PUEBLO, Colo. - The Cal State East Bay Pioneers women's volleyball team kicked off its 2024 season with a hard-fought match against the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles in the Steel City Classic, hosted by CSU Pueblo. Despite moments of brilliance, the Pioneers fell 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-20) at Massari Arena.

MATCH SUMMARY

In the opening set, the Pioneers demonstrated their grit, battling back from an early 7-2 deficit to tie the score at 16-16, thanks to a service ace from Pi'ilani Carvalho. The set remained tight until 20-20, when Minnesota Crookston pulled away to claim a 25-22 victory.

The second set saw East Bay take the initial lead with a kill from Mia Jordan. However, the Golden Eagles responded with a seven-point run. Showing their resilience once again, the Pioneers fought back from a 21-14 deficit, stringing together six consecutive points capped by a kill from Fane Paua. Despite the comeback attempt, Minnesota Crookston secured the set 25-21 for a 2-0 advantage in sets.

The final set was a back-and-forth affair, with the Pioneers mounting a six-point run to take an 18-17 lead. Unfortunately, for East Bay the Golden Eagles finished strong, closing out the match with an 8-2 run for a 25-20 set win and the sweep.

NOTABLE STATS

• Mia Jordan and Lexi Pagani led the team with 10 kills each
• Pi'ilani Carvalho contributed two service aces
• Pagani and Kale'a Kuamo'o had nine digs each for East Bay. 
• Trinity Cox, in her first match as a Pioneer, recorded a team-high 14 assists.
• The Golden Eagles' Madison Carsten led all players with 11 kills.
• Minnesota Crookston posted a .245 attack percentage to East Bay's .156.

POSTGAME QUOTE

UP NEXT FOR CAL STATE EAST BAY

The Pioneers have a very quick turnaround with two matches scheduled for Friday at Massari Arena on the second day of the Steel City Classic. The Pioneers take on Lubbock Christian at 10:15 a.m. MT (9:15 a.m. Pacific) followed by a matchup gainst Lake Superior State at 5 p.m. MT (4 p.m. Pacific).