MONMOUTH, Ore. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team opened the 2017 DII West Region Showcase tournament on Thursday evening with a thrilling five-set victory, erasing an 0-2 deficit to defeat Fresno Pacific.

This was the fourth straight win for the Pioneers (4-1), and it's the first of four non-conference matches the team will play this weekend at the event hosted by Western Oregon.

East Bay quickly fell behind to the Sunbirds (1-4), dropping the first two sets. The first frame was tight until Fresno Pacific won six of the final seven points to seal it. Then the momentum appeared to be all on FPU's bench after the Pioneers hit .054 in a five-point loss in game two. 

The Pioneers grinded through a back-and-forth third game, hoping tio avoid the sweep. Trailing by one midway through the set, they went on a 5-0 run to take an 18-14 lead. They held that lead the rest of the way, pulling off another scoring run near the end to secure a win and extend the match.

It was more of the same in game four, and after a tight battle with multiple lead changes, FPU held a 21-19 advantage. That's when this veteran Pioneer squad showed its resolve and refused to let the night end in four frames. Led by strong play at the net by Deja Thompson, Kiki Leuteneker, and Kathy McKiernan, East Bay won six of the final seven points to force a fifth game.

Playing in their second straight five-set match, the Pioneers fell behind to the Sunbirds 7-4. But once again, they rallied back. Thompson scored two straight kills to tie the score 9-9, igniting a 6-0 run for the Pioneers. After a pair of FPU points, Thompson struck again to make it 14-11, and then East Bay won the match on a kill by Leuteneker.

The Sunbirds out-hit CSUEB for the match, .214 to .204, but the Pioneers posted their highest attack percentage of the night in the final frame with a mark of .350.

Thompson led the way for East Bay with 18 kills, five total blocks, and a .333 hitting percentage. Leuteneker racked up 17 kills and posted a double-double with 11 digs.

Newcomer Lindsey Ray hit .265 with 14 kills, and recorded a double-double of her own with 14 scoops. McKiernan also reached double figures in kills with 10 to go along with her four total blocks.

Junior Katie Ireland handled the bulk of the setting duties, tallying 43 assists and 12 digs. 

In the back, libero Brandi Brucato led all players in the match with 26 digs. The four-year senior has now moved up into fifth place on the program's all-time digs list, and she is 17 scoops away from becoming just the fifth Pioneer ever to reach 1,000 for her career.

The Pioneers are back in action in Monmouth on Friday with a pair of match. They take on Seattle Pacific at 10 a.m., followed by an afternoon contest against Chaminade at 1 p.m.