HAYWARD, Calif. --  With the non-conference schedule complete, the Cal State East Bay volleyball team plays its first home matches of the season this weekend to open the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) slate. Friday's home opener pits the Pioneers against a talented Cal State LA squad. The following evening, CSUEB celebrates "Youth Night" at Pioneer Gym during the team's showdown with Cal State Dominguez Hills. 

Kids get free admission on "Youth Night" as well as Pioneer gear and access to an autograph session with the student-athletes after the match. Please email ali.cerminara@csueastbay.edu if you wish to RSVP a youth team.

This is East Bay's first contest in Hayward since sweeping Chico State on "Senior Night" in last year's regular season finale. That victory put the cap on a year in which the Pioneers were dominant at home, posting a 10-2 record. They followed that up with a run to the semifinals of the CCAA Tournament.

WEEK IN REVIEW
The Pioneers have been on the road for the first two weeks of the 2018 season. They dropped three of four matches in Colorado against extremely strong competition, then enjoyed more satisfying results with a 3-1 record last weekend in Irvine at the D2 West Region Crossover tournament.

CSUEB swept each of its first three matches, winning nine straight sets over Concordia-Irvine, Notre Dame de Namur, and Alaska Anchorage, before Central Washington bested them in four sets in the tournament finale.

Seniors Lindsey Ray (3.23 kills/set, 3.31 digs/set, .264 pct, 8 aces) and Deja Thompson (3.15 kills/set, 1.08 blocks/set, .407 pct) both turned in monster performances to earn spots on the All-Tournament Team. Setter Katie Ireland also had impressive numbers, averaging 12.08 assists and 2.31 digs per game while facilitating an offense that posted a .315 team hitting percentage in the four matches.

Though the first eight matches of 2018 overall, the Pioneers rank in the top 20 in the nation as a team in hitting percentage, assists per set, and kills per set. 

RECORD WATCH
With six seniors in the starting rotation, the Pioneers entered this season with several individuals on the cusp of career records -- a couple of which are already coming to fruition. 

Thompson leads the team with 24 total blocks this season, raising her career total to 256. This put the Rialto native just one block shy of matching Samantha Bruno's program record. 

Kiki Leuteneker is on the brink of becoming the third Pioneer ever to record 1,000 career kills. She's positioned to achieve that feat at home, entering the weekend with 999.

After racking up 328 assists so far this year, which ranks third in the CCAA and 16th in the nation, Ireland is quickly approaching the top of the school record books. She passed assistant coach Ashia Joseph on the all-time list last weekend, and now sits less than 500 away from the record. This weekend she has an opportunity to become the fourth player ever to surpass the 2,200 assist mark.

ABOUT CAL STATE LA
The Golden Eagles reached the CCAA postseason last year, returned a talented group this season, were picked for second place in the South Division in the preseason poll, and have gotten off to a hot start with a perfect non-conference record. Like CSUEB, they have an impressive offensive, led by perhaps the best attacker in the conference in Karla Santos (4.12 kills/set, 3.04 digs/set, .259 pct).

ABOUT CAL STATE DOMINGUEZ HILLS
The Toros were predicted to finish last in the CCAA South during the preseason, but had a solid non-conference performance. They lost to two of the top 10 teams in the nation in Ferris State and Nebraska-Kearney to open the slate, and now head up to the Bay Area on a three-match winning streak. Tati Yandell has been CSUDH's biggest threat so far, averaging 4.12 kills, 3.00 digs, and 0.42 aces per set with a .217 attack percentage.

Cal State East Bay lost to both CSULA and CSUDH last season at home on back-to-back nights, the team's only two defeats of the season at Pioneer Gymnasium.