HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team continues its California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) schedule this weekend with its second trip of the young season to Southern California. The Pioneers visit Cal State San Marcos on Friday night, followed by UC San Diego on Saturday, with both contests set for 7 p.m.

Saturday's match will be played in UCSD's Main Gym while the Tritons' usual home, RIMAS Arena, undergoes the final stages of renovation in advance of the program's move to Division I in 2019-20. As such, live video will not be available for the contest against the Pioneers.

WEEKLY RECAP
East Bay competed at home for this first time this season last weekend, and the team maintained its .500 record by splitting a pair of matches. On Friday, they grabbed a 2-0 lead over Cal State LA, but the Golden Eagles rallied all the way back to win in five sets and remain undefeated. 

The next evening, the Pioneers bounced back with a four-set victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills. Kathy McKiernan had her best offensive match of the Fall with 14 kills and a .519 hitting percentage to lead the way, and Deja Thompson and Lindsey Ray added 12 kills each. Setter Katie Ireland, who ranks third in the CCAA averaging 10.82 assists per set, tallied 44 assists and 15 digs against the Toros for her sixth double-double.

RECORD WATCH
Friday was an historic night for Pioneers volleyball despite the tough loss. Within a few minutes of each other, senior Kiki Leuteneker became the third Pioneer ever to record 1,000 kills, and Deja Thompson broke the program record with her 258th career block. Several members of this veteran CSUEB squad are nearing the top of the school all-time leaderboards. Below are the relevant historical rankings with updated numbers heading into this weekend.
 

KILLS
1. Jackie Randolph	2004-08	1,233
2. Jennifer Cioma	1995-97	1,038
3. Kiki Leuteneker	2015--	1,023
4. Kelly Paris	2005-08	923
5. Deja Thompson	2015--	895
BLOCKS
1. Deja Thompson	2015--	263
2. Samantha Bruno	2011-14	257
3. Kathy McKiernan	2015--	248
4. Kitona Offord	2009-14	247
5. Tanya Wolf Degnan	1992-94	220
ASSISTS
1. Annie Shrieve	1998-99	2,645
2. Roxanne Neely	2007-10	2,321
3. Bree Owczarski	2000-01	2,290
4. Katie Ireland	2016--	2,248
5. Kari Van Fleet	2001-02	2,103
HITTING PERCENTAGE
1. Nicole Brandt-Young	2003-04	.358
2. Ivonne Aleman	2001-02	.303
3. Angel Alchora	1996-97	.288
4. Kathy McKiernan	2015--	.282
5. Tanya Wolf Degnan	1992-94	.280

ABOUT SAN MARCOS
A CCAA tournament qualifier from last year, CSUSM has had several common opponents with the Pioneers this season. They went 2-2 in Irvine at the West Region Crossover before defeating UCSD in four sets last week in their CCAA opener. The Cougars are hitting .187 as a team, led offensively by Maddy Newcombe (2.81 kills/set, 2.94 digs/set) and Courtney Hulla (2.52 kills/set, .277 pct).The Pioneers fell to San Marcos on the road in the only meeting between the two teams last season.

ABOUT UCSD
Similar to the Pioneers, the Tritons had an up-and-down non-conference schedule. They went 2-2 at Pod C of the West Region Crossover, then fell at San Marcos in four sets on Saturday. Middle blocker Jessica Rieble has been outstanding, averaging 2.35 kills and 1.17 blocks per set with a .414 hitting percentage. CSUEB beat the Tritons twice in 2017, outlasting them in five sets at RIMAC Arena during the regular season, then sweeping them in straight sets in the first round of the CCAA Tournament.