SAN FRANCISCO – The Cal State East Bay volleyball team fell to Cal Poly Pomona in three sets Friday afternoon in a nonconference matchup at the San Francisco Federal Credit Union Gym at Don Nasser Family Plaza. The Pioneers kept the opening and closing sets close but were unable to overcome the Broncos, falling 23-25, 19-25 and 22-25. East Bay moved to 7-11 overall while remaining 5-4 in CCAA play.
The opening set featured a competitive battle between the two teams, with seven ties and three lead changes. East Bay recorded 13 kills while hitting .237, but Cal Poly Pomona edged the Pioneers 25-23 to take a 1-0 lead.
The Broncos carried that momentum into the second set, recording 17 kills and a .333 hitting percentage to claim a 25-19 victory. East Bay finished the frame with 11 kills while hitting .214.
The Pioneers responded with their most efficient offensive set of the match in the third, committing just one attack error on 31 attempts to hit .290. Despite the improved efficiency, Cal Poly Pomona held on for a 25-22 win to complete the sweep.
Lamona Lauhingoa led East Bay with 10 kills while adding eight digs, a solo block and two block assists. Barakat Adekola followed with nine kills and eight digs, while Natali Herrera contributed four kills without an attack error, finishing with a .500 hitting percentage.
Carys Fouser delivered a strong performance at the net, recording three solo blocks and seven block assists to go along with four kills and three digs. Fouser's blocking effort helped East Bay finish with 11 total team blocks.
Gianna Navarro added five kills and a team-high 14 digs, along with three block assists. Pi'ilani Carvalho directed the offense with 24 assists, seven digs and a service ace, while Kale'a Kuamo'o added six digs and an ace.
As a team, East Bay finished with 34 kills, 49 digs and three service aces while hitting .247. Cal Poly Pomona recorded 54 kills and 48 digs with a .250 hitting percentage.
The Pioneers closed the match with their most efficient offensive set, hitting .290 in the third while maintaining a strong presence at the net throughout the afternoon. East Bay will look to build on those performances as it continues its season.
