Box Score HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team rallied for a four-set victory over visiting UC San Diego in Friday night's penultimate match of the 2014 season (19-25, 25-17, 25-19, 29-27). The Pioneers (10-16, 7-14 CCAA) are finishing the year strong, having now won five of their last six at home.

East Bay out-hit UCSD .256 to .190 for the match. The Pioneers also racked up 55 kills, which is their highest total in a California Collegiate Athletic Association match this season. It was a memorable night, as the team played in front of its largest and most enthusiastic crowd of the season.

The Tritons were able to jump out to an early 10-4 lead in the first set behind the hot hitting of Amanda Colla, which had eight first-set kills. Both teams had early success on the attack, as the Pioneers hit .306 in the frame and UCSD hit .357. East Bay kept the score tight and traded points with the Tritons the rest of the game, but they were never able to get closer than four.

Trailing 1-0, the Pioneers stepped up their defense in a big way in the second set and held UCSD to a negative attack percentage. The score was tight through the first half of the frame before East Bay managed to pull away. Tied 14-14, the Pioneers won three straight points and never looked back as they evened up the match with an eight-point victory.

Taking advantage of a supportive crowd, CSUEB carried their momentum into the third game. They posted a .314 hitting percentage with just three attack error and outlasted the Tritons to take a 2-1 lead in the match. It followed a similar script to game two -- with UCSD leading 12-11, the Pioneers won four straight points and never relinquished the lead after that. 

East Bay had a chance to close out the win in game four, but most of the way, it seemed as though the match were destined for five. The Tritons led the majority of the frame, and they looked to be in good shape with a 23-20 lead. But the Pioneers rallied for three straight points as seniors Amber Hall and Samantha Bruno both recorded kills. The squads traded points back and forth as the tension built in Pioneer Gymnasium.

The score was 27-26 in favor of UCSD when freshman Kiani Rayford stepped up in a big way. She and Jovan Turner combined on a block to tie the score, and then Rayford slammed home a kill to give the Pioneers match point. After the Tritons countered with a point to make it 27-27, Rayford scored yet another kill to put East Bay back up. She then took to the service line for match point, and Ashia Joseph set up Hall for the winning kill as the Pioneer faithful erupted in celebration.

"I was very proud of our resiliency in this match, particularly the last game," said head coach Jim Spagle. "We ran out of subs towards the end, and our freshman defensive wizard Brandi Brucato had to go through the front row. I thought our serve receive and defensive tenacity improved dramatically after the first set. Overally, I'm very proud of the team's effort." 

Hall and Bruno each posted 14 kills to lead the team. Hall added 12 digs in her ninth double-double of the season, and Bruno recorded a .297 attack percentage. Libero Angie Maina racked up 26 digs to lead all players, and Brucato added eight scoops.

Rayford hit .344 with 12 kills and two blocks for the Pioneers. In the middle, Turner had six kills and three blocks. Fellow freshman Micah Hammond notched team highs with four blocks and a .400 hitting percentage, and she reached double-digits for the first time with a career-high 10 kills. 

Joseph tallied three kills, 11 digs, and a season-high 49 assists. With one match to play, she has moved up into sixth place on the school all-time career list with 1,826 assists.

"Micah really stepped up, and Kiani came back from a challenging injury to play her best match of the season," added Spagle. "Ashia also did a terrific job distributing the ball. The last three sets tonight were the best games I've seen her play this year."

"I would also like to acknowledge our trainer, Anthony Camargo," Spagle noted. "I was amazed that he had Kiani ready to go tonight. He's a magician with his ability to get our athletes back on the court!"

The Pioneers close out the 2014 season on Saturday night, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m., against Cal Poly Pomona. There will be a brief pregame ceremony to honor the four seniors who will be competing at Pioneer Gym for the final time. Live video will be available at PioneerWebTV.com.