Box score

HAYWARD, Calif. – Behind a pair of dominant performances from Katie Allen and Samantha Bruno, the Cal State East Bay volleyball team posted its first sweep of the CCAA season with a 3-0 victory over Cal State Monterey Bay on Tuesday night. The Pioneers (8-3, 4-3 CCAA) hit at a .321 clip and out-blocked the Otters (5-6, 2-6) 9-4 to bounce back from a tough loss at SF State on Saturday night.

“I really liked the passion and intensity that the team displayed this evening,” Head Coach Jim Spagle said.

Allen and Bruno were quite the tandem in the front row on Tuesday, contributing 11 and 10 kills, respectively, and combining for 11 block assists. The pair committed just five attack errors, with Bruno swinging at a .500 clip on the night. Meanwhile, Kitona Offord added eight kills and posted a .615 hitting percentage, making no errors on the attack and assisting on a pair of blocks.

“Kristin Neary and Danielle Stewart were outstanding, both in their set distribution as well as their backcourt defense,” Spagle said. “Our three primary passers, Leslie, Nicole and Katie, were stellar all night and Nikki Long and Samantha Bruno really came ready to play.”

Setter Danielle Stewart posted a double-double, dishing out 17 assists and posting 14 digs and ran the offense well, along with Kristin Neary, who contributed 15 assists. In the back row, libero Leslie Ray led all players with 19 digs in the match and had just one reception error in 20 serve-receive opportunities. Allen and Nicole Boyle also found success in serve reception, with Boyle committing one error in 11 chances and Allen posting a perfect 1.000 reception percentage with no errors in 14 attempts.

“Kitona had another dominant night, and if there is any better libero in our conference than Leslie, I have not seen it,” Spagle said.

As a team, the Pioneers committed just nine attack errors in 106 attempts, while holding the Otters to an .096 hitting percentage and forcing 21 attack errors. East Bay's .321 attack percentage was a new match high, while its 42 kills on the night established a season-high for three-set matches. Melanie Lashbrook's 11 kills and Lacee Ventura's 10 digs led Cal State Monterey Bay.

Set 1 – Cal State East Bay 25, Cal State Monterey Bay 18
The Otters opened serving and built at 6-4 lead thanks to a pair of kills from Rheann Fall and two Pioneer attack errors. East Bay answered back with seven straight points to start a 10-1 run and take a 14-7 lead. During the run, the Pioneers reeled off seven consecutive points behind Allen's serve, including two aces and two kills from Allen. A kill from Lauren Shacklock ended the run, but the Pioneers bounced right back with three more points to gain a 17-8 advantage. The Otters answered with a 10-6 run of their own, but CSUMB was stopped from there, with the Pioneers finishing out the set with a kill from Nikki Long and an Otter attack error.

Set 2 – Cal State East Bay 25, Cal State Monterey Bay 18
Cal State Monterey Bay opened the second set with the first point, but the Pioneers did better, answering with a 18-8 run that saw them notch six straight points on four errors by the Otters and two kills from Bruno. Trailing 18-9, the Otters posted a 4-1 run of their own to cut the lead to six, 19-13. The two teams exchanged points to finish the match, but the lead would be enough, as the Pioneers capped the second set with a kill from Long. East Bay hit at a .368 clip in the set, led by Bruno's five kills in six attempts and three block assists.

Set 3 – Cal State East Bay 25, Cal State Monterey Bay 14
The third set was all Pioneers, as Cal State East Bay built an early 11-8 lead and never trailed by fewer than four points again. East Bay had its best hitting set, connecting at a .382 clip and laying down 15 kills, led by Bruno and Allen who each had four kills. Bruno committed no errors in the set, hitting at an .800 clip and adding three block assists, along with Allen. On the other side, Monterey hit just .028 in the set and had only eight kills. Bruno and Allen capped the set and the match for East Bay with back-to-back kills.

Cal State East Bay will look to continue its success this weekend when it travels to Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State for its second conference road trip. The Pioneers and Warriors are set for a 7 p.m. first serve at Fitzpatrick Arena in Turlock on Friday.