Complete signee list

HAYWARD, Calif. – Coming off a second-place showing in conference, 2010 CCAA Coach of the Year Jim Spagle announced the signing of 14 players for the 2011 season on Wednesday. The Pioneers will add three true freshmen and 11 transfers to a depleted roster after losing nine seniors in 2010.

“We are very excited to announce our huge recruiting class for 2011,” Spagle said. “This group of athletes will bring in athleticism, quality skills and volleyball knowledge, as well as strong academics, leadership and a ton of potential to the CSUEB volleyball program. As good as each individual in this signing class is on the court, I think they are even better individuals off the court and in the classroom.

“Determining a starting lineup from this talented group may eventually become my biggest challenge, but depth is a huge asset when you're competing in the powerful CCAA.”

Tatum Bales joins the Pioneers from Solano College where she helped guide the Falcons to a 24-6 record and a California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Regionals appearance as a freshman setter. Bales was a two-year letterwinner at Wood High School in Vacaville, Bales played club volleyball with Vacaville Extreme.

A native of Chapel Hill, N.C., Nicole Boyle will be a junior for the Pioneers in 2011. As a sophomore at Cypress College in 2010, Boyle led the Chargers to the CCCAA SoCal Regional championship and a state semifinal appearance. The 6-0 outside hitter was named to the State Championships All-Tournament Team and led Cypress to a 25-6 overall record, while collecting All-Orange Empire Conference First Team honors. As a freshman, Boyle played for University of Tulsa where she guided the Hurricanes to a Conference USA title and tied the program record for aces in a season with 60. In four years at Chapel Hill High School, Boyle was named all-state twice and collected three all-conference awards, while guiding the Tigers to four straight state tournament appearances and one state title.

YouTube clip of Boyle at Cypress College

Samantha Bruno is a freshman hailing from Portland, Ore., where she was a middle blocker at Wilson High School. As a senior in 2010, the six-footer helped Wilson to an Oregon State Championships appearance and a Portland Interscholastic League title.

A junior transfer out of Blue Mountain Community College in Washington state, Rebecca Haight was a 2010 AVCA first-team All-American at outside hitter. Haight, a native of Longview, Wash., led the Timberwolves to a Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) championship and a 43-6 overall record as a sophomore. Haight was among the top 15 in the NWAACC in hitting percentage and finished third in overall kills with 225, while adding 4.02 digs per game. Haight was also a three-time NWAAC East Region Player of the Week in 2010.

Hailing from Fullerton, Morgan Hirzel is a junior transfer from Fullerton College. The 6-2 opposite was a 2010 All-Orange Empire Conference First Team selection, helping guide the Hornets to a CCCAA SoCal Regional quarterfinals appearance alongside fellow signee Kristin Neary. Hirzel posted 262 kills and 78 blocks last season with Fullerton and prepped at Orange Lutheran High School.

Nikki Long comes to Cal State East Bay as a junior transfer from Walla Walla Community College in Washington. The Genesee, Idaho native guided the Warriors to 43 wins in two seasons and was named second-team all-conference in 2010. Long was also named team MVP and collected sophomore All-Star Team honors in her second season with Walla Walla. In 2010, Long led the Warriors in kills and hitting percentage and was second on the team in aces. Long prepped at Genesee High School, where she was a three-year starter and three-time all-state and all-league honoree.

Honolulu native Hayley Luke is a freshman libero and defensive specialist from Roosevelt High School. As a senior, Luke helped guide the Rough Riders to a 16-2 overall record and a second-place showing in league. Roosevelt was a 2010 Hawaii State Championships quarterfinalist.

Joining fellow signee Morgan Hirzel, Kristin Neary comes to the Pioneers from Fullerton College. The Cypress native is a 5-7 setter and will be a junior in the fall. Neary was an All-Orange Empire First Team selection after leading the state in assists with an average of 13.89 per game as a sophomore. Neary also helped the Hornets to a SoCal Regional quarterfinals berth in 2010 and prepped at Cypress High School.

An incoming sophomore, Veronica Sanchez joins Cal State East Bay out of Yakima Valley Community College in Washington state. The 5-3 libero helped lead the Yaks to a third-place showing at the NWAACC Tournament, earning All-Tournament Second Team honors, as well as AVCA second-team All-America recognition. Sanchez, who prepped at Selah High School, led the NWAACC in digs, averaging 5.75 scoops per contest as a freshman.

