HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team plays its final two home matches of the season this weekend at Pioneer Gymnasium, as the Pioneers welcome in the first and last place teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) South Division. 

Friday's contest against Cal Poly Pomona is crucial, as East Bay currently holds a three-game lead over Cal State Monterey Bay and Humboldt State for a spot in the CCAA tournament with four matches to play. CSUEB holds its own destiny as the team attempts clinch its first ever trip to the CCAA postseason this weekend.

Saturday's showdown with Cal State San Bernardino, the No. 17 ranked team in the nation, will be preceded by the annual Senior Night ceremony to honor the three 2016 Pioneer seniors prior to their final home match. 

WEEK IN REVIEW
The Pioneers had just one match last weekend, but it was an important one, and they took care of business with a four-set win at home over Cal State Monterey Bay. They had a remarkably efficient night, posting a .301 team attack percentage. Kiki Leuteneker posted 18 kills, Deja Thompson tallied 17, and Cassidy Caton reached double figures with 10. East Bay's defense, which ranks fifth in the country in digs per set, racked up 94 digs led by Brandi Brucato and Darlene Lee with 24 each. 

LEADERBOARD WATCH
Brucato brought her dig average up to 5.01 per set on Saturday, which ranks second in the conference. Katie Ireland is fifth in the league in assists (9.69 per set) and sixth in digs (4.38 per set), which is by far the most scoops of any CCAA setter. Offensively, Leuteneker (3.33 per set) and Thompson (3.07 per set) are both among the top eight in the conference in kills.

BRONCO BREAKDOWN
Cal Poly Pomona has lost three straight since picking up their only CCAA win of the season over Cal State Dominguez Hills, and they rank 11th in the conference with a .182 hitting percentage. The Broncos have three attackers averaging at least two kills per set in Alexandra Gresham (2.84), Andrea Bosnic (2.56), and Deanna Blaine (2.39), while libero Samantha Figueroa leads the league in digs per set (5.11). 

SCOUTING SAN BERNARDINO
The Coyotes have been ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation most of the season, and they enter the weekend on an eight-match winning streak. They're hitting .244 as a team and they lead the CCAA averaging 2.40 blocks per set. Outside hitter Lauren Nicholson is the leading scorer in the conference (4.38 kills/set), middle blocker Malika O'Brien is having a monster year (3.03 kills/set, .299 pct., 0.87 blocks/set) , and setter Jayann DeHoog ranks second in the league in assists (10.68 per set). 

SENIOR CELEBRATION
An East Bay native from Alameda, Taylor Elliott transferred to CSUEB for her senior season after spending last year at San Jose State. She has played in 21 matches and made 19 starts for the Pioneers as a middle blocker. Taylor ranks fifth on the team this season with 85 kills and third with 38 total blocks. She also has the third-highest attack percentage on the squad at .248. 

Darlene Lee has spent the past two seasons with the Pioneers after transferring from El Camino College, and has been a vital piece of the team's back line defense with over 600 career digs. As a junior, she ranked second on the team in digs for the season and set the program record with 43 in a single match. This year, Darlene is 12th in the CCAA with 3.67 digs per set to help lead a Pioneer squad that ranks fifth in the nation in dig average.

Finally, Aimee Kyed came to Hayward as a freshman from Layton, Utah, and has spent four years with the Pioneers. On the court, she has played in 17 career matches and totaled 82 assists at the setter position. Off the court, Aimee is a two-time CCAA All-Academic honoree, and she received the volleyball team's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award as a sophomore.