Box score

POMONA, Calif. - The Cal State East Bay volleyball team got back on track with a 3-1 (20-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-18) victory over Cal Poly Pomona to open its CCAA road slate on Thursday night at Kellogg Gym. The Pioneers (7-2, 3-2 CCAA) came from behind to secure the win, led by a season-high 13 kills by Morgan Hirzel.

The junior opposite finished the match hitting at a .500 clip, also a season high, and finished with just two hitting errors in 22 attempts on the night. Hirzel also added two total blocks in helping East Bay out-do the Broncos at the net 10-5. Both Katie Allen and Kitona Offord added nine kills apiece, with Offord matching Hirzel's .500 hitting percentage and two errors.

Freshman Samantha Bruno led the Pioneers on the block, totaling a pair of solo blocks and four assists, while Allen added four total blocks as well. Kristin Neary distributed the ball well, dishing out 36 assists on the night and adding eight digs. Senior libero Leslie Ray's 17 digs paced the East Bay defense, while Nicole Boyle added 13.

Though the Pioneers hit at just a .182 clip on the night, they managed a .303 hitting percentage over the final two sets, improving from their early struggles on the attack. East Bay was also impressive on the service line, posting nine aces – four from Allen, three from Neary and a pair from Tatum Bales.

Cal Poly Pomona was led by Diana Lake's 13 kills, with Marissa Lagmay adding nine putaways and Lauren Jones and Ashley Marshman contributing eight kills apiece. Lake posted a double-double, adding 13 digs, while Kelly Bonja's 15 scoops paced the Broncos. Cal Poly Pomona hit at a .150 clip for the match, including two sets in which it hit under .100.

Set 1 – Cal Poly Pomona 25, Cal State East Bay 20
The Pioneers led just once in the opening set, at 3-2. After that, the Broncos quickly opened up a four-point lead with a 10-5 run, sparked by four kills from Marshman. East Bay closed the gap to as little as two points, but would not come any closer as Cal Poly Pomona closed out the set to take a 1-0 lead. The Pioneers finished with just six kills in 33 attempts in the set, while the Broncos laid down 17 kills and hit at a .214 clip.

Set 2 – Cal State East Bay 25, Cal Poly Pomona 17
Cal State East Bay opened the second set determined to even the match before the break. The Pioneers gained an early 12-6 lead thanks to a pair of kills from Hirzel and a service ace each from Allen and Bales. The Broncos answered with a 4-1 run that saw Lake lay down a pair of kills to close the gap to 13-10. East Bay then put together a run of its own, getting a pair of kills from Offord and a service ace from Neary and taking advantage of four errors by the Broncos to take a 23-17 lead. Another Offord kill and ace from Allen sealed the victory for the Pioneers and tied the match at one set apiece.

Set 3 – Cal State East Bay 25, Cal Poly Pomona 21
Though the two teams traded points for most the third set, the Pioneers only trailed once in the set. Down 7-6 early on, East Bay responded with back-to-back points to take an 8-7 lead. Neither team scored more than two points in a row until the Pioneers gained a 17-12 lead with three straight points that included an ace by Bales and a pair of attack errors by the Broncos. Cal Poly Pomona closed the gap to 17-15 with three points of its own before a 4-1 East Bay run put the Pioneers just four points away from taking a 2-1 lead. Despite another exchange of points, the Pioneers finished off the win on a kill by Allen. Cal State East Bay finished the set with a .250 attack percentage and 12 kills while holding the Broncos to a .086 clip.

Set 4 – Cal State East Bay 25, Cal Poly Pomona 18
The final set was all Pioneers. After starting off the set on a service ace from Neary and a kill by Hirzel, East Bay never trailed again. Though the Broncos closed the gap to just one point four times, the Pioneers responded each time. Leading 13-12, East Bay put together a 7-2 run that included three kills by Offord and an ace by Allen. Down by six, 20-14, Cal Poly Pomona didn't give in, scoring a three more points before the Pioneers capped the set by scoring four of the last five points. East Bay had its best-hitting set in the final frame, attacking at a .384 clip, led by a perfect-hitting Offord, who went 4-for-4 on the attack in the set.

Cal State East Bay returns to action on Saturday, when it travels across the bay to San Francisco State for the second match of its four-match roadtrip. The Pioneers and Gators are set for a 7 p.m. first serve on Saturday.