HAYWARD, Calif. -- The final home match of the season was a memorable one for the Cal State East Bay volleyball team. An evening that started with an emotional ceremony to honor the 2018 seniors, ended nearly two-and-a-half hours later with a thrilling five-set victory for the Pioneers over visiting Cal State Monterey Bay.

The win clinched a postseason berth for CSUEB for the third straight season. It also kept them alive in the race for the CCAA North Division crown. The Pioneers (13-11, 9-7 CCAA) have now evened the season series with the Otters (15-7, 10-5 CCAA) to earn their first points of the 2018-19 season in the "Battle of the Bays" competition.

East Bay out-hit Monterey Bay .238 to .172 for the night, and they racked up a season-high 104 digs. The victory snaps a three-match losing streak for the Pioneers, and it ends a nine-match winning streak for the Otters.

The Pioneers got off to a hot start, hitting .346 in the opening set to secure a 1-0 lead in the match. The second set was extremely tight, mirroring the first matchup between the two squads a couple weeks ago in Seaside. Monterey held a narrow lead most of the way, but East Bay went on a late 5-0 run before finishing off a 25-23 victory on a kill by senior Kiki Leuteneker.

The home team had a chance to end the evening quickly in game three, which was also tightly contested. It was 18-18 late in the frame, but this time it was CSUMB to make a late run as the Otters won 25-22 to extend the match. The fourth set followed a similar script, as the Pioneers hit just .111, but managed to cling to a narrow advantage most of the way. It was 22-19 in favor of the home team, but once again, the Otters got it done in crunch time, winning six of the final seven points to steal a 25-23 win and force a fifth set.

Losing two straight sets in frustrating fashion seemed to awaken something in the Pioneers, who didn't want their final home match to end in disappointment. They absolutely dominated game five by a final score of 15-2 as the large "Senior Night" crowd in attendance built their celebratory cheers to a crescendo at the end. It was the loudest Pioneer Gym has been all season.

Setter Katie Ireland, who recently became the program's all-time leader in assists, turned in another remarkable statistical performance. The senior recorded her second triple-double of the season with 13 kills, 46 assists, and 10 digs. She's the only player in the CCAA to accomplish that feat even once. 

Outside hitters Kiki Leuteneker and Lindsey Ray both notched season highs in digs in their final match at Pioneer Gym. Leuteneker tallied 13 kills and 20 digs, while Ray racked up 11 kills and a team-best 28 digs. 

Libero Natahlee Wilson totaled 23 digs, while senior Cassidy Caton added 16 to go along with a pair of service aces. 

Freshman Taylor Templeman finished with 11 kills in the win. Middle blockers Deja Thompson and Kathy McKiernan posted nine and seven kills, respectively, and the two seniors each had three blocks. For Thompson, it was the 300th block of her career, extending her program record.

The Pioneers will hit the road to finish off their regular season next weekend, visiting Humboldt State and Sonoma State as they attempt to catch CSUMB for the North Division's top seed at the CCAA Tournament in Turlock.