Box Score HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay volleyball team pulled off an inspired comeback Friday night, erasing a two-set deficit to defeat visiting Cal State Dominguez Hills (22-25, 23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 15-7). This is the third straight five-set match for the Pioneers (9-13, 4-11 CCAA), who were on the other end of a comeback last night. Tonight was the polar opposite in many ways, as East Bay played well from start to finish and was finally able to turn that into positive results.

The Toros (9-12, 7-7 CCAA) came out of the gate swinging and pulled out an evenly-matched first set. Elizabeth Krieger notched five kills and CSU Dominguez Hills narrowly outhit the Pioneers .289 to .265. East Bay came up short despite four kills from Nicole Boyle and seven digs from libero Veronica Sanchez.

The second set was more of the same. Boyle posted four more kills, Sanchez dug out eight balls, and setter Samantha Siebert tallied nine assists as the Pioneers hit a respectable .270. But once again, the Toros were just a little bit better. They hit .333, and the attacking trio of Krieger, Abbey Prusa, and Whitney Lee combined for 13 kills. Dominguez Hills hung on for the two-point win, and it appeared to be another frustrating night for East Bay.

However, the Pioneers refused to roll over and accept a weekend sweep. They came roaring back to win the next three sets, each by a comfortable margin. East Bay outhit its opponent .364 to .171 in the third set as the Toros finally cooled off a bit. Everyone had a hand in the victory, as Boyle, Hannah Bell, Jade Sanford, Suzy Ni Xu, and Nikki Long each posted three kills.

The Pioneers once again outhit Dominguez Hills in the fourth frame, and they controlled the game on defense as well, totaling four blocks and 21 team digs. They held the Toros to .128 hitting and forced a fifth and deciding set. That final frame would be completely dominated by the Pioneers, who had 10 kills (five from Xu) and zero errors for a sparkling .833 team attack percentage.

“I really enjoyed watching my team embrace the challenge of being down 0-2 and scratch and claw their way back after a tough loss last night,” said head coach Jim Spagle after the match. “I'm very proud of my team's toughness tonight.”

Overall, it was once of the best statistical matches of the year for Cal State East Bay. The team hit .333, besting their opponents in kills (65 to 60), digs (76 to 64), and blocks (11 to six). Five players had double-digit scoops for the Pioneers, a season-high.

Nearly every Pioneer put up impressive numbers on this night. Xu was back on the court after leaving last night's match with what originally appeared to be a serious leg injury, and she gave East Bay a huge lift. The junior hit .480 to lead the team and slammed home 15 kills to go with three blocks. Boyle had an excellent night, as well, turning in a double-double with 15 kills and 17 digs.

“I was extremely doubtful Suzy would be able to play tonight when she left the gym last night,” added Spagle in praise of his leading scorer. “Seeing her warming up was miraculous. Her courage and toughness combined with our trainer's magical tape job and treatment really gave our resilient bunch a big boost.”

Long was also outstanding, notching 11 kills without an error for a .440 attack percentage. Sanford hit .444 with nine kills and controlled the net defensively, leading all players with eight total blocks. Bell added nine kills and 12 digs, but the junior's biggest contribution was behind the service line. Her jump serve produced five aces for the match.

Sanchez spread the wealth around a bit after racking up 15 digs in the first two sets. She finished with 24 digs, which still led all players. Finally, the Pioneer setters each posted double-doubles, as Siebert totaled 31 assists and 11 digs, while Danielle Stewart had 24 assists and 10 scoops.

As for Cal State Dominguez Hills, they struggled to close out the match and hit .206 overall. Four Toros had double-digit kills, led by Krieger and Prusa with 16 apiece. Setter Dana Brown had a big night, leading all players with 50 assists and adding 11 digs and three aces.

It was a special evening at Pioneer Gym for “Dig Pink” night in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. What's more, the Pioneers salvage a 1-1 homestand before they hit the road for their next four matches in November. Next week, East Bay heads north to Humboldt State on Thursday before visiting Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday.