#CCAAvb: Pioneers, Otters to Battle in CCAA Opener on Wednesday
SAN RAMON, Calif. - After a challenging week of non-conference play, the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) volleyball teams will begin conference action this week.
Several CCAA squads shine in their final non-conference matches last week, with Cal State East Bay, Cal State Monterey Bay and UC San Diego going 3-1 to take a lead in the overall standings.
Match of the Week
Through the first two weeks of play, Cal State East Bay and Cal State Monterey Bay have collected the best overall records in the North Division at a mark of 6-2. The Pioneers and Otters will meet in the CCAA opener on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. first serve in Hayward.
Junior Deja Thompson has demonstrated versatility at the middle blocker position for CSUEB, earning a spot on the D2 West Region Showcase All-Tournament Team with 51 kills, 11 digs and 15 blocks last week. Also of note, six of the Pioneers’ eight matches this season have gone to a fifth set.
For the Otters, senior Maddy Underwood led the offense on Saturday with her third consecutive double-figure effort of 13 kills. It helped CSUMB capture a 3-0 sweep of Holy Names with scores of 25-13, 25-9, 25-10, the fewest points that the Otters have allowed in the rally-scoring era.
A Look at the Leaders
Despite falling back to the .500 mark with a 1-3 week, the San Francisco State volleyball team features two of the CCAA statistical leaders. Junor Lauren Williams leads the league in hitting percentage at a mark of .432 and sophomore Emily Johns is No. 1 in service aces per set with an average of 0.74.
At the setter position, senior Courtney Seda has put together a series of impressive performances for Sonoma State team that is 6-3 so far this season. Seda leads the CCAA in assists with 381 and assists per set with 10.58. On Saturday, she reached the 50-assist mark in back-to-back matches.
Showcase Honorees
In addition to East Bay’s Thompson earning a spot on last week’s D2 West Region Showcase All-Tournament Team, there were several other honorees from the CCAA. In Nampa, Idaho, Cal State LA’s Karla Santos and Sonoma State’s Cati Wiesner received the award.
UC San Diego’s Amanda Colla, one of six CCAA players with 100 or more kills this year, earned the honor in Ellensburg, Wash. In San Francisco, Cal Poly Pomona’s Alina Smith and Cal State Monterey Bay’s Anela Visesio were named to the All-Tournament Team.
What to Look For
- The CCAA Player of the Week will be announced on Tuesday.
- View all of this week's CCAA scores at goccaa.org/scoreboard.