CHICO — Cal State East Bay battled Chico State in a back-and-forth five set match on Thursday night but ultimately fell 3–2 (25–22, 23–25, 27–25, 18–25, 15–9) in a late-season CCAA matchup.  The Pioneers moved to 13-12 overall and 10-7 in conference play with the loss. 
 
East Bay grabbed the opening set behind a strong attack that converted 14 kills on 40 swings. The Pioneers combined stellar defense and a high-powered offense to seize a quick lead and held off Chico's push for a 25-22 victory.
 
The second frame swung the other way. East Bay's attack cooled with 11 kills on 44 attempts and Chico State evened the match with a 25-23 victory.
 
In the third set, East Bay again played with poise in tight moments. Once again connecting on 14 kills.  The Pioneers faced game-point at 24-23 but rallied off three straight to take the set 27-25.  Malayah Adams tied the score with a kill before Rebeca Freitas recorded and ace and Fane Paua ended the set with a kill of her own.
 
The Wildcats once again responded, evening the match at 2-2 with a 25-18 win in the fourth to force a fifth and deciding set.  The fifth was controlled by Chico State as they racked up 11 kills on their way to a 15-9 win.   
 
Despite the setback, East Bay produced several standout performances. Barakat Adekola led the Pioneers with 16 kills and 15 digs, notching a double-double while taking a team-high 61 swings. Adams added 13 kills and eight digs, and Herrera contributed 11 kills with a .214 hitting percentage. At the net, Fane Paua was a force with three blocks, and Pi'ilani Carvalho dished out 45 assists while adding seven digs.
 
Defensively, Kuamo'o posted a match-high 20 digs while East Bay also finished with 10 service aces, including four from Kuamo'o and three from Trinity Cox.
 
The Pioneers close out the regular season on Saturday afternoon when they take on Cal Poly Humboldt.