HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay volleyball team concluded its 2026 season Friday afternoon, falling to Fresno Pacific 3-2 in the CCAA Tournament semifinals at Pioneer Gymnasium. The Pioneers captured the opening two sets before the Sunbirds rallied to win the final three, with East Bay falling by set scores of 25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 29-31 and 8-15.
East Bay opened the match with an efficient offensive performance, recording 13 kills with just two errors on 33 attempts for a .333 hitting percentage. The Pioneers held Fresno Pacific to a .070 hitting percentage, claiming the first set 25-17.
The second set featured 13 ties and six lead changes as the two teams battled for control. East Bay recorded 12 kills while limiting Fresno Pacific to a .071 hitting percentage, securing a 25-22 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Fresno Pacific responded in the third set, recording 17 kills while hitting .186. East Bay countered with 14 kills, but the Sunbirds claimed the frame 25-22 to extend the match.
The fourth set proved to be the most competitive of the afternoon, featuring 20 ties and nine lead changes. The Pioneers recorded a match-high 18 kills in the frame, while Fresno Pacific finished with 17. Despite East Bay's offensive effort, the Sunbirds edged the Pioneers 31-29 to force a deciding fifth set.
In the final set, Fresno Pacific recorded 12 kills without an attack error for a .571 hitting percentage. East Bay finished with five kills while hitting .222, but the Sunbirds secured a 15-8 victory to complete the comeback.
Gianna Navarro led East Bay offensively with 18 kills on 45 attempts while hitting .244. She also contributed 15 digs and five block assists, recording a double-double in the final match of the season.
Barakat Adekola followed with 13 kills and 23 digs, adding four block assists to complete a double-double of her own. Lamona Lauhingoa contributed 12 kills and 20 digs, giving East Bay three players with kills-digs double-doubles.
Carys Fouser delivered an efficient performance at the net, recording 10 kills on 18 attempts without an error for a .556 hitting percentage. Fouser also contributed a match-high nine block assists.
Natali Herrera added eight kills on 21 attempts while hitting .286, along with one solo block and six block assists. Pi'ilani Carvalho directed the East Bay offense with 56 assists and 18 digs, recording another double-double while adding three block assists.
Kale'a Kuamo'o matched Adekola with a team-high 23 digs while adding three assists and a service ace. Lauren Au contributed two service aces, while Trinity Cox and Makaiya Gerhardt added one apiece.
As a team, East Bay finished with 62 kills, 105 digs and six service aces while hitting .177. The Pioneers also recorded 16 total team blocks and limited Fresno Pacific to a .161 hitting percentage.
The Pioneers finished the 2026 campaign with a 12-13 overall record, earning a fourth-place finish in the CCAA standings and advancing to the conference tournament semifinals. East Bay closed its season following a five-match winning streak that carried the team into the postseason and a competitive semifinal performance against Fresno Pacific.
