Box Score HAYWARD, Calif. --- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team dropped a five-set thriller to visiting Cal State Monterey Bay on Tuesday night (23-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 15-11), a match in which three sets came down to the final point. The Pioneers (6-7, 2-3 CCAA) led 2-1 after the third set, but the Otters (9-4, 3-2 CCAA) rallied to capture the final two frames. CSUEB concludes its season-long nine-match homestand with a record of 6-3.
Suzy Ni Xu led the Pioneers with 15 kills, and
Amber Hall notched 12 kills to go with nine digs.
Katie Allen added 11 kills and nine scoops.
Samantha Bruno contributed 11 kills, as well, while posting a .381 hitting percentage and three total blocks.
Setter
Ashia Joseph racked up 52 assists, 14 digs, and five kills.
Veronica Sanchez, the CCAA's leader in digs, tallied 19 in tonight's contest.
Kitona Offord added eight kills.
"We put ourselves in position to win the match," said head coach
Jim Spagle. "But six kills and six errors in the fifth set is not the formula for success."
Julia Ashen, the nation's second-leading scorer was one of three Otters to reach double-digits in kills (with 24) and one of five Otters to post double-digit digs.
The first half of the match saw some solid play from the Pioneers. They hit .325 as a team in the first set, and although CSUMB held a narrow lead most of the way, East Bay rallied to win four straight points and tie it up 21-21. After Ashen gave the Otters a 23-22 lead, the Pioneers won the final three points to eke out a two-point victory in the first frame.
Monterey Bay evened the match by winning the second set, which was the most one-sided of the match. They led virtually the entire game, getting six kills from Jessica Malcolm and out-hitting the Pioneers .303 to .267.
The Pioneers stepped up their block defense in the third set and held the Otters to a .188 attack percentage. Despite that, the teams traded points for the first half of the frame, and Monterey actually held a 14-11 lead. A 6-0 run with Hall serving gave the home squad a three-point advantage, but the Otters countered, and the Pioneers clung to a 23-22 lead. Xu slammed one home to make it set point, but Ashen answered back with a kill to make it 24-23. A final kill from Offord secured the narrow win for East Bay.
The Pioneers had momentum heading into the fourth set, but the team's attack efficiency started to decline. Despite getting out-hit .295 to .176 in the frame, CSUEB kept the score tight the entire way. Neither team led by more than three points, and after a late kill by Xu, the Pioneers led 23-21. However, the Otters mounted a huge rally, capturing the final four points to stun the Pioneer crowd and extend the match.
The fifth set was also extremely close as the teams continued to trade points. Although they made six attack errors, East Bay still had a chance to win the match and found itself with a 10-9 lead. However, the Otters took over from there, winning six of the final seven points to claim the road victory.
Cal State East Bay will hit the road for the first time in CCAA play this weekend. The team will travel south to take on Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday night, followed by Cal State L.A. on Saturday night.
