HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team won its first set of the season against California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) competition on Friday, but ultimately fell 3-1 at Pioneeer Gym to two-time defending conference champion Sonoma State (23-25, 25-21, 17-25, 17-25). 

The first set of the night ended up being the key to the match. SSU out-hit the Pioneers .233 to .191 in the opening frame, but the home team racked up 16 kills. The Seawolves held a narrow lead entering the final point, but the Pioneers weren't able to get closer than 21-20 as the visitors held on to take the lead.

East Bay bounced back to hit .224 in the second set, this time winning six of the final nine points to pull away with a four-point win. That evened the match at 1-1 heading into intermission.

However, the Seawolves came out and posted a .364 attack percentage in the third game, then held the Pioneers to -.043 hitting in the four game. They won each of the final two sets 25-17 to secure the road victory, the sixth straight for Sonoma State in the head-to-head series between the two teams.

The Pioneers helped their cause with nine service aces, led by Kiki Leuteneker with five, but they weren't able to overcome being out-hit .240 to .138 for the night. 

Deja Thompson led the way offensively with 15 kills and 12 digs. Leutekener also posted a double-double with 12 kills and 11 scoops.

Setter Katie Ireland filled up the scoresheet with 38 assists and 15 digs to go along with seven kills and a .462 attack percentage. Libero Brandi Brucato racked up a season-high 27 digs in the loss.

In the middle, Kathy McKiernan and Taylor Elliot notched six and four kills, respectively, while Elliot paced the team with three total blocks. 

CSUEB (4-7, 0-3 CCAA) returns to the court agains Saturday night, looking for their first conference victory of the year against cross-Bay rival San Francisco State at 7 p.m.