CHICO – It's been once around the conference schedule for the Chico State volleyball team, and the Wildcats find themselves in the upper tier of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings. Now that the 'Cats conclude the regular season facing each of their conference opponents a second time, who knows? A long, sustained winning streak could vault Chico State among the CCAA elite and into the discussion for an NCAA postseason berth. The Wildcats hope to begin just such a run this weekend when they host Cal State East Bay Friday and Cal State Monterey Bay Saturday at Acker Gym. Both matches get underway at 7 p.m.


At home: Chico State is just 2-3 so far this year at Acker Gym, and had lost three straight at home before beating Cal State Dominguez Hills on Oct. 12. The Wildcats play six of their final 11 regular season matches in the friendly confines of Acker.

Individual achievements: Several Wildcats continue to put up numbers that rank high on both the conference and national stat sheets:
   -- Outside hitter Ellie Larronde is second in the CCAA in solo blocks (19), third in points per set (4.28), fourth in kills per set (3.84), fifth in points (286.5) and seventh in kills (257). Nationally, Larronde ranks 26th in kills per set and 29th in points per set.
   -- Torey Thompson leads the conference in assists per set (11.22) and is fourth in assists (707). Thompson is ranked 14th among setters nationwide in assists per set.
   -- Middle hitter Lindsay Quigley is second in the CCAA (and 19th in the nation) in hitting percentage (.362).
   -- Molly Ratto is third in the CCAA in service aces per set (0.36) and fourth in aces (25).
   -- Emily Duran is ranked eighth in the CCAA in digs (292) and digs per set (4.23).
   -- Alex Shurtz is third in the conference in solo blocks (16), and thanks to 42 kills last week, is averaging 3.90 kills per set. Shurtz would rank fourth in the CCAA in kills per set, but hasn't quite played the minimum number of sets to be listed among the conference leaders.

Cal State East Bay: The Pioneers come to Chico 7-12 on the season and occupying 10th place in the CCAA with a 3-8 conference mark. East Bay has struggled over the past month – the Pioneers have dropped eight of their last 10 decisions, and have won just once in October. That one victory, though, was a big one – a five-set stunner over No. 11 Sonoma State last Friday in Hayward. East Bay has yet to win a match away from its home floor – the Pioneers are 0-8 on the road this season.

Pioneers to watch: Senior opposite hitter Suzy Ni Xu leads East Bay with an even 200 kills, while senior middle blocker Kitona Offord and junior outside Katie Allen have combined for 269 kills on the season. Junior Ashia Joseph is seventh among CCAA setters in assists (644) and assists per set (9.33), with junior libero Veronica Sanchez ranking in the conference top 10 in digs (fourth, 348), digs per set (second, 5.12), service aces (sixth, 23) and aces per set (seventh, 0.34).

Head-to-head: Chico State has beaten East Bay in three straight meetings, including a four-set win in this season's first matchup Sept. 21. The Wildcats have won 27 of 36 meetings with the Pioneers since 1985.

Cal State Monterey Bay: The Otters enter the week 12-7 on the season and sporting a 6-5 conference record, sharing fifth place with the Wildcats. Prior to its Friday night matchup with Cal State Stanislaus, Monterey Bay has dropped three of its last four, but came away with a split of last weekend's homestand against San Francisco State (won in three sets) and Sonoma State (lost in three). The Otters are 6-3 on the road so far this season.

Otters to watch: Cal State Monterey Bay boasts two of the top hitters in the conference – junior outside hitter Julia Ashen leads the CCAA (and is No. 2 in the nation) with 346 kills and a 4.94 kills per set average, while sophomore outside Jessica Malcolm ranks third in the conference in kills (286) and fifth in kills per set (3.71). Junior setter Kelsey Johnston tops the CCAA in assists (821) and is second in assists per set (10.66). Freshman middle blocker DJ Gresham-Ryder ranks in the conference top 10 in solo blocks (fourth, 15), block assists (ninth, 49), total blocks (tied for fifth, 64) and blocks per set (sixth, 0.96).

Head to head: Even though Chico State has won the last six matches, the Wildcats and Otters always seem to battle to the bitter end – seven of the last nine matches between the two teams have gone the full five sets, including this season's first meeting Sept. 20 in Seaside. In the all-time series, the 'Cats hold an 18-2 advantage over Monterey Bay.

If you can't make it to Acker Gym this weekend, you can follow the action of both Friday and Saturday matches online via Live Stats.

CLICK HERE for Live Stats