HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay volleyball team completed a comeback Thursday evening, overcoming a two-set deficit to defeat Cal State Monterey Bay 3-2 in CCAA action at Pioneer Gymnasium. After dropping the opening two sets, the Pioneers responded with three consecutive set victories to secure the win, improving to 8-12 overall and 6-4 in conference play.
The opening set featured a competitive battle between the two teams, with East Bay recording 14 kills and hitting .286. Despite the offensive effort, Monterey Bay claimed a narrow 25-23 victory to take an early advantage.
The Otters carried that momentum into the second set, recording 16 kills while hitting .250. East Bay finished with eight kills in the frame, but Monterey Bay pulled away for a 25-18 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Facing a two-set deficit, the Pioneers responded in the third set, recording 12 kills and limiting Monterey Bay to a .000 hitting percentage. East Bay took the frame 25-17 to extend the match.
The Pioneers followed with their strongest offensive performance of the evening in the fourth set, recording 15 kills on 29 attempts with just two errors for a .448 hitting percentage. East Bay held Monterey Bay to five kills and a -.029 hitting percentage, cruising to a 25-8 victory to even the match at two sets apiece.
With the match on the line, East Bay continued its momentum in the fifth set. The Pioneers recorded eight kills while hitting .286 and held Monterey Bay to nine points, completing the comeback with a 15-9 victory.
Gianna Navarro led East Bay offensively with a match-high 17 kills on 35 attempts, committing just one attack error for an impressive .457 hitting percentage. She also contributed two block assists and a service ace.
Barakat Adekola followed with a double-double, recording 15 kills and a team-high 17 digs while hitting .295. She also contributed three block assists. Lamona Lauhingoa added 10 kills, nine digs and two service aces, providing another strong performance for the Pioneers.
Pi'ilani Carvalho also recorded a double-double, directing the East Bay offense with 37 assists and 16 digs while adding three service aces. Kale'a Kuamo'o contributed 16 digs and two aces, while Natali Herrera finished with five kills, one solo block and three block assists. Carys Fouser added six block assists.
As a team, East Bay finished with 57 kills, 72 digs and nine service aces while hitting .258. The Pioneers also recorded 10 total team blocks and held Monterey Bay to a .099 hitting percentage.
The victory highlighted East Bay's resilience after dropping the opening two sets, as the Pioneers responded with three consecutive set wins to complete the comeback. East Bay will look to carry that momentum forward as it continues CCAA play.
