Highlight Video  |  Postgame Interview

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team's historic 2018 season came to an end Thursday night with a three-set loss to top-seeded Western Washington in the first round of the NCAA Division II West Regional. 

The Pioneers battled hard against the Vikings, who entered the tournament ranked No. 2 in the national coaches poll, but they came up a bit short as WWU notched its 26th straight win to advance to Friday's Regional semifinal. 

Although East Bay didn't capture any set victories, it was nonetheless an extremely tight match. The Vikings narrowly out-hit the Pioneers .288 to .274 for the night as CSUEB turned in an impressively efficient offensive performance, and the team totals for kills, digs, blocks, and service aces were all very close.

East Bay showed right away that it wouldn't be an easy victory for the home team, matching points with WWU nearly the entire way through the first set. There were six lead changes early, and then the teams found themselves tied 20-20 after two straight points for the Pioneers. But the Vikings snatched control of the game, winning three in a row on a pair of kills sandwiched around an ace, before finishing off a three-point win.

The Pioneers came out firing in game two and answered back by grabbing a quick lead. The visitors played some of their best volleyball of the season as they opened the frame on a 12-4 run. The Pioneers led 15-6 when WWU called a timeout, and then the powerful Viking attackers started to chip away. They won six of the next eight points after the timeout to get within five. Then a 6-0 run by the Vikings gave them their first lead of the set, and they closed out the game by winning three straight to complete the comeback and secure a 25-22 win.

After dropping that set, East Bay's chances appeared slim, but they continued to battle hard and once again played WWU extremely tight in the third game. The Vikings led most of the way, but every time they extended their advantage by a few points, the Pioneers had an answer, refusing to roll over. East Bay got within one at 21-20 late in the frame, but the Vikings won four of the final five points to seal the victory.

Senior Lindsey Ray, a First Team All-CCAA selection, hit .375 with 11 kills and 11 digs. Fellow senior Deja Thomson matched her with 11 kills and tallied a team-high four total blocks. She finishes her career as the only player in program history with 1,000 kills and 300 blocks. 

Senior Kiki Leuteneker was impressive as well, notching 10 kills with just one attack error to go along with a pair of aces. She will graduate No. 2 on the school's all-time kill list with 1,222 for her career.

Senior Katie Ireland, CSUEB's all-time assist leader, racked up 37 assists in the loss. And the only setter in program history to reach 1,000 career digs lead the team with 18 digs in her final contest.

All-CCAA middle blocker Kathy McKiernan notched six kills with a .375 hitting percentage, while fellow senior Cassidy Caton closed out her Pioneer career with 14 digs in the back row. Junior libero Natahlee Wilson added 17 scoops for the Pioneers.

Although they weren't quite able to pull off the upset in front of an energetic crowd of mostly Viking fans at Carver Gym, the 2018 Pioneers can return to the Bay Area with their heads held high. They took on an extremely high level of competition this Fall, and it's only fitting that it took a matchup with the No. 2 ranked team in the nation to end their season.

The Pioneers will return home and begin to train and prepare for next year, as they look to build the program into a perennial contender. It is the end of the journey, however, for East Bay's six outstanding seniors, whose names now litter the school record lists. That group of Pioneers leaves an indelible legacy, carrying the team to three straight CCAA postseason appearances, capturing the program's first North Division crown, and earning CSUEB's first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament.