Fall Game Notes - Week 11
Pioneer volleyball closes out its season this weekend on the road at No 6 Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona. (Photo: Ron Allen)
- November 9, 2010
With the fall season officially coming to a close this weekend, the Cal State East Bay winter sports are beginning to get into full swing as Pioneer women's basketball wraps up its preseason with a final tune-up against Holy Names on Wednesday. Pioneer volleyball closes out the 2010 campaign this weekend, looking to complete the season sweep of No. 6 Cal State San Bernardino and avenge an earlier loss to Cal Poly Pomona, while maintaining their second-place standing in the CCAA. Lastly, the Pioneer swimmers head to their first invitational of the season at the Bay Area Invitational at Mills College on Friday and Saturday.
PDF: Fall Game Notes - Week 11
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Holy Names (exhibition)
Wednesday, Nov. 10 • 7:30 p.m.
Tobin Gym • Oakland
Live stats:
Pioneers Set for Final Tune-Up at Holy Names: The Cal State East Bay women’s basketball team will play their last exhibition game of the 2010-11 campaign on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Holy Names in Oakland. The Pioneers will meet the Hawks for their final warm up before hitting the road for the first seven games of the regular season. East Bay is coming off a season-opening exhibition loss at Division I Pacific on Sunday and is in its first season under Head Coach Suzy Barcomb.
Last Time Out: East Bay opened the 2010-11 campaign with an exhibition loss, 67-44, at Pacific on Nov. 7. The Pioneers were led by Claudia Nelson’s 21 points and Marlene MacMillan’s six rebounds in the loss. Though the Tigers ran away with the game in the second half, East Bay hung with Pacific on the boards, finishing just four rebounds behind their Division I opponents. Pacific took advantage of the Pioneers’ mistakes, scoring 35 points off 35 CSUEB turnovers and controlled the paint, scoring 40 points in the front court.
Looking Ahead: Cal State East Bay will take a two-week break from competition following Wednesday’s final tune-up, finally meeting Western Washington in the season opener on Nov. 26 to kick off the Lynda Goodrich Classic in Bellingham, Wash. The Pioneers will also meet St. Martin’s in the tournament on Nov. 27 before opening CCAA play on Dec. 3 at San Francisco State.
Scouting the Hawks: Holy Names is a member of NAIA and has already had a busy early season. The Hawks opened the season with three straight losses, including a 75-47 defeat in an exhibition with Cal State Monterey Bay on Nov. 1. HNU takes on Dominican on Tuesday night before meeting the Pioneers on Wednesday. In their two regular season games, the Hawks have been led by Jaime-Leigh Ronolo’s 12.5 points per game and Sarah Henning’s 10.5 boards per game average.
What’s In Store: The Pioneers return reigning CCAA Freshman of the Year Lauren Lucchesi, along with the conference’s sixth-leading scorer from 2009-10 in guard Claudia Nelson. East Bay also welcomes back five other returners while adding four freshman, including McDonald’s All-America nominee Sarah Finlay out of Reno High School.
2009-10 Rewind: Cal State East Bay finished its first season in the CCAA with just two wins but saw Lauren Lucchesi collect CCAA Freshman of the Year honors and Claudia Nelson lead the league in steals. Lucchesi led the Pioneers with 7.6 boards and 0.9 blocks per game, ranking sixth and eighth in the CCAA, respectively. Meanwhile, Nelson led the team with 14.4 points and 2.2 assists per game, ranking among the top 15 in the CCAA in scoring, assists, steals and minutes played. The Pioneers notched their first win over a CCAA opponent in overtime over Cal State LA before picking up an upset win over eventual CCAA Tournament Champion Humboldt State in the last week of the season. Nelson capped the season with CCAA Player of the Week honors.
Experience on the Sidelines: The Pioneers are just underway in their first season under new Head Coach Suzy Barcomb, who joins the Pioneers after 12 successful seasons at University of Puget Sound. Barcomb is the reigning WBCA Division III West Region Coach of the Year and brings experience transitioning to a more competitive level to the team after helping the Loggers move from NAIA to DIII.
Back On the Hill: Associate Head Coach Holli Howard-Carpenter, a former Pioneer guard and assistant coach at Chico State, joins Barcomb on the sidelines this season. During her tenure at Chico State, Howard-Carpenter helped guide the Wildcats to four CCAA Tournament appearances and three NCAA Tournament berths, including two trips to the Division II Sweet 16. In her second season on the sideline, Chico State captured both the CCAA Tournament and regular season titles. With three years experience in the CCAA with the Wildcats, Howard-Carpenter is set to help build a program that will be among the best in the conference in the coming years.
VOLLEYBALL (19-6, 14-6 CCAA)
No. 6 Cal State San Bernardino
Friday, Nov. 12 • 7 p.m.
Coussolis Arena • San Bernardino
Live stats:
Cal Poly Pomona
Saturday, Nov. 13 • 7 p.m.
Kellogg Gym • Pomona
Live stats:
Cal State East Bay Wraps Up 2010 Campaign with Tough Road Trip: The Cal State East Bay women’s volleyball team will finish out the 2010 season this weekend, traveling to No. 6 Cal State San Bernardino on Friday night before capping the campaign at Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday. The Pioneers (19-6, 14-6 CCAA) will be looking to repeat their earlier five-set win over the Coyotes and avenge a four-set loss to the Broncos in the teams’ first meeting in Hayward. Locked in a tie with UC San Diego for second-place in the conference, East Bay will put its fate in the CCAA standings on the line at 7 p.m. both nights.
Last Week: The Pioneers opened their season-ending four-match roadtrip with a three-set loss to Cal State LA on Nov. 5. The defeat was only East Bay’s second loss in three sets this season and dropped it into a tie with UCSD for second place after spending two weeks alone in the runner up position in the standings. On Saturday, the Pioneers got back on track with a 3-1 victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills. Led by Katie Allen’s 17 kills, four Pioneers reached double digits in kills, with Brianna Bryant notching 11 kills and hitting at a .450 clip and Kitona Offord adding 13 putaways and six block assists on the night.
Standings Stress: With just two matches remaining in the season, Cal State East Bay sits locked in a tie for second place in the CCAA with travel partner UC San Diego. Both teams are set to play No. 6 Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona this weekend. Earlier this season, the Pioneers toppled the Coyotes in five games in Hayward after falling to the Broncos. The Tritons dropped their first meeting with CSUSB, but downed Pomona in four earlier this season.
Catching Up on the Coyotes: Sixth-ranked Cal State San Bernardino has already clinched the CCAA title and brings a 23-2 overall record and a 19-1 mark in conference play into the weekend. The Coyotes lone loss in league play came at the hands of the Pioneers in a dramatic, five-set victory on Oct. 9 in Hayward. The 2009 NCAA Division II runner-up is led by Jane Chafeh’s 3.89 kills per set and Samantha Middleborn’s .474 hitting percentage, which is the best in all of Division II.
Checking Out Cal Poly Pomona: The Broncos enter the weekend with a 10-15 overall record and an 8-12 mark in the CCAA, having lost three straight including a pair at Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus last weekend. Pomona is led by Kristin McNeese’s 2.73 kills per game, while Katie Colin’s 9.41 assists per set rank fourth in the conference. In the teams’ first meeting this season, the Broncos came away with a 3-1 victory over the Pioneers in Hayward on Oct. 8.
Winning Ways: The Pioneers have surpassed both their overall and CCAA win totals from last year with 14 victories in conference play and 19 wins overall, compared to eight and 10, respectively, in 2009. East Bay will look to pick up its 20th win this weekend, a feat that would give Head Coach Jim Spagle an impressive 14 20-victory seasons in 15 years at Cal State East Bay.
Double Duty: Senior outside hitter/setter Roxanne Neely was named the Molten/CCAA Player of the Week for the second time this season on Nov. 1. A four-year senior from Lancaster, Calif., Neely was a key contributor to the Pioneers 2-1 record on the week. In leading Cal State East Bay to victories over Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus, Neely posted 25 kills, 38 assists, 21 digs, four service aces and a solo block. In the 3-1 win over the Warriors on Senior Night, Neely finished with a triple-double of 13 kills, 20 assists and 10 digs. All told, Neely finished the week with 36 kills, 56 assists, 23 digs, four service aces and two total blocks while hitting for a .329 percentage. Neely’s two Player of the Week awards along with her Tri-City Voice Female Athlete of the Month accolades for September add up to a senior season for the record books.
SWIMMING
Bay Area Invitational
Nov. 12-13 • All day
Trefethen Aquatic Center • Oakland
East Bay Returns to Action at the Bay Area Invitational: The Cal State East Bay swimming team returns from a three-week break from competition for the Bay Area Invitational at Mills College this weekend. The meet will mark the Pioneers’ first invitational of the season and will feature a number of schools from throughout California. Last year, East Bay finished second at the invitational, collecting runner-up finishes in three relays, the 100 backstroke and the 100 fly and a 1-2 showing in the 50 free. The meet is set for Friday and Saturday at the Trefethen Aquatic Center in Oakland.
Last Time Out: Cal State East Bay opened the 2010-11 home campaign with a victory over Mills on Oct. 23 at Pioneer Pool. The Pioneers topped the Cyclones, 102-64, and posted several top finishes. Sara Bonino was a double winner in the distance events, taking the 500 free in 5:31.75 and the 1000 free in 11:20.04. Freshman Rachel Knowles also recorded a pair of victories in the 100 breastroke (1:13.17) and the 200 IM (2:22.11). Lindsay Miller won the 50 free in 26.32, while Murphy Wimer captured the 100 free with a time of 56.15. The Pioneers also took the 200 yard medley relay with a time of 2:04.41.
