HAYWARD, Calif. -- At Cal State East Bay, Saturdays are for comebacks. Tonight, the Pioneer volleyball team picked up a dramatic five-set victory against an extremely tough opponent for the second straight Saturday after they rallied for a narrow victory over visiting Chico State (25-20, 15-25, 17-25, 25-23, 15-13) at Pioneer Gym.

The win gives the Pioneers (9-9, 5-5 CCAA) a perfect 2-0 weekend in crucial matches against the top two teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division. For the Wildcats (14-5, 8-2 CCAA), it's just their second loss in conference play. 

The final stats were extremely close, as Chico State out-hit the Pioneers .261 to .239 and the teams finished dead even in total kills and digs. 

The Pioneers were red hot to start the match. They jumped out to a lead midway through the first set and hung on for the five-point win. It was perhaps their most efficient game of the season offensively, as they racked up 21 kills, made just two attack errors, and remarkably hit .500 as a team, led by Kiki Leuteneker and Deja Thompson with five kills each.

Chico State seemed to make some adjustments defensively after that, and the momentum turned quickly in the second set. The Wildcats returned the favor in game two, hitting .429 with 17 kills. They held East Bay to an .088 attack percentage in the third set, as the visitors took a 2-1 lead in the match on a pair of frames that weren't very close.

Perhaps last week's comeback win over Cal State L.A. gave the Pioneers confidence in their ability to rally back, but once again they showed resiliency by refusing to allow a talented opponent to put them away. East Bay's block improved in the fourth set, and they managed to win the last two points of an extremely close game to eke out a victory and extend the match.

The teams essentially traded points the entire fifth and deciding frame. After Leuteneker sent an attack long, the score was tied 12-12. Thompson's 18th kill of the night gave CSUEB the lead, and then after each team scored on an error, Thompson's 19th kill sealed the two-point win for the Pioneers.

The sophomore from Rialto closed out an impressive weekend with 19 kills, four blocks, and a .279 attack percentage. Leuteneker finished with 14 kills and nine digs. Kathy McKiernan was incredibly efficient, tallying 10 kills without an attack error for a .400 hitting percentage.

Katie Ireland filled up the scoresheet with 52 assists and 16 digs for her 16th double-double of the season. She also hit .357 on 14 attempts with six kills. 

Cassidy Caton added seven kills, while Julie Navarro posted six. Defensively, Darlene Lee led the way with 25 digs and Brandi Brucato finished with 20. 

With a 5-5 mark in conference, the Pioneers are just one game out of second place in the North Division with eight matches remaining. Next up, CSUEB is back in action at home for a midweek match, hosting Humboldt State on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.