MERCED, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay women's volleyball team returned to the win column Saturday evening, defeating UC Merced 3-1 at Greg and Cathie Hostetler Court. The Pioneers took the opening two sets before closing out the Bobcats in four, improving to 7-9 overall and 5-3 in CCAA play.
East Bay established an early advantage with a 25-17 victory in the opening set. The Pioneers recorded 12 kills while hitting .209, holding UC Merced to a .000 hitting percentage to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Pioneers carried that momentum into the second set, improving their offensive efficiency to .296 with 11 kills and just three attack errors. East Bay claimed the set 25-18 to extend its advantage to 2-0.
UC Merced responded in the third set, edging East Bay 25-23 to extend the match. The Pioneers recorded 13 kills in the frame but committed seven attack errors, while the Bobcats hit .122 with 14 kills.
East Bay answered with its strongest offensive set of the evening in the fourth. The Pioneers hit .333 with nine kills and only one attack error on 24 attempts, pulling away for a 25-12 victory to secure the match.
Gianna Navarro led the East Bay attack with 15 kills on 29 attempts, committing just one error for a .483 hitting percentage. Navarro also added nine digs and three block assists, finishing with a team-high 16.5 points.
Barakat Adekola contributed eight kills and a team-high 18 digs while recording three solo blocks and a service ace. Natali Herrera also finished with eight kills, hitting .462 on 13 attempts while adding one solo block and two block assists.
Pi'ilani Carvalho directed the Pioneer offense with 39 assists, eight digs and a service ace. Kale'a Kuamo'o added 16 digs and a service ace, while Lauren Au contributed two service aces.
Brooklynne Traficante added five kills, while Isabelle Watson finished with four and Saniya Kimbrough contributed three.
East Bay finished with 45 kills and a .225 hitting percentage, compared with 44 kills and a .029 hitting percentage for UC Merced. The Pioneers also recorded five service aces, 73 digs and 10 total team blocks.
The Pioneers responded to Friday's road loss with a balanced offensive effort and a strong performance at the net, closing out the weekend with their fifth CCAA victory of the season.
