CSUEB at UC SAN DIEGO (15-5, 9-3 CCAA)

HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team begins its final stretch of road matches this weekend with perhaps its toughest trip of the season. The Pioneers travel south for the final time to take on two of the top teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) South Division in Cal State San Marcos and UC San Diego on Friday and Saturday.

The Pioneers are coming off their first home disappointment of 2017, dropping back-to-back matches to Cal State LA and Cal State Dominguez Hills last weekend at Pioneer Gymnasium. The losses snapped an eight-match home winning streak to start the season. 

The Pioneers are still in strong contention in the North Division, but this weekend presents a tough test, as the Cougars and Tritons rank as perhaps the two best defensive teams in the conference.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

At 13-8 overall with an even 6-6 mark in CCAA matches, East Bay is in third place in the North, just a half game behind Chico State (7-6). With four teams advancing to the CCAA Tournament, even Cal State Monterey Bay at 5-7 sits in decent shape with a two-game lead over SF State for fourth place. The Pioneers would hold any tie-breaker over the Otters thanks to two head-to-head victories. CSUEB lost its first match of the season against Chico State, but the Pioneers do have the advantage of an excellent 6-2 record against North teams, which could benefit them, especially if they can exact revenge against the Wildcats when they meet in the regular season finale on Nov. 11.

Click here to view complete CCAA Standings.

LEADERBOARD WATCH

There were a few bright spots from East Bay's last two contests. Kiki Leuteneker had an extremely efficient weekend on the attack, posting 10 kills without an error for a team-best .435 hitting percentage on Friday, then leading the team with 13 kills and hitting .314 on Saturday. She tallied 23 kills in total, while making just two attack errors. The junior leads the team averaging 2.74 kills per set.

Senior Brandi Brucato racked up 38 digs in the two matches with a strong performance as well. The Pioneer libero improved her season average to 4.23 digs per set, which ranks sixth among all CCAA players.

Sophomore Lindsey Ray has been a valuable addition this season, ranking third on the team in kills (2.31 per set) and second in digs (3.15 per set). Most notably, she leads the conference in service aces, averaging 0.40 per frame. 

Junior Kathy McKiernan was frustrated most of the night against Cal State LA, but she bounced back the following evening with nine kills, four blocks, and a .474 hitting percentage. She continues to rank second in the CCAA in that category at .363 for the season, just one percentage point behind Sonoma State's Morgan Annala. 

Click here to view complete CCAA Statistical Leaders.

SCOUTING SAN MARCOS

The Cougars have been very good in their first season of championship eligibility in Division II. They're in third place in the CCAA South, just one game behind UCSD and Cal State San Bernardino. San Marcos has a win over the Coyotes, as well as victories over Chico State and Sonoma State, and they're 7-3 at home this season. 

The Cougars hit just .161 as a team (compared to East Bay's average of .208), but they're excellent on defense, leading the conference in blocks and ranking second in digs and opponent hitting percentage. Maddy Newcombe (2.39 kills/set, 0.76 blocks/set, .256 pct.) has been the team's best offensive player, while Faith Fortune leads the CCAA in blocks averaging 1.26 per set.

TRACKING THE TRITONS

UC San Diego is tied atop the South Division standings, boasts a 15-5 overall record, and has lost just one match this season at RIMAC Arena. Like San Marcos, UCSD is outstanding on defense. They lead the conference in digs, opponent hitting percentage and opponent service aces, while ranking second in blocks. 

The Pioneers will have to deal with one of the CCAA's top outside hitters in Amanda Colla (3.52 kills/set, 4.15 digs/set). UCSD also has a strong tandem in the middle with Jessica Ribble (2.56 kills/set), who's second in the conference at 1.24 blocks per set, and former Pioneer Micah Hammond (2.46 kills/set), who leads the team with a .336 hitting percentage.