HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team made it first road trip to Southern California this season for a tough set of conference matches as they look to stay in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) race. The Pioneers visit Cal State Dominguez Hills tonight at 7 p.m., followed by Cal State L.A. on Saturday evening.

WEEK IN REVIEW
The young Pioneer squad showed some positive progress this past weekend, splitting a pair of matches against quality CCAA foes. On Friday night, East Bay was unable to close out sets in a 3-0 loss to two-time defending conference champion Sonoma State. 

The following evening was perhaps the best win of the season for the Pioneers, as the erased visiting Cal State San Marcos in straight sets. It was the first loss in Pioneer Gym for the Cougars, who were in Hayward three weeks ago and posted a 4-0 record at the DII West Region Showcase. East Bay hit .378 in the first set and finished the match at .164, while racking up 49 kills. Kiki Leuteneker led all players with 15 kills in the victory, and setter Katie Ireland continued to impress with 37 assists and 19 digs. 

CAN YOU DIG IT
At the midpoint of the 2016 regular season, Cal State East Bay has been led by an excellent back line defense. They currently rank No. 3 in the nation averaging 20.55 digs per set as a team. Individually, three Pioneers -- Brandi Brucato (5.24 digs/set), Ireland (4.62 per set), and Darlene Lee (3.40 per set) all rank among the top 15 players in the CCAA. CSUEB's strong play in the back has helped them hold opponents to a .164 attack percentage, third-best in the league. 

SOPHOMORE STARS
Leuteneker (3.13 kills/set) and Deja Thompson (3.02 kills/set) have both improved their attacking process in their second seasons with the Pioneers, and both rank among the top 10 kills leaders in the CCAA. 

Ireland, a sophomore transfer, has been a difference-making in stabilizing the setter position in head coach Jim Spagle's offense. She ranks sixth in the conference in assists (9.16 per set), while posting a .321hitting percentage. She is also perhaps the best defensive player the Pioneers have had at setter in eight years in membership in the CCAA, currently ranking fourth in the league in digs.

PLAYOFF PICTURE
With 12 matches remaining in the season, the CCAA postseason will become a big topic of conversation in the coming weeks. For the first time ever this year, the conference tournament will feature eight teams, keeping a much higher percentage of the conference in the hunt late in the season. With four spots available from the North Division, the Pioneers are currently just one game out of fourth place in the standings http://goccaa.org/standings.aspx?standings=84&path=wvball and have crucial divisional games against Stanislaus State and Humboldt State upcoming.

SCOUTING THE TOROS
Cal State Dominguez Hills enters the weekend with the same conference record as the Pioneers at 2-4, coming off a 3-1 loss to No. 19 Cal State San Bernardino and a 3-0 win over Cal Poly Pomona at home last weekend. The Toros are last in the league with a .119 attack percentage and are led offensively by Tati Yandall (3.12 kills/set) and Claire Autry (2.52 kills/set). 

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Cal State L.A. has a talented squad this year and has gotten off to a strong start to conference play with a 5-1 record. They rank third in the league in hitting percentage (.210), second in blocks (2.16 per set) and second in service aces (1.78 per set). The Golden Eagles have four attackers averaging at least two kills per set, led by Division I transfer Alma Serna (4.11 kills/set, .299 pct., 1.26 blocks/set).