POMONA, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team fell in straight sets Friday evening on the road to the No. 19 ranked team in the country, Cal Poly Pomona, in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action. 

The Pioneers drop to 12-10 overall after losing their second straight on the heels of a seven-match winning streak. The red-hot Broncos improved to 18-3 following an impressive offensive performance in which they hit .330 and topped CSUEB in total kills, 47-33.

It was an historic night for senior setter Katie Ireland, who tallied 25 assists to become the all-time career assist leader in the history of Pioneer volleyball. Her total of 2.652 surpassed the previous record of 2,647 held by Annie Shrieve, which had stood for 19 years. Ireland's school record comes just two matches after she became the first CSUEB player in program history to record 2,000 career assists and 1,000 digs. 

The Colorado native found success in this contest setting fellow seniors Kiki Leuteneker, who led the team with 10 kills, and Kathy McKiernan, who hit .353 with eight kills. Freshman right side hitter Taylor Templeman also had a solid night, adding five kills without an attack error, but it wasn't enough to overcome Pomona's powerful offense. 

The home team didn't trail at all in the first two sets, and they posted hitting percentages of at least .300 in all three frames. East Bay's best effort came in the third and final game when they hit .306, but an early 7-0 run by the Broncos created a deficit too big for the Pioneers to erase.

This is CSUEB's first three-set loss of the entire season, a testament to how competitive they've been. The Pioneers are very much alive in the CCAA postseason race with four matches remaining and still have a chance to claim the North Division crown. But the schedule doesn't ease up as the team makes the short trip to take on No. 5 ranked Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.