Game 1 box | Game 2 box

ARCATA, Calif. – Cal State East Bay continued its early success with another pair of wins on Saturday at the Humboldt State Tournament. The Pioneers (4-0) finished the tournament with a perfect record after topping Central Washington, 3-2 (18-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-22, 15-9), and sweeping St. Martin's, 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-23) on Saturday.

Junior Nicole Boyle finished the day with 30 kills to lead the team and added 24 digs. Fellow junior Kitona Offord hit at a .469 clip while contributing 19 kills and four blocks on the day. Senior libero Leslie Ray was a passing machine in the back row, posting 35 digs and going errorless in 48 serve receptions. Samantha Bruno led the Pioneers at the net, posting 10 total blocks, including five solo efforts, and adding 14 kills. Morgan Hirzel and Katie Allen joined Boyle, Offord and Bruno in double figures in kills for the day, while setter Kristin Neary finished with 62 assists on the final day of the tournament.

The first match of the day saw East Bay come back from a 2-1 deficit to take Central Washington to five sets. In set one, the Wildcats hit at a .441 clip, making just two attack errors and laying down 17 kills. Though the Pioneers stayed close early on in the set, CWU pulled away to jump out a 1-0 lead.

Cal State East Bay got out to an early lead in the second set, thanks to three kills from Offord and a pair each from Boyle and Hirzel. Trailing 12-8, the Wildcats closed the gap to just three with a 5-1 run before the Pioneers responded with a 10-4 run of their own. During the run, Allen racked up three kills and Neary put away a pair of her own to put East Bay up 23-14. Though Central Washington crawled back to within six, 24-18, a block from Bruno closed out the game-two win to even the match at 1-1.

The third set saw the Wildcats gain a 2-1 lead with a 25-22 victory. CWU hit at a .300 clip and out-blocked the Pioneers to hold off East Bay. With its back against the wall, East Bay responded with its own 25-22 win to tie the match at two games apiece. The Pioneers needed a .350 hitting percentage and 18 kills to top the Wildcats, who hit at a .326 pace and made just three errors in the fourth set.

The final set was all Pioneers, as they had their best hitting game of the match, connecting at a .385 clip, with just one error. East Bay took advantage of the Wildcats' five attack errors to pull out the 15-9 fifth-set victory and the match.

Boyle and Offord shared the team lead with 17 kills. Offord hit at a .483 clip, while Boyle posted her second double-double of the season, adding 12 digs. Allen and Hirzel joined Offord and Boyle in double figures with 13 and 10 kills, respectively. Ray added 27 digs as one of three Pioneers with double figure digs. East Bay held a distinct advantage at the net, with 12 team blocks, including three solo blocks from Bruno.

The second match of the day saw Cal State East Bay jump out to an early lead and never look back. Boyle laid down 13 kills and hit .480, while adding 12 digs in the match. Tatum Bales was solid in the back row again, posting 12 digs and making just one error in 14 serve reception opportunities. Neary and Danielle Stewart shared the setting duties, combining to dish out 29 assists. The Pioneers also held the Saints to just 27 kills and a .052 hitting percentage for the match.

With the victory, East Bay took home its second tournament title in as many years after winning the Nanook Classic at Alaska Fairbanks in 2010. Boyle finished the tournament averaging 3.8 kills per set, while Hirzel's .355 hitting percentage led the starters. Neary ran an organized offense with 8.13 assists per set and Bruno completed the weekend averaging 1.18 blocks per set. The Pioneers also hit .256 as a team, while posting more than two blocks per set.

Cal State East Bay returns to action next weekend, when it opens the CCAA season against Cal State LA and Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Pioneers will welcome the Golden Eagles for the home opener on Friday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. before meeting the Toros on Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. in Pioneer Gym.