HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay women's volleyball team returned home with a 3-1 victory over Chico State on Friday at Pioneer Gymnasium. The Pioneers took the opening two sets before closing out the Wildcats in four, improving to 5-8 overall and 3-2 in CCAA play.
East Bay set the tone early, rolling to a 25-14 victory in the opening set. The Pioneers hit .242 with 12 kills and just four attack errors while holding Chico State to a negative hitting percentage.
The second set was more tightly contested, but East Bay came away with a 25-22 victory to take a 2-0 advantage in the match. Chico State responded in the third, edging the Pioneers 25-23 to extend the match.
East Bay answered in the fourth. The Pioneers produced 13 kills with only three errors, hitting .286 in the frame on their way to a 25-16 victory to secure the match.
Gianna Navarro led the East Bay attack with 15 kills while hitting .316. Navarro also added four service aces, four digs, one solo block and two block assists for a team-high 21 points.
Barakat Adekola turned in a strong all-around performance with 13 kills, 19 digs, two service aces and two solo blocks while hitting .243. Natali Herrera also reached double figures with 10 kills while hitting .346.
Pi'ilani Carvalho directed the Pioneer offense with 40 assists while adding 19 digs, three service aces, three kills and four block assists. Kale'a Kuamo'o led the defensive effort with a match-high 27 digs and added two service aces.
East Bay finished with 54 kills and a .178 hitting percentage while holding Chico State to 37 kills and a .090 hitting percentage. The Pioneers also made a major impact from the service line with 15 aces while not allowing a Chico State ace.
At the net, East Bay totaled 14 team blocks behind seven solo blocks and 14 block assists. Carys Fouser contributed two solo blocks and five block assists, while Carvalho added four block assists.
The Pioneers finished with 82 digs and used contributions throughout the lineup to secure their third CCAA victory of the season.
