Box score

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – For the second time this season, the Cal State East Bay volleyball team dropped a close match to Cal State LA, falling to the Golden Eagles, 3-1 (25-20, 17-25, 30-28, 25-21), on Saturday at the Eagles Nest. The Pioneers (11-7, 6-7 CCAA) were led by 17 kills from Kitona Offord but were out-hit and out-blocked by Cal State LA in the loss.

Offord posted her fourth straight match with double-figure kills and hit at a .452 clip, marking her fifth match this season in which she hit over .400 with more than 10 putaways. Offord also was impressive at the net, posting a solo block and three block assists. Both Morgan Hirzel and Nicole Boyle added nine kills for East Bay, with Hirzel posting three total blocks and Boyle adding two. The Pioneers hit .217 as a team and posted 55 kills and 10 total blocks, but were outdone by the Golden Eagles, who swung at a .226 clip, with 58 putaways and 14 blocks.

Both Pioneer setters posted double-doubles, as Danielle Stewart dished out 29 assists and posted 11 digs, while Kristin Neary added 18 assists and 10 digs on the night. Leslie Ray led the defense with 16 digs and Samantha Bruno helped out with four total blocks.

Marquis Mora and Kymberly Silveyra led the Golden Eagle attack, posting 17 and 16 kills, respectively. Silveyra notched a double-double, adding 10 digs. Mary Laupepa's six total blocks led all players, while Kaylynne Taeatafa dished out a match-high 43 assists.

Set 1 – Cal State LA 25, Cal State East Bay 20
After the Golden Eagles built an early 4-1 lead, the Pioneers responded with four straight points, including a pair of kills from Hirzel and a block from Offord and Hirzel. Leading for the first time, East Bay extended the run to 9-2 to take a 10-6 lead. The two teams traded points, bringing the set to 14-9 in favor of the Pioneers. The Golden Eagles woke up, however, scoring four straight points to spark a 13-4 run that included seven Pioneer errors. Now trailing 23-18, East Bay held off set point thanks to a kill from Samantha Bruno and a block, but Cal State LA finished off the set with a kill and block of its own.

Set 2 – Cal State East Bay 25, Cal State LA 17
A back-and-forth between the two teams led to seven ties early on in the second set, culminating in a final tie at 13-13. The Pioneers then reeled off seven straight points, including two aces from Danielle Stewart and blocks from Morgan Hirzel and Kitona Offord and Faith Alliston. Leading 20-13, the Pioneers answered back-to-back points from the Golden Eagles with three straight points on kills from Offord and Nikki Long and an ace from Alliston. Though Cal State LA scored another two points to hold off set point, Cal State East Bay finished off the set victory with a Nicole Boyle kill to even the match at one set apiece at the break. The Pioneers improved from a slow start, hitting at a .256 clip in the set and dropped in four aces, while holding the Golden Eagles to a .108 hitting percentage and forcing six attack errors.

Set 3 – Cal State LA 30, Cal State East Bay 28
In the most competitive set of the match, the two teams were tied 17 times and exchanged the lead eight times. Both teams had more than one chance at set point, combining for five set-point serves before the Eagles claimed the victory. The Pioneers got out to an early 7-4 lead, getting a pair of kills from Alliston in addition to an ace from Boyle and kills by Offord and Hirzel. The Golden Eagles answered with a 7-3 run to take an 11-10 lead before exchanging points with the Pioneers to 13-12.

East Bay then put together back-to-back points on two errors by LA to regain a one-point lead, 14-13. A 7-2 run from the Golden Eagles gave them a 20-16 advantage. The Pioneers responded with three consecutive points on two attack errors by LA and an ace from Kristin Neary, sparking a 7-2 run. During the run, East Bay got a kill and an ace from Boyle and took a 23-22 lead. Two points from LA gave the Golden Eagles a 24-23 lead and the chance to claim set point, but a timeout from the Pioneers, followed by back-to-back kills from Hirzel and Offord, turned the tables to give East Bay set point. The Eagles fought off set point four times to tie the match at 28 before an attack error and a block gave Cal State LA the 2-1 advantage.

Set 4 – Cal State LA 25, Cal State East Bay 21
The two teams were tied 10 times in the final set, but the lead only changed once after East Bay held an 11-10 advantage. The Golden Eagles put together a 3-1 run to take the lead for the final time. Though the Pioneers tied the set at 13 and 18, Cal State LA finished the set off with a 6-3 run to capture its second win of the season over East Bay. Though the Pioneers had just four attack errors in the set, the Golden Eagles hit at a .353 clip in the set.

Cal State East Bay returns to action next weekend, when its four-match road trip continues on Friday at Sonoma State and Saturday at Humboldt State.