FRESNO, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay women's volleyball team fell in straight sets to undefeated Fresno Pacific on Friday evening at the Special Events Center. The Pioneers dropped the CCAA matchup 25-16, 25-19 and 25-19, moving to 6-9 overall and 4-3 in conference play.
Fresno Pacific established an early advantage in the opening set, recording 18 kills while hitting .292. East Bay finished the frame with 10 kills but was unable to slow the Sunbirds' attack as Fresno Pacific took the first set 25-16.
The Pioneers responded with a stronger offensive showing in the second set, improving their hitting percentage to .175 while recording 13 kills. East Bay battled through a more competitive frame, but Fresno Pacific held on for a 25-19 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
East Bay continued to improve offensively in the third set, posting its best hitting percentage of the evening at .258 with 12 kills and just four attack errors. Despite the improved efficiency, Fresno Pacific closed out the match with another 25-19 set victory.
Isabelle Watson led the Pioneers offensively with 11 kills on 28 attempts while hitting .250. Gianna Navarro followed with eight kills and seven digs, while Barakat Adekola added five kills and 14 digs.
Carys Fouser turned in an efficient performance at the net, recording five kills without an attack error on 12 attempts for a team-high .417 hitting percentage. Fouser also contributed two block assists.
Pi'ilani Carvalho directed the East Bay offense with 29 assists and seven digs, while Kale'a Kuamo'o led the defensive effort with a match-high 16 digs. Adekola followed with 14 digs as the Pioneers finished with 54 as a team.
East Bay totaled 35 kills and hit .170 for the match, while Fresno Pacific recorded 44 kills and a .267 hitting percentage. The Sunbirds also held a 7-0 advantage in service aces, while East Bay finished with three total team blocks.
The Pioneers showed improvement offensively throughout the match, increasing their hitting percentage in each set and closing the evening with their most efficient performance in the third. East Bay will look to build on those positives as it continues its CCAA schedule.
