ROHNERT PARK, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team clinched its first ever California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division title on Saturday after defeating Sonoma State on the road in straight sets in the regular season finale. 

The Pioneers improve to 15-11 overall and close the CCAA schedule with an 11-7 conference record. They finish tied with Cal State Monterey Bay after the Otters fell to No. 1 ranked Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday, and East Bay will enter next week's CCAA Tournament as the top seed from the North after posting a better division record than CSUMB.

CSUEB has now improved its conference record each of the last three seasons, thanks in large part this year to a 10-2 mark against fellow North Division teams. That includes a season sweep of the Seawolves, against whom the Pioneers did not lose a set this season.

East Bay hit over .300 in all three frames on this night, finishing the match with a .326 percentage and just seven total attack errors. They racked up seven service aces and dominated up front with a 14-2 advantage in blocks, while holding Sonoma to just .176 hitting.

The Pioneers had to erase an early deficit in the opening frame, but a 7-0 run midway through put them ahead for good. Game two was an even more impressive victory, as the visitors led nearly the entire time and pulled away late, finishing on a 14-6 run.

East Bay struck early following the intermission, winning six straight points to snag a lead in game three. The home team rallied back on its "Senior Night" to even the score 15-15, but then the Pioneers stepped on the gas. They won six a row once again and then closed out the sweep on a 10-2 run.

Senior Deja Thompson reached yet another career milestone in the victory, becoming the fourth player in the school history to reach 1,000 career kills. This comes just a couple matches after she became the first Pioneer ever to record 300 blocks.

Thompson had a stellar performance against SSU, hitting .600 with nine kills and four blocks. She and fellow senior Kiki Leuteneker each tallied nine kills without an error, as Leuteneker posted a .563 hitting percentage and also scored a team-high three aces.

Kathy McKiernan tallied nine kills as well, and the senior hit .444 to go along with five blocks. Lindsey Ray was the team leader in that category, as she finished with six blocks -- including three solo -- in addition to her seven kills.

Senior Katie Ireland notched 29 assists and a team-high 13 digs, and she becomes the first Pioneer of the CCAA era to finish a regular season averaging at least 10.00 assists per set.

The Pioneers have shown the ability to finish off opponents after taking leads, particularly in the latter half of the season. Of the team's 15 wins this season, 10 of them have been sweeps.

East Bay started this 2018 season by testing itself in Colorado against some of the nation's top competition. The Pioneers' subsequent West Region Crossover tournament and CCAA schedules have pitted them against nearly all the best teams in the West. They are indeed battle-tested as they head into the postseason.

CSUEB dropped its home opener back on Sept. 7th, then never lost at Pioneer Gym the rest of the season to finish 7-1 at home. They were just 3-7 on the road heading into the final trip this week, but they came through when it mattered, sweeping both Humboldt and Sonoma. Ultimately, the Pioneers took care of business tremendously against their divisional rivals, and it resulted in the program's first North Division crown.

Next up, they have a few days to prepare for the 2018 CCAA Tournament, which takes place Nov. 8-10 at Stanislaus State and determines the conference's automatic bid to NCAA Division II Regionals. The Pioneers will take on the No. 4 seed from the South, Cal State San Marcos, in the second match of Thursday's first round.