Box score

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - The Cal State East Bay volleyball team never found its rhythm and suffered its first loss by way of a sweep in a 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-7) defeat to San Francisco State on Saturday night. The Pioneers (7-3, 3-3 CCAA) led just five times in the match and committed 17 attack errors against a hot-hitting Gator squad that powered its way to a .410 attack percentage and the three-set victory.

East Bay's efforts were led by Nicole Boyle and Morgan Hirzel, who each contributed six kills. Boyle was the only Pioneer to hit over .200 for the night, committing just one error. Kristin Neary dished out 14 assists and added two of the team's seven aces on the night. Kitona Offord and Katie Allen added five kills apiece and Leslie Ray led the team with 13 digs.

As a team, the Pioneers never hit better than .179 in any set and were out-blocked by the Gators 6-3. Robyn Hall and Jazmine Williams led SF State with 14 and 12 kills, respectively. Williams hit at a .625 clip, making just two errors in the match. Setter Iris Tolenada notched 40 assists, while Sarah Kurfess posted 14 digs.

Set 1 – San Francisco State 25, Cal State East Bay 21
Though Cal State East Bay got off to a 2-0 lead and gained a 6-4 advantage early on, thanks to three straight points that included a kill each from Hirzel and Allen, the Gators surged back with a 6-1 run that gave them a 10-7 lead. East Bay came back to trail by just one point, SF State answered with a 10-4 run that put it up 20-13. The Pioneers pulled back within two points thanks to an 8-3 run that saw Boyle lay down two kills and the Gators make four errors. Leading 23-21, SFSU closed out the set, however, with a pair of kills.

Set 2 – San Francisco State 25, Cal State East Bay 22
The Gators opened the second set with four straight points, including a pair from Williams. SFSU built an 8-5 lead before East Bay scored four straight points on a pair of attack errors and kills by Boyle and Samantha Bruno to take a 9-8 lead. A 7-2 run put SF State up 15-11, and though the Pioneers would pull back to tie 17-17, the Gators responded with an 8-5 run to finish off the set and take a 2-0 advantage in the match.

Set 3 – Cal State East Bay 25, Cal Poly Pomona 21
San Francisco State started off the third set with four straight points and never looked back. The Gators hit at an almost-unheard-of .643 clip and committed no errors in the final set, while holding the Pioneers to a negative clip. SF State also posted three of its six total blocks in the set, held East Bay to just seven points and led by as many as 14 points. The Gators capped the set and the match victory with three straight points.

Cal State East Bay looks to rebound on Tuesday night, when it welcomes travel partner Cal State Monterey Bay. The Pioneers and Otters are set for a 7 p.m. first serve at Pioneer Gym.