HAYWARD, Calif. -- The 2019 regular season comes to a close this week for the Cal State East Bay water polo team, but not before the Pioneers travel to Seaside to battle rival Cal State Monterey Bay in one of their most important games of the year Friday afternoon. 

The contest will serve as the designated Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) match between the two teams, meaning it has major implications for the seeding at next week's WWPA Championships in Geneva, Ohio. 

CSUMB enters the matchup winless in three WWPA games, while East Bay has a 1-2 record. Both squads fell to No. 14 ranked UC San Diego and both suffered narrow, dramatic losses to Fresno Pacific. The difference comes against Sonoma State, whom the Pioneers beat 7-5 last Saturday, but to whom the Otters lost 11-8 in their designated conference matchup. If the Pioneers can prevail over Monterey Bay to even their record at 2-2, they will be in good position to earn a top-3 WWPA seed. But if they fall Friday, their fate will be very much up in the air. 

There are also two points on the line for the Pioneers and Otters this week in the yearlong, multi-sport "Battle of the Bays" competition between the two schools. The battle is currently deadlocked at 21-21 with just men's golf and women's track yet to be contested. 

The Pioneers head to Seaside coming off an emotional week that started last Friday with the team celebrating "Senior Day" prior to its games against No. 23 CSUN. After falling to the Matadors, East Bay traveled up to Rohnert Park and turned in an outstanding defensive effort to defeat Sonoma State and sweep the season series over the Seawolves. 

Individually Cheyenne Pena was the start of the week, notching her first career hat trick on Senior Day. She was CSUEB's leading scorer for the week after adding an assist and two steals in the win over Sonoma. Payton Bosque, Briana Ruiz, and Maci Taylor led the way with two goals each in that victory.

East Bay took care of business against CSUMB when the teams met earlier in the season, topping the Otters 14-9 in Pioneer Pool back on March 9. Adrien Van Dyke netted four goals in that game, while Auriel Bill and Brooke Hodgkinson both tallied hat tricks. The Pioneers have now won four straight over the Otters during the last two seasons.