TURLOCK, Calif. - Prior to the 2025 CCAA Volleyball Tournament presented by Under Armour, an honor that only one CCAA volleyball player receives each year was bestowed upon a member of Cal State East Bay's squad. Rebeca Freitas was named the 2025 recipient of the Elite 13 award for the CCAA. 

The Elite 13 award is presented to the student-athlete participating in one of the 13 CCAA Championships who has the highest grade point average among all student-athletes competing in the championship event. 

The sophomore defensive specialist is the second student-athlete in 2025-26 to receive an Elite 13 Award from Cal State East Bay. Last Friday, Yuto Hatayama from the institution's men's soccer team received the honor for that sport. 

All time, Cal State East Bay has received 10 Elite 13 awards since the accolade was introduced in 2017-18. The last volleyball player from Cal State East Bay who was an Elite 13 recipient was Kathy McKiernan in 2018. 

The Pioneers open against Cal State LA in the quarterfinals of the 2025 CCAA Volleyball Tournament presented by Under Armour on Thursday.