ARCATA, Calif. – Cal State East Bay volleyball closed out the 2025 regular season with a tough five-set loss to Cal Poly Humboldt, 25–17, 16–25, 10–25, 25–21, 17–15. The loss ends East Bay's regular season at 13–13 overall and 10–8 in CCAA play, while giving them the No. 6 seed in next week's CCAA Tournament. 
 
After a slow start in the opening set the Pioneers found themselves in a  12–6 deficit that forced an early timeout.  EB regrouped and began steadying their serve-receive while finding their rhythm offensively. Though East Bay closed the gap to 14–11 behind kills from Malayah Adams, Gianna Navarro, and Natali Herrera, Humboldt closed the frame with a late push to take the opener 25–17
 
The Pioneers responded emphatically in the second set, flipping the momentum with a 14-kill performance. Navarro delivered an early service ace and added two more later while Adams and Barakat Adekola combined for six kills, and setter Piʻilani Carvalho orchestrated the offense with precision, stacking up assists as East Bay turned a 6–3 deficit into a 12–9 lead. The Pioneers never looked back, closing the set 25–16 after consecutive kills from Adams and a pair of late points from Fane Paua
 
East Bay was even more dominant in the third set, unleashing its most efficient offensive frame of the match. The Pioneers hit .577 as Adekola took over, piling up kills in bunches, including three straight as part of a 6–0 surge that stunned the Lumberjacks. East Bay finished the set by winning 7 of the last 8 points to cruise to a 25-10 victory.
 
However, Humboldt refused to go quietly, and the fourth set turned into a tug-of-war, with East Bay jumping ahead 11–4 following a 9-point run.  The Lumberjacks to counter with a 12–3 run and despite key kills from Adekola and a late push that cut the deficit to 24–21, Humboldt held on to force a decisive fifth set
 
The final frame was every bit the nail-biter its 17–15 score suggests. Adekola, Adams, and Navarro each delivered pressure kills, and the Pioneers twice erased deficits but faced match point at 14-13.  East Bay fought off the match point when Paua blasted a kill but Humboldt answered with a kill from Jennings and an East Bay attack error to edge out the victory in extra points
 
Despite the heartbreaking finish, the Pioneers saw standout performances across the board. Adekola led all hitters with 18 kills on .390 hitting, while Adams delivered one of her best efforts of the season with 17 kills. Navarro added 10 kills and six aces, and Carvalho directed the offense with 37 assists and 15 digs. Kuamoʻo anchored the back row with a match-high 27 digs.
 
The Pioneers now head to Turlock for the CCAA Tournament where they will take on the No. 3 seed.