HAYWARD, Calif. -- Riding a three-match win streak, the Cal State East Bay volleyball team is set to embark on its longest home stretch of the season, starting with three important contests this week against CCAA North Division foes. 

The Pioneers will host Chico State on Tuesday evening as they look to sweep the season series against the Wildcats. Sonoma State will then come through Hayward on Friday night, followed by Humboldt State on Saturday. The match against the Jacks has an abnormal 5 p.m. start time.

WEEKLY RECAP
CSUEB is coming off perhaps its most impressive week of the season, picking up a pair of crucial CCAA North victories. They erased an 0-2 deficit to defeat Stanislaus State in five sets last Tuesday, a match that was highlighted by a rare triple-double from setter Katie Ireland. She's the first CCAA player to accomplish that feat this season. 

On Saturday, the Pioneers went on the road to SF State and swept past the Gators in straight sets, two of which featured impressive late scoring runs by the visitors. Kiki Leuteneker racked up 14 kills in the win, as CSUEB turned it one of its strongest defensive efforts this Fall.

LEADERBOARD WATCH
Ireland ranks fourth in the CCAA this season averaging 10.15 assists per set, and this week she is poised to become the second player in program history to record 2,500 assists for her career.

Senior Lindsey Ray had a team-high 15 kills in the win over Stanislaus and 10 more at SF State. She continues to rank in the top 10 in the CCAA in both kills (3.18) and points (3.74) per set. 

Fellow senior Cassidy Caton played a huge role in the victory over the Gators, tallying a career-high six service aces. That performance vaulted her into fifth place in the CCAA rankings with an average of 0.41 aces per set.

JAMMED TOGETHER
The North Division of the CCAA is no less tightly-packed than it was this time last week. And while the South features three teams ranked in the nation's top-25, the North crown is up for grabs for just about any squad. It will perhaps look different by next Monday with several intra-division matchups this week, but right now six teams -- Stanislaus (5-4), Monterey Bay (5-4), Sonoma (4-4), East Bay (4-4), Chico (4-5) and SF State (3-5) -- are all within one game of each other in the loss column.

ABOUT CHICO STATE
The Wildcats will come to Hayward looking for revenge after the Pioneers bested them in straight sets just nine days ago in Chico. Since then, Chico State has lost at SF State and at Sonoma State, and they picked up a three-set road win at Humboldt State.

ABOUT SONOMA STATE
The Seawolves have been the class of the North Division the last few years, but have had up-and-down results this season. They played three matches last week, defeating Chico, but losing to Stanislaus and Cal State Monterey Bay. Sonoma is just 1-5 in road contests this year. The Pioneers went 1-1 against the Seawolves in 2017, recording a five-set win at home. 

ABOUT HUMBOLDT STATE
The Jacks are still looking for their first win in conference play, and they have been swept in six straight matches dating back to Sept. 6. Last season, East Bay and Humboldt split their two matchups, with both teams winning at home. 

TALE OF THE TAPE

Team	Hitting %	Opp Hitting %	Kills/Set	Blocks/Set	Aces/Set	Assists/Set	Digs/Set
East Bay	.233	.215	13.07	2.03	1.36	12.10	15.33
Chico	.227	.203	13.03	1.57	1.93	12.03	13.82
Sonoma	.190	.203	13.01	1.47	1.71	12.28	14.72
Humboldt	.121	.220	9.92	2.11	1.61	9.25	15.27