HAYWARD, Calif. -- The 2016 Cal State East Bay volleyball team is headed south to compete in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament for the first time in program history. The Pioneers have a tough task ahead of them with a first round matchup against No. 14 ranked Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Coyotes' home arena.

East Bay will close out what promises to be an exciting day of volleyball, taking on San Bernardino in the fourth and final match of the first round. For a full tournament schedule, as well as links for live stats and video, visit the CCAA Tournament homepage. 

On Wednesday night, the Pioneers (and the other seven teams in the tournament) will attend the annual CCAA Volleyball Awards Banquet. Fans can watch a Live Stream of the awards ceremony, which is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. 

SEASON IN REVIEW
In many ways, 2016 was a huge step forward for East Bay volleyball, but the process really began last year. Sophomores Kiki Leuteneker, Deja Thompson, Kathy McKiernan, and Julie Navarro were all regulars in the lineup throughout their rookie seasons. They struggled at times, but gained valuable experience that has clearly paid off this Fall. 

Junior Brandi Brucato and senior Darlene Lee returned to anchor the back line, and head coach Jim Spagle supplemented the squad with a few key additions. Junior Cassidy Caton has helped make the team's back row among the best in the league, and senior Taylor Elliott provided valuable depth in the middle. Spagle also brought in sophomore Katie Ireland, who is an outstanding defensive player in addition to being one of the top setters in the CCAA this year offensively (9.67 assists/set).

The result was a team that played with increasing confidence throughout the Fall, rattling off five straight wins at one point. They finished the regular season ranked No. 8 in the nation in digs per set, which led to extra offensive chances and the No. 5 ranking nationally in attack attempts per set. Individually, the Pioneers have six regulars averaging at least two digs per frame, led by three of the top 12 in the CCAA in Brucato (4.98), Ireland (4.32), and Lee (3.47).

East Bay also has two of the top eight scorers in the conference in Leuteneker (3.32 kills/set) Thompson (3.12 kills/set). Thompson actually has more total points than Leuteneker this season (363 to 342), thanks to her 50 total blocks and team-high 27 service aces. Both women have surpassed 300 kills this year, a feat that just one other East Bay player has accomplished since 2012.

PLAYOFF PREVIEW
The Pioneers posted a record of 13-13 overall and 9-9 in CCAA play, finishing at least .500 in the regular season for the first time since 2011. Under the CCAA's new postseason format, East Bay qualified for the playoffs for the first time as members of the conference as the No. 4 seed in the North Division. That matches them up in the bracket with the top seed from the South, Cal State San Bernardino, which has been the lone CCAA team ranked among the nation's top 25 all year. The winner of the three-day tournament will receive the conference's automatic mid to the NCAA West Regionals.

The Coyotes lead the CCAA in attack percentage (.248) and blocks (2.36 per set) and they allow the lowest opponent hitting percentage of the 13 teams (.167). East Bay will need outstanding performances at the net because San Bernardino is dominant up front. They have the second-leading attacker in the league in Lauren Nicholson (4.24 kills/set), three formidable middles in Malika O'Brien (3.11 kills/set, .293 pct.) Hailey Jackson (2.13 kills/set, .287 pct.) and Kaili Scott (1.41, .315 pct.), and one of the CCAA's best setters in Jayann DeHoog (10.76 assists/set).

San Bernardino has won 12 matches in a row entering the postseason. One of those wins came against Cal State East Bay, a four-set match on Nov. 5 at Pioneer Gym. Tonight, the Pioneers will celebrate an outstanding season at the awards banquet. Tomorrow, they'll try to reverse the result from their first meeting with CSUSB and shock the DII volleyball world by upsetting the top seeded Coyotes.