HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team suffered its first home loss of the season on Friday, falling in straight sets to Cal State L.A. to snap a streak of eight straight victories at Pioneer Gymnasium. 

The defeat drops the Pioneers to 13-7 overall with a 6-5 record in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, right in the middle of a tight North Division playoff race. It makes Saturday's contest against Cal State Dominguez Hills all the more significant, with a tough four-match road trip to follow.

This was about as tight as a three-set match can get, as the Golden Eagles won all three games by a score of 26-24. In each frame, the Pioneers had opportunities to close out a victory near the end, but ultimately it was the visiting team that came up with more big plays on a very frustrating night for head coach Jim Spagle and his squad.

Cal State LA out-hit the Pioneers .297 to .205 for the match, racking up 51 kills. Statistically the Pioneers were solid -- they had a relatively efficient evening offensively and got an excellent performance from senior libero Brando Brucato. But they seemed to be out of rhythm quite a bit, and the power of the Golden Eagle attackers was the difference in the match. East Bay had little answer for freshman Karla Santos, who entered the contest as the CCAA's leading scorer and proceeded to hit .395 with 18 kills.

On the home side, Lindsey Ray led the way with 13 kills on a team-high 40 attempts. Fellow outside hitter Kiki Leuteneker tallied 10 kills without making an error for a team-best .435 hitting percentage. 

Brucato had two aces and racked up 21 digs in just three games, while setter Katie Ireland dug out 16 balls to go along with 29 assists. Deja Thompson added nine kills in the middle.

The Pioneers are back in action Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m., taking on the Toros as they look to notch their first victory of the season against a South Division opponent.