Looking Ahead: East Bay is in action again next weekend when it heads to Fresno to take on Fresno Pacific and Biola on Nov. 20. The Pioneers will then take three weeks to prepare for the UNLV Invtitational in Las Vegas, Nev., Dec. 11-13.
Pioneers Make a Difference with Make-A-Wish: The Cal State East Bay swimming and water polo teams held a Swim for Wishes event to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, collecting $1400 for the organization and bringing 47 members of the community out to get in the pool for some exercise on Oct. 30. The event succeeded in bringing student-athletes, coaches, and members of the campus and Hayward communities together to swim a mile at Pioneer Pool, mingle and enjoy music and breakfast, all while supporting a great cause.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Idle
Last Time Out: Cal State East Bay opened the 2010-11 campaign with a pair of exhibitions against Division I competition. The Pioneers kicked off the season against Cal State Bakersfield, falling to the Roadrunners by just 12, 83-71, on Nov. 4. CSUEB saw three players, freshman George Toyama, sophomore Mark Samuels and junior Roshun Wynne, hit double figures in scoring, with Toyama notching 18 on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range in his debut. East Bay was even better against Cal Poly on Nov. 6, dropping a 70-63 decision and trailing by as few as three points in the final eight minutes of the game. Senior Will Freedman led the Pioneers with 26 points on 10-for-13 shooting, while Samuels notched a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards.
Looking Ahead: The Pioneers open the 2010-11 regular season on Nov. 16 when they play host to Academy of Art at home at 7 p.m. Cal State East Bay then hits the road for the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic at Seattle Pacific, taking on the host Falcons on Nov. 19 and facing Western Washington on Nov. 20.
Back in the Day: The Pioneers finished the 2009-10 campaign with a 6-21 record. Cal State East Bay finished 12th with a record of 3-19 in the CCAA. Among the three Pioneer conference wins were a pair of overtime victories against Sonoma State. Seven of the Pioneer defeats in conference play were by 10 points or less. As a team the Pioneers averaged 60.8 points while shooting 39.2 percent from the field. The Pioneers had 318 offensive rebounds compared to 303 for their opponents. Freshman Mark Samuels was the Pioneers leading scorer with a 9.7 point per game average. Samuels scored in double figures 10 times during the 2009-10 campaign and ranked ninth in the CCAA in scoring. Jun Uchida became the all-time assist leader in Cal State East Bay history with 341, while Scott Knox established the Pioneer all-time three point record with 140.
Back in the Game: The Pioneers graduated five seniors and return four players from the 2009-10 squad that went 6-21 overall. Among the returners for the Pioneers are last year’s leading scorer in sophomore Mark Samuels, and senior Will Freedman, who helped the 2008-09 squad to the Cal Pac Tournament title and an appearance in the NAIA Championships.
Prowling the Sidelines: East Bay Head Coach Will Biggs enters his 14th season at the helm as the winningest coach in program history with a record of 202-154. Last season, Biggs picked up his 200th career victory and helped the Pioneers notch their first victories in their return to Division II and in the CCAA. Biggs welcomes new assistant coach Darren French to his staff. French has more than 10 years coaching experience, including three years in the CCAA with Cal State San Bernardino.
CROSS COUNTRY
Last Time Out: The Pioneer men and women closed out the season at the CCAA Championships in Whittier. Since East Bay is in its final year of the transition to Division II, it is not eligible for championships, however, had the Pioneers scored in the meet, the women would have finished ninth out of 12 teams, while the men would have taken seventh in a field of eight squads.
Pioneer Women Improve Across the Board at Championships: Senior Nancy Velazquez made the most of the final cross country race of her career, finishing 26th overall in a time of 23:18.6, besting last year’s top Pioneer finish by over 13 places and nearly a minute and a half. Sophomore Megan McDaniel and freshman Amanda McNabb also had good showings, taking 42nd and 43rd, respectively, finishing just 30 seconds off Velazquez’ pace on the 6k course at Whittier Narrows Regional Park. As a team, the Pioneers gained at least 30 seconds per runner from last year’s pace on seven of their 11 opponents, including winner Chico State and runner up Cal Poly Pomona.
East Bay Men Make Big Gains at Championships: Sophomore Erik Rodriguez paced the Pioneers at the CCAA meet, clocking a 27:53.2 on the 8k course, good for 50th place in a field of 64 runners. Freshman Chris Gallagher and junior Francisco Pulido were not far off, taking 52nd and 54th, respectively. As a group, the Pioneer men gained over a minute per runner from last year’s pace on Cal State Stanislaus and Cal State Monterey Bay.