Box score

HAYWARD, Calif. - Behind four players with double-digit kills and a pair of double-doubles, the Cal State East Bay volleyball team toppled Chico State, 3-1 (25-20, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18), on Friday night at Pioneer Gym. The Pioneers (15-9, 10-9 CCAA) finished with 62 kills, out-blocked the Wildcats 8-4 and posted five aces to go back over .500 in the CCAA with just three matches left to play. 

“I'm proud of a terrific team effort,” Head Coach Jim Spagle said. “Everyone pitched in and made an impact on the court tonight. Katie Allen was a perfect passer in the back row and Nicole, Leslie and Danielle combined for 68 digs.  Kristin ran the offense well, with 31 assists, Kitona posted 13 kills and Samantha Bruno dominated in the middle both as a hitter and a blocker.”

Kitona Offord led East Bay for the fourth straight match, laying down 13 kills and hitting at a .281 clip. Meanwhile, Nicole Boyle joined Offord in double figures with 12 kills and posted a season-high 28 digs to notch her eighth double-double of the year. Katie Allen added an 11-kill, 15-dig double-double of her own, as well as a perfect serve reception record in 44 chances, while Samantha Bruno posted 10 kills and led all players with five total blocks, including two solo efforts at the net. Nikki Long added nine kills and Morgan Hirzel posted eight, while notching three total blocks on the night.

Running the well-rounded offense were Kristin Neary and Danielle Stewart. Neary finished with 31 assists and eight digs, while Stewart dished out 19 assists, completing a double-double with 11 digs, and added a pair of kills. Defensively, Leslie Ray joined Stewart, Boyle and Allen in double figures in digs with 29 and posted five assists and two service aces.

As a team, the Pioneers hit at a .205 clip and out-blocked Chico State 8-4. The Wildcats were held to a .163 hitting percentage for the match, including an .093 clip in the final set. Alex Shurtz led the Chico offense, laying down 20 kills and hitting at a .269 clip. Makenzie Snyder added 13 kills for the Wildcats and completed the double-double with 11 digs.

Set 1 – Cal State East Bay 25, Chico State 20
The two teams opened the match trading points until the Wildcats too their first lead of the set at 10-9. The Pioneers answered with three straight points on three attack errors from Chico State. The streak started an 8-3 Cal State East Bay run that saw the Wildcats commit six errors. Leading 17-13, the Pioneers let Chico State answer back with each successive point, but used its early advantage to cap the 25-20 win on a kill from Stewart. Offord, Allen and Bruno each contributed four kills in the set, while Ray notched 11 digs.

Set 2 – Chico State 25, Cal State East Bay 20
The Wildcats trailed just once in the second frame at 1-0 before grabbing the lead and opening up a 7-2 advantage. A 4-2 East Bay run pulled the Pioneers back within three at 9-6, before Chico State pulled back ahead 12-6. East Bay then went on a 7-1 run, sparked by a dump shot from Stewart that fell for a kill. The run saw Boyle lay down two kills and the Pioneers tie the set at 13. Chico answered with four straight points, led by Shurtz, who put the Wildcats up 17-13 with her seventh kill of the set. Though East Bay pulled back within one at 17-16, Chico finished the set with Shurtz eighth putaway of the set, tying the match at one set apiece at the break. Though Offord and Boyle posted four kills apiece, the Pioneers hit just .180, while Chico had its best-hitting set of the match with just four errors and swinging at a .277 clip.

Set 3 – Cal State East Bay 25, Chico State 20
The third set was all East Bay, as the Pioneers trailed just once after the first point of the set and built a 12-8 lead early on. A 3-2 run from the Wildcats closed the gap to 14-11 before a solo block from Bruno ended the threat and kicked off a 4-2 run that saw Bruno and Hirzel combine for another block to give East Bay an 18-13 lead. The Wildcats followed with three straight points to cut the gap to two points. The Pioneers answered right back, though, with a 5-1 run that saw Boyle notch a pair of kills and Allen add a kill and an ace to give East Bay a 23-17 lead. Although Chico State got a pair of kills from Jessica Leek, Offord and Long gave the Pioneers a 2-1 lead in the match. East Bay committed just four errors, while posting 15 kills and four blocks. Bruno was a force to be reckoned with at the net in the third frame, posting a pair of solo efforts and two block assists. Meanwhile, Allen and Long both added four kills.

Set 4 – Cal State East Bay 25, Chico State 18
Though the two teams traded points to start out the set, the Pioneers took control at 4-4, going on a five-point run behind Leslie Ray's serve to take a 9-4 lead. Ray dropped in a pair of aces to spark the streak that also saw Allen lay down a kill, Offord hammer down an over ball from the Wildcats and Hirzel post a solo block against Snyder. Though an East Bay attack error snapped the streak, the Pioneers continued to build momentum with another 6-4 run to take a 15-8 lead and force Chico's second timeout of the set. The Wildcats came out of the timeout to score five straight points, getting four consecutive kills from Shurtz to cut the lead to just two, 15-13. Despite the scare, the Pioneers finished the set and the match on fire, going on a 10-5 run that included five straight points for East Bay to post the victory. The final five points saw Offord post a pair of kills and Boyle add a block and a kill to cap the win.

Cal State East Bay returns to action for its final home match of the 2011 campaign on Saturday night when it plays host to Cal State Stanislaus. The Pioneers will honor senior Leslie Ray before the match against the Warriors (9-14, 5-14), who dropped a three-set decision to Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday night. The Pioneers and Warriors are set for a 7 p.m. first serve at Pioneer Gym.