HAYWARD, Calif. -- The red hot Cal State East Bay volleyball team puts its four-match winning streak on the road this weekend on the road against a pair of Bay Area foes. The Pioneers visit SF State on Friday, followed by defending conference champion Sonoma State on Saturday.

WEEK IN REVIEW
The Pioneers are coming off their best week of the season with home victories over North Division rivals Stanislaus State, Chico State, and Humboldt State. The team has shown marked improvement, both tangibly -- with more consistent attacking led by Kiki Leuteneker and Deja Thompson and outstanding back line defense -- and intangibly, as they have developed a confidence to erase deficits and a refusal to wilt against good teams. 

The program's longest winning streak since 2013 has put them at 10-9 for the season. This is the latest in the year the Pioneers have been over .500 since the 2010 season, which they finished 16-11. 

MAKING HISTORY
Aside from the win streak, the highlight of the week came on Tuesday when Thompson was awarded with the CCAA's Player of the Week honor after racking up 30 kills and seven blocks with a .355 hitting percentage in the two matches last weekend. The sophomore is the first Pioneer to claim the award since Roxanne Neely in 2010. 

CAN YOU DIG IT
Thompson and Leuteneker are both among the top attackers in the conference, and Katie Ireland ranks sixth in the league in assists (9.19 per set), but East Bay's improvement on the defensive side has been a huge key to the team's recent success. That was never more evident than at the end of Wednesday's dramatic win over HSU, which ended with Julie Navarro alone against the Jack's leading scorer, rejecting her attempt with a solo block for the winning point.

Despite playing two five-set matches last week -- which inevitably lowers your set averages -- the Pioneers still rank No. 5 in the nation in digs per set (19.47). They have perhaps the deepest core of strong defensive players in the conference, led by Ireland, Brandi Brucato, and Darlene Lee, with strong contributions from Thompson, Leuteneker, and Cassidy Caton.

PLAYOFF HUNT
The Pioneers picked a perfect year to make a leap forward as a program, as it coincided with the expansion of the CCAA Volleyball tournament to include eight team. CSUEB is looking to advance to the postseason for the first time as members of the CCAA, and to do it they'll need to finish among the top four teams in the North.

Entering this weekend, the Pioneers are tied for third place, just a half-game behind second and with a slight lead over Humboldt and Cal State Monterey Bay. Much can still happen with several inter-division matches left on the schedule. Click here to view the full CCAA standings. 

Tonight, CSUEB goes over the bridge into the city and will look to keep the Gators winless in conference play. The Pioneers defeated SF State in straight sets when the teams met in Hayward.

On Saturday, the Pioneers potentially have a chance to take over second place in the North as they look to split the season series with Sonoma State. The Seawolves have played well lately, winning three of their last four with an impressive road victory at UC San Diego.