Danielle Stewart is a Glendora native and joins the Pioneers as a junior after competing at Pasadena City College last season. Stewart helped lead Pasadena to the 2010 SoCal Regional, falling to fellow signee Nicole Boyle's Cypress College in the semifinals. The 5-7 setter ranked fourth in the state in assists, dishing out 10.37 assists per game last year and helping the Lancers to a second-place showing in the South Coast Conference, earning a spot on the All-Conference First Team. Stewart began her collegiate career at Northwest College in Wyoming, where she helped the team to an 11th-place showing at the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. Stewart prepped at South Hills High where she was a part of three league championship squads.

A versatile hitter and blocker, Justine Tabor can play at outside hitter, opposite and middle blocker and comes to Cal State East Bay after two seasons at Clark College in Washington. The 5-11 Vancouver, Wash., native helped guide the Penguins to an appearance in the second-round of the NWAACC Tournament and a second-place showing in the NWAACC Western Division. Tabor led the team in kills with 150 and earned first-team All-NWAACC West Region honors as a sophomore. Tabor prepped at Union High School in Vancouver.

Lauren Vestal is true freshman hailing from Fall River. The 5-11 setter was part of a Fall River High School squad that went 29-9-2 overall and 10-0 in league play in 2010. As a senior, Vestal guided the Bulldogs to the CIF Northern Section title and the Shasta Cascade League championship, earning second-team Division V All-State honors, a first-team All-Northern Section selection and Shasta Cascade League MVP recognition.

An incoming junior, Michelle Woodward is a 5-9 outside hitter out of Edmonds Community College. The Olympia, Wash., native helped the Tritons to a third-place finish in the North Region of the NWAACC, clinching a spot in the playoffs. Woodward ranked in the top 15 in the NWAACC in service aces and was second on her team with 2.13 digs per game last season.

Last but not least, Suzy Ni Xu is a native of Dalian, China and joins the Pioneers from Iowa Western Community College. The 6-2 opposite was an AVCA second-team All-American and will be a junior in the fall. Xu helped guide the Reivers to an impressive 87-13 record in her two seasons there, participating in the national tournament both years – taking sixth in 2009 and ninth in 2010. Xu earned NJCAA All-Tournament Team honors as a freshman. collected a pair of all-region selections and was named an All-American by both the AVCA and NJCAA as a sophomore. Xu ranked among the top 25 in the nation in hitting percentage in 2010, laying down kills at a 40 percent clip for the year.

The 14 signees will join a Pioneer squad that loses all three of its All-CCAA honorees, including CSUEB Female Athlete of the Year Jit Athwal, to graduation. East Bay, however, is coming off a year that saw it finish in a tie for second in the conference in just its second season competing in the CCAA. Spagle is the reigning CCAA Coach of the Year and he will look to bring together this group of talented newcomers when the season begins in August.

“I look forward to getting this team's motor started in mid-August and helping this group of student-athletes grow as a unified team on a daily basis,” Spagle said. “The future is bright for Cal State East Bay volleyball.”

2011 PIONEER VOLLEYBALL SIGNEES

Name	Pos.	Ht.	2011 Yr.	Hometown	Previous School
Tatum Bales	L/S	5-7	So.	Vacaville	Solano College
Nicole Boyle	OH	6-0	Jr.	Chapel Hill, N.C.	Cypress College
Samantha Bruno	MB	6-0	Fr.	Portland, Ore.	Wilson HS
Rebecca Haight	OH	5-9	Jr.	Longview, Wash.	Blue Mountain CC
Morgan Hirzel	OPP	6-2	Jr.	Fullerton	Fullerton College
Nikki Long	OH/OPP	5-10	Jr.	Genesee, Idaho	Walla Walla CC
Hayley Luke	L/DS	5-4	Fr.	Honolulu, Hawaii	Roosevelt HS
Kristin Neary	S	5-7	Jr.	Cypress	Fullerton College
Veronica Sanchez	L	5-3	So.	Selah, Wash.	Yakima Valley CC
Danielle Stewart	S	5-7	Jr.	Glendora	Pasadena CC
Justine Tabor	OH/OPP/MB	5-11	Jr.	Vancouver, Wash.	Clark College
Lauren Vestal	S	5-11	Fr.	Fall River	Fall River HS
Michelle Woodward	OH	5-9	Jr.	Olympia, Wash.	Edmonds CC
Suzy Ni Xu	OPP	6-2	Jr.	Dalian, China	Iowa Western CC