SEASIDE, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team has been no stranger to to drama in 2017, as eight of the team's 13 matches have reached five sets. But on Tuesday evening in front of a record-setting crowd at Cal State Monterey Bay, the Pioneers provided their most thrilling theater yet. 

Just two points away from defeat, East Bay pulled off a 6-0 scoring run against the Otters to close the fifth set, steal a crucial California Collegiate Athletic Association road win, and stun the packed crowd at CSUMB's Kelp Bed. The Pioneers improved to 9-4 overall with a 3-2 mark in conference play, putting them one game ahead of Monterey Bay (8-5, 2-3 CCAA) in the North standings.

Sophomore Lindsey Ray led the team with 17 kills for the night and posted a double-double with 15 digs, but she saved her best performance for when the team needed it most. Ray racked up seven kills in the fifth frame, including four of CSUEB's final five points and the clinching kill to close out the match.

The rival squads traded momentum back and forth several times throughout the evening. The Pioneers grabbed it first, hitting .275 in the opening set and taking a 1-0 advantage over the home team. Junior Deja Thompson was hot in the early part of the match, tallying six kills in game one. She finished with 14 kills, a pair of service aces, and a team-high .423 hitting percentage. 

The Otters bounced back to win the second set and even the match up, but East Bay grabbed control once again following intermission. Although neither team managed to hit over .100 in game three, the Pioneers gutted out a four-point victory. The home team ramped up its intensity with its back against the wall in the fourth set, posting a .438 hitting percentage and holding CSUEB to an .086 mark en route to a decisive 25-13 win. 

Monterey Bay appeared to have all the momentum heading into the final frame, and that was confirmed when the Otters went on a 6-1 run to grab a 10-6 advantage in the shortened set. A few points later, the home team led 13-9 following an attack error by Kathy McKiernan and it looked as though East Bay's drive back up to Hayward would be a disappointing one. 

But then Ray put the Pioneers on her back. She recorded a kill on the next point, and the next one, and the one after that, forcing an Otter timeout. Libero Brandi Brucato then fired a southpaw service ace to tie the score 13-13, leading the Otters to call timeout yet again. Brucato would be the last player of the night to serve, as Thompson notched a kill to put the Pioneers ahead, and Ray finished off the comeback by beating the block on the left side with the game-winner.

Leuteneker finished with 11 kills, reaching double figures for the 12th time this season. McKiernan added seven to go along with a team-best three total blocks.

Freshman Audrey Lamoureux, who set up the final seven kills for the Pioneers in the fifth set, led the squad with 26 assists. Junior Katie Ireland posted 25 of her own and recorded a double-double with a team-high 18 digs. Brucato added 13 scoops in the back row. 

After taking the rest of the weekend off, the Pioneers will be back in action Tuesday evening when they travel north to Arcata for another important North Division match at Humboldt State.