Unbeaten and No. 2-ranked Cal State San Bernardino heads off on one of the strangest road trips it has ever taken – flying to Oakland Friday to play at Cal State East Bay, flying to San Diego after the match, stay in a hotel and then play UC San Diego in La Jolla on Saturday night. 
    The stakes are high for the Coyotes – defend its 18-0 record (11-0 in the CCAA) against an improving Cal State East Bay team that has won four CCAA conference matches since it lost to the Coyotes, 3-0, on Sept. 12 – then face a savvy, quick-hitting UCSD team that is 18-1 (10-1 in the CCAA) and ranked No. 3 in the nation. 
    “Strangely enough, I don't feel the same type of uncomfortable pressure I normally feel when we go there (to San Diego). I've come to realize that we have to let the season play out,” said Head Coach Kim Cherniss. 
    “No matter what happens – win or lose – we have to learn from it and go forward. Either outcome helps us do that. Obviously, we want to win, for sure.” 
    Cherniss that she hears from some quarters that trying to go through a season undefeated puts undue pressure on teams who focus on that rather than the goal of a championship. 
    “We can't wish to be undefeated and we can't wish to lose a match,” said Cherniss. “We have to consider each match an opportunity to achieve our goal. Last year we lost to San Diego, L.A. and Pomona on the road and we still won the conference, won the regional and made it to the national championship match. The process of becoming a very good team is more important.” 
    LOG ON -- Saturday's confrontation with the Tritons will be webcast at www.csusbathletics.com (click on Listen Live) with Brett Malak courtside. Live stats will be offered at www.ucsdtritons.com 
    COYOTES VS. CAL STATE EAST BAY – CSUSB won 3-0 in their first meeting as CCAA members on Sept. 12. CSUSB leads the all-time series 5-1. 
    COYOTES VS. UC SAN DIEGO – The Tritons lead the series 32-16 but 12 of the Coyotes' wins have come since 1999. CSUSB is 10-8 against the Tritons dating back to 2002. CSUSB won this year's first meeting, 3-1, in Coussoulis Arena. 
    STREAK – The Coyotes have started the season 18-0, just shy of the team's all-time in-season win streak of 21 set in 2006. 
    CHERNISS MILESTONE – Coyotes Head Coach Kim Cherniss earned her 400th career victory as head coach of the Coyotes, a position she has held since 1991-92, the university's first year in the CCAA conference, in last Saturday's 3-0 win over San Francisco State. Her win total is all the more amazing considering her teams were 69-113 in her first six seasons as a part-time coach. CSUSB has had 20 or more wins the last 12 seasons in a row….CSUSB is 48-4 since the start of the 2008 season…. 
    NCAA TEAM STATS – Coyotes rank 4th in nation in hitting percentage (.297), 17th in kills per set (13.75), 17th in assists per set (12.79) and 27th in blocks per set (2.20). 
    NCAA INDIVIDUAL STATS – Jane Chafeh is No. 2 in kills per set (4.75)…Samantha Middleborn ranks No. 16 in hitting percentage (.394) and 27th in blocks per set (1.09)….Sara Hoffman is 19th in assists per set (10.69)…. 
    CCAA TEAM STATS –. CSUSB leads the CCAA in hitting percentage (.297) and opponent hitting percentage (.112), assists (12.79), kills (13.75), blocks (2.20) and is No. 4 in aces (1.84/set). 
    CCAA INDIVIDUAL STATS – Samantha Middleborn ranks No. 1 in hitting percentage (.394) with Nicole Moore 7th at .298 and Jane Chafeh 8th at .293…..Sara Hoffman is No. 2 in assists (10.69/set)…..Chafeh is the kills leader at 4.75/set….Middleborn is No. 1 in blocks at 1.09/set….
CONFERENCE-ONLY STATS – When only 11 conference matches are examined, CSUSB's sophomore Megan Johnson is the hitting percentage leader at .471 with Middleborn No. 2 at .383, Chafeh fifth at .320 and Moore 10th at .282….Hoffman is No. 2 in assists (10.63)…..Chafeh is No. 1 in kills at 4.59….Middleborn is leading in blocks at 1.32/set with teammate Morgan Carty second at 1.03….Carty ranks No. 7 in aces with 15….Camille Smith ranks No. 9 in digs at 3.59 per set in CCAA matches. 
    YOTES NOTES -- Senior All-America setter Sara Hoffman enters the weekend with 3,588 assists, ranking her No. 3 on the CSUSB all-time career list behind Cristen Trent and Amy Pope Schumacher…..Samantha Middleborn not only anchors the middle for CSUSB, she also has developed a jump serve and leads the team in service aces with 18….CSUSB is 54-7 in sets this season and the team has never been extended to five sets thus far in 2009….Sophomore Morgan Carty has developed into a solid all-around player in 2009, averaging 2.14 kills, 1.89 digs and 0.81 blocks per set with 17 service aces….Coyotes return home next Wednesday night to host Cal Poly Pomona, then host Cal State Stanislaus on Oct. 23 and Chico State on Oct. 24…..Nicole Moore, the 6-foot outside hitter and transfer from Long Beach State, missed last weekend's matches with an illness but bounced back this week and is ready to go…..