WEEKLY RECAP
The last home match of the season was a memorable one for the Pioneers last Friday. The evening started with the annual "Senior Night" ceremony to honor the six seniors that comprise the most accomplished class of student-athletes the program has ever seen. That was followed by a thrilling match against first-place Cal State Monterey Bay, in which the Pioneers jumped out a 2-0 lead before the Otters rallied back to force a fifth set. East Bay found its mojo big time in that final frame, dominating CSUMB 15-2 to seal the victory.

The win gave CSUEB a 7-1 home record to finish the year, snapped a nine-match winning streak for Monterey Bay, and clinched a CCAA postseason berth for the Pioneers for the third straight season. 

Kiki Leuteneker led the way with 13 kills in that contest, and fellow senior Lindsey Ray notched 11 kills with a career-high 28 digs. Senior setter Katie Ireland recorded her second triple-double of the season with 13 kills, 46 assists, and 10 digs. She's the only player in the CCAA to accomplish that feat. Finally, senior Deja Thompson notched her 300th career block and added nine kills, which puts her just 13 away from becoming the fourth Pioneer ever to reach 1,000 kills. 

POSTSEASON RACE
The victory over CSUMB was crucial in a number of ways. In addition to clinching a playoff spot, it helped East Bay score its first points of the 2018-19 season in the all-sport "Battle of the Bays" competition with the Otters. Even more importantly, it kept the Pioneers alive in the race for the top spot in the CCAA North Division.

After falling to the Pioneers last Friday, the Otters then lost the following night to SF State to drop their conference record to 10-6. That means heading into the final two contests this week, East Bay trails Monterey Bay by just one game in the standings. CSUEB has a tough test ahead of it with two matches on the road, where the team has not been as successful as it has been at Pioneer Gym. But the path is even rockier for the Otters, who visit two of the top teams in the nation in No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino and No. 14 Cal Poly Pomona. 

SCOUTING HUMBOLDT
The Jacks welcome in CSUEB looking to notch their first CCAA victory of the year. They fell 3-1 to Chico State in their most recent contest, tallying their first set victory in 15 matches. Humboldt is hitting .107 as a team, led by outside hitter Lauren Reid (3.04 kills/set).

SCOUTING SONOMA
The Wolves Den has been one of the toughest venues in the CCAA in recent years, but Sonoma is in the midst of a rough stretch, having lost eight straight matches since the Pioneers swept them in Hayward back on Oct. 5. Tate Battistini has been the Seawolves' top attacker, averaging 3.43 kills/set, while middle blocker Adriana Baysinger is having a big year posting 2.36 kills and 0.58 blocks per set with a .360 hitting percentage.