SAN MARCOS, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay volleyball team opened its SoCal road trip with a four-set loss at Cal State San Marcos. The Pioneers took the opening set, but the Cougars rallied back to hand CSUEB its second straight loss on a Friday.

East Bay drops to 5-6 overall and 1-2 in conference play, while San Marcos improves to 6-4 with a 2-0 record in the young California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) schedule.

Lindsey Ray led the Pioneers with 16 kills, and Kiki Leuteneker reached double figures as well with 10. Both seniors did much of that damage in East Bay's first-set victory. They never trailed in the opening frame after grabbing a 4-0 lead, ultimately holding San Marcos to a .093 hitting percentage.

Unfortunately, CSUEB wasn't able to sustain that momentum as the home team rallied back to win three straight sets, leading essentially the entire remainder of the match. The Cougar attackers found their stride, led by Olivia Aguilar (14 kills) and Maddy Newcombe (12 kills).

The Cougars out-hit the Pioneers .236 to .110 overall, thanks in large part to a dominant effort in the front row that led to a 12-4 advantage in total blocks.

Cassidy Caton impressed from the service line for East Bay, leading all player in the match with three aces. 

A quartet of Pioneers recorded double-digit digs, led by libero Natahlee Wilson with 18. Setter Katie Ireland notched 17 to go along with 29 assists. Outside hitters Ray and Leuteneker both tallied double-doubles with 13 and 11 digs, respectively.

CSUEB will look to get back in the win column Saturday night when the squad heads down to La Jolla for a 7 p.m. showdown with UC San Diego.