HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay women's basketball team heads into 2015-16 coming off one of the best seasons in program history. The Pioneers begin their journey towards a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship this weekend when they host two games as part of the Pioneer Conference Challenge.

Last year's squad won the third-most games in school history and reached 20 victories for the first time as a Division II program. They advanced all the way to the finals of the CCAA Postseason Tournament by upsetting Cal Poly Pomona and Humboldt State before falling to No. 1 seed Cal State Dominguez Hills in the championship.

The expectations are high for a CSUEB team that mixes a strong returning class with welcome additions to the 2015-16 roster. The Pioneers were predicted to finish fourth in the CCAA preseason coaches poll, the highest ranking the team has been awarded since joinng the conference. Head Coach Suzy Barcomb feels the key for the season is how fast the team can get acclimated to each other.

"The sooner we can meld the returners with the new faces in our program and define the roles for everyone, the sooner we can focus on defining our identity," Barcomb said. "Although we have some key pieces returning, new expectations have been set for our program and therefore we need to grow at a much more rapid pace."

The road to melding the 2015-16 squad is already underway with impressive results in three exhibition games. East Bay defeated Bristol University handily, 57-37, at home before hitting the road last weekend to visit two Division I opponents.

Against Fresno State, a team that won 23 games last season and earned a berth in the NIT, the Pioneers kept the score close the entire way in a 65-53 loss. They followed that up with an inspired effort in an 85-78 loss at Sacramento State, a game that saw the Pioneers outscore the Hornets in the first (22-13) and third (29-19) periods. Five players scored in double figures in the preseason finale, and overall the exhibitions were good experience.
 
"I thought our preseason exhibition D1 schedule was a good test for our team and exposed some of our flaws. We had bright spots in both road exhibitions, and the players recognized both the good and the bad in each contest," said Barcomb.

Barcomb enters her sixth season as head coach at East Bay, fresh off winning her 300th career game last season. She was also named CSUEB Coach of the YEar at the annual student-athlete awards banquet, She is assisted by a pair of newcomers: former Cal State San Marcos coach Crystal Harris and former Cal State Fullerton star Toni Thomas. 

Returners from the 2014-15 roster include: Tori Breshers, Remy Puou, Shannon Bland, Laci Effenberger, Bianca Littleton, Marianne Fernandez, and Amani Alexander. There is a great deal of experience in that group, led by the starting front court of Breshers (All-CCAA with 14.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and Puou (8.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg).
 
"Puou and Breshers really found a rhythm late last year," said Barcomb. "We hope that these two can pick-up where they left off last season. It's a good solid one-two punch on the inside. Both can score and rebound well." 

Bland was second on the team with 3.1 assists per game last season and was named Cal State East Bay Female Newcomer of the Year after transferring from Columbia Basin College in Washington before last season. Effenberger is the top returning three-point shooter after knocking down 33 long balls in 2014-15 despite missing nearly half the season while recovering from injury.

Newcomers Madison Craig, Elayshia Woolridge, Morgan Greene, Katrina Bacovcin, and Shonte Trudeau join the roster to bolster the teams talent and depth. Jamie LaVanaway, Bri Guillory, and Ashleigh Anderson are active in 2015-16 after picking up redshirts las year. 

"It is still very early in the year to know how all newcomers will impact our program," Barcomb commented. "Madison has been playing multiple guard positions and has adjusted to the style of basketball we like to play here at East Bay. Katrina is earning some minutes and brings energy and passion to the floor and is a great communicator."

The Pioneer Pack will get ample opportunity to see the 2015-16 team in games that count this weekend as they host the Conference Challenge at Pioneer Gymnasium. CSUEB will take on Western Oregon on Friday, followed by Dominican on Saturday with both tip-offs set for 4 p.m.

The Pioneers also host a Thnaksgiving Shootout on Nov. 27-28, then they open CCAA play on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at Cal State San Bernardino.