Box score

SEASIDE, Calif. - The Cal State East Bay volleyball team had its three-match winning streak snapped by Cal State Monterey Bay in a 3-1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-18, 25-23) loss on Tuesday night at the Kelp Bed. The Pioneers (14-9, 9-9 CCAA) had three players in double figures in kills but could not get past the Otters, who out-blocked East Bay, 11-6, and hit at a .286 clip.

Kitona Offord led the Pioneers for the third straight match, putting away 14 kills and hitting at a .308 clip, while finishing just two blocks shy of her season high with five total blocks, including three solo efforts. Katie Allen and Nicole Boyle joined Offord in double digits with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Boyle also added 14 digs on the night to record her seventh double-double of the season. 

Nikki Long added nine kills, while Leslie Ray led all players with 21 digs. Kristin Neary and Danielle Stewart shared the setting duties for the Pioneers, combining for 48 assists. As a team, East Bay hit just .205 on the night and committed 23 attack errors, while Monterey Bay finished with only 14 errors in 140 attempts.

The Otters were led by Melanie Lashbrook's 15 kills and Rheann Fall's 14-kill, 17-dig double-double. Lashbrook hit at a .462 clip and added five block assists to help Monterey Bay end a four-match losing streak. 

Cal State Monterey Bay never trailed in the first set, jumping out to an early 6-2 lead. Though East Bay closed the gap to one at 9-8, it never got any closer in the set. The Otters finished off the set with three straight points and took a 1-0 advantage in the match. The Pioneers hit just .167 in the set and had only 12 kills - their lowest total in the match. 

The Pioneers trailed through most of the second set before scoring eight consecutive points behind Leslie Ray's serve to take a 22-17 lead. The run saw East Bay get a pair of kills from Allen and took advantage of four errors by the Otters to take the lead for the final time. Though Monterey Bay closed to within three points, the Pioneers finished the set with a kill from Long to tie the match at 1-1 at the break. 

East Bay never led in the third set that saw the Otters hit at a match-high .471 clip. Cal State Monterey Bay committed no attack errors in the set and put down 16 kills. Though the Pioneers trailed by as little as one point after an early 1-1 tie, they could never close the gap, despite hitting .294 in the set. 

A competitive fourth set saw the two teams tie nine times and the lead change five times. East Bay got out to a 14-10 lead, thanks in part to Allen, Boyle and Offord's combined seven points. The Otters responded, going on a 7-2 run to take a 17-16 lead. The advantage was short-lived, as the Pioneers tied the set at 17, before they traded points again until the Otters led 22-20. East Bay then got a kill from Boyle and an attack error from Monterey Bay tied the set at 22-22. The Otters then posted a block and a kill to set up set- and match-point. Nikki Long held off the final point with a kill before Fall closed out the match with her 14th kill of the night. 

Cal State East Bay will return to Pioneer Gym for its final homestand of the season this weekend. The Pioneers will play host to Chico State on Friday before taking on Cal State Stanislaus on Saturday. Due to campus maintenance, Friday's match is set for a 5 p.m. start, while Saturday's match will mark Senior Day for Leslie Ray with a pre-game ceremony to honor her.