcos at Pioneer Gymnasium. 

As is tradition on "Senior Night," the match will be preceded by a ceremony to honor the careers of the senior student-athletes competing at home for the final time. This year, the Pioneers have a senior class of one -- libero Angie Maina, who ranks fourth in Pioneer volleyball history with 1,066 career digs.  

Maina's story is one of remarkable improvement over time. She came to East Bay as a freshman from Fontana and was mostly a role player for coach Jim Spagle's squad in the back row during her first two seasons. As a rookie, she averaged 1.84 digs per set in 16 matches. As a sophomore, her playing time nearly doubled, and Maina averaged 1.55 digs per set over 25 matches. 

Her junior year, Maina stepped up as East Bay's most consistent defensive player. She wrestled her way into the starting lineup and ended up playing 85 of the team's 97 sets. That year, Angie more than doubled her career dig total, averaging 4.05 per set, which ranked her first on the team and seventh in the CCAA.

Maina entered her final season in 2015 as the incumbent libero, the lone senior on a squad otherwise laden with underclassmen. She has more than lived up to the challenge, starting every match and leading the team with 101 sets played. Heading into her final contest, Angie leads the CCAA with 551 total digs and ranks second with an average of 5.46 per set. On October 2, the same night teammate Darlene Lee set the program's single-match digs record with 43, Maina also eclipsed the previous mark with a remarkable career-high total of 41 digs. 

The 2015 season has now gone the way the Pioneers had hoped -- the young squad has a record of 5-22 heading into Thursday's finale. However Maina has played at an all-conference level, providing a consistent presence on defense. 

And there is also reason for optimism, as East Bay's young core gained a great deal of experience this seasons. Kiki Leuteneker, Kathy McKiernan, Deja Thompson, and Julie Navarro are all freshman, and have all shined at times for the Pioneers. Leuteneker is one of the top rookies in the league, leading the Pioneers with 2.62 kills per set. 

Both sophomore setters -- Veronica Fabiano and Kylie Fraga -- will return for 2016, and the team is well-equipped to replace Maina with the back row trio of Brandi Brucato, Darlene Lee, and Zoe Smith.

Thursday's match agains the Cougars (6-21, 3-15) is a chance for revenge for the Pioneers, who lost a heartbreaker when the squads met in the southern California earlier this year. East Bay took a 2-0 lead in that match, only to drop the final three sets as San Marcos notched its first CCAA win.