Box Score SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. --- Despite a standout performance by junior Samantha Bruno, the Cal State East Bay volleyball team fell in straight sets on Friday night to Cal State San Bernardino, the No. 16 team in the nation (25-23, 25-18, 25-17). The Pioneers (6-11, 2-7 CCAA) have now dropped six straight matches. The Coyotes (13-4, 9-0 CCAA), who are undefeated in conference play, managed to avenge last year's loss to East Bay at Coussoulis Arena.

CSUSB out-hit the Pioneers .254 to .120 in the match and recorded 44 kills to East Bay's 33. The home team got 14 kills from Tori May and 13 from Benna McIntosh.

Bruno shined for CSUEB, totaling 10 kills to lead the team and posting a .350 attack percentage. Seniors Suzy Ni Xu and Kitona Offord each had six kills and three block assists. Amber Hall notched five kills and eight digs, while fellow outside hitter Hannah Bell added four kills and nine scoops. 

Libero Veronica Sanchez tallied 13 digs to pace the Pioneers. Ashia Joseph and Aimee Kyed shared the setting duties, with Joseph totaling 13 assists and Kyed racking up 11, which was a season high for the freshman.

Despite the three-set sweep, the first set was actually very evenly-matched and tightly contested. The Pioneers held a narrow lead for the majority of the set, continually holding off Coyote rallies. Things were lookings bright for East Bay leading 21-19, but San Bernardino managed to win six of the final eight points and steal the game-one victory. The Coyotes hit .178 in the frame, their lowest percentage of the three sets. The Pioneers hit .163, which ended up being their best mark of the three sets.

East Bay also had a chance in the second set. This time, San Bernardino held a slight lead most of the way, but the Pioneers found themselved trailing by just one at 17-16. From there, however, the Coyotes won five straight points to extend their lead to six and held on for the 25-18 win. 

The home team didn't wait around as long to make its scoring run in the third set. After a kill by Bruno, East Bay trailed just 11-9. But CSUSB managed to rattle off a 9-2 run that put them up 20-11 and essentially put the game out of reach. The Coyotes closed out the match with a 25-17 victory, prevented the Pioneers from pulling an upset in San Bernardino for the second straight year. 

CSUEB is back at home next weekend after four straight road matches. They'll host No. 12 Sonoma State on Friday night in their "Dig Pink" match before welcoming in SF State on Saturday night for the annual Battle of the Bay.