HAYWARD, Calif. -- After a brief return home, the Cal State East Bay volleyball team is back on the road this weekend for a single match against cross-Bay rival San Francisco State on Saturday evening at 7 p.m.

This will be the first of two matchups this season between the Pioneers and Gators, who enter the weekend with identical 3-4 records in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play. 

WEEKLY RECAP
Last week, East Bay concluded a season-opening stretch in which the team played 12 out of 14 matches away from Pioneer Gymnasium. After falling in four sets on Friday at Stanislaus State to drop to 5-8 on the season, the Pioneers bounced back in a big way in the following night in one of the toughest arenas in the league. They notched a dominant victory over Chico State, handing the Wildcats a rare straight-set defeat at home. 

The squad finally returned home for a Tuesday midweek match against Stanislaus, the second matchup between the two teams in five days. The Pioneers got their revenge to even the season series, but it wasn't easy. They got off to a poor start and found themselves trailing the match 0-2 before mounting a comeback. It started trailing 18-15 in the third set, when Natahlee Wilson served the Pioneers to eight straight points as they closed the frame on a huge run. They built that momentum over the final two games, rallying all the way back for a thrilling five-set victory.

THE NORTH UNCONQUERED
The Pioneers cut their teeth against top-level competition in non-conference play, showing many instances of impressive highs that suggest the ceiling for this team is championship-caliber. The first few weeks of the CCAA slate lacked consistency for East Bay, but with two straight wins under their belts and a stretch of home matches starting next week, the team may be hitting it stride at just the right time. What's more, the North Division has thus far featured remarkable parity, leaving the door open for any team to snatch the top spot. Take a look at the current standings heading into Friday's contests:
 

SCHOOL	CCAA RECORD
Sonoma State	3-3
Cal State East Bay	3-4
Cal State Monterey Bay	3-4
Chico State	3-4
San Francisco State	3-4
Stanislaus State	3-4
Humboldt State	0-5

HISTORY WATCH
Kathy McKiernan had a huge performance last weekend, averaging 3.00 kills per set with a .367 hitting percentage in the two road matches. She also tallied six blocks, then recorded four more on Tuesday in the win over Stanislaus. With 263 blocks, the senior became the second Pioneer this year (after teammate and current record holder Deja Thompson) to surpass the previous school record for career total blocks. McKiernan also enters Saturday's match with 692 career kills, putting her on the brink of moving in the program's top-10 all-time in that category.

RAY OF LIGHT
Senior Lindsey Ray has taken a big step forward in her second year, currently leading the Pioneers and ranking in the top-10 in the CCAA in kills, service aces, and total points. She paced the team with 15 kills and 17 digs on Tuesday, and ranks third on the team averaging 2.90 digs per set for the season.

LUCK OF THE IRISH
Setter Katie Ireland had a season-high 18 attack attempts in Tuesday's win and registered 10 kills without an error to go along with 41 assists and 15 digs. In doing so, she became the first player in the entire CCAA this season to record a triple-double. The rare feat has been achieved by just 14 players in all of Division II this year. Overall, Ireland ranks fifth in the CCAA in assists per set (10.15), and she's second on the Pioneers in dig average (3.02). 

ABOUT SF STATE
The Gators have very similar results to the Pioneers in CCAA play so far, most recently sweeping Chico State at home on Tuesday evening to snap a three-match losing streak. They're hitting .234 as a team (just ahead of East Bay's .231), led by Drew Morris (3.06 kills/set, 2.85 digs/set), Jessica Haynie (2.96 kills/set, 17 aces), Bailey Johnson (2.22 kills/set, .299 pct, 0.96 blk/set), and Olivia Tabron (2.18 kills/set, .284 pct), 0.88 blk/set). East Bay won both matchups with SF State in 2017, dropping just one set.