HAYWARD, Calif. – Cal State East Bay volleyball put together one of its most complete performances of the season Friday night, earning a dominant 3-0 sweep over UC Merced at Pioneer Gymnasium. The Pioneers won 25-20, 26-24, 25-14 to improve to 6-7 overall and 3-2 in CCAA play.
The Pioneers came out sharp in the opening set, hitting .304 as a team and never trailing on their way to a 25-20 win. Barakat Adekola Makayah Adams led the charge offensively with five first set kills apiece to help East Bay to 18 total kills.
Set two was a battle, with six ties and a late push from UC Merced tied the set at 23-23. Adekola broke the tie with a kill and three points later Fane Paua registered the game winning block.
The Pioneers carried all the momentum into the third, quickly building separation and cruising to a 25-14 clincher, holding the Bobcats to a negative hitting percentage in the frame.
Adekola led the charge with 12 kills on .323 hitting, adding two aces and six digs while Adams finished with 11 kills and three blocks. Natali Herrera was nearly unstoppable in the middle, recording nine kills on a .615 hitting percentage. Setter Pi'ilani Carvalho dished out 27 assists and added nine digs with Gianna Navarro tallying six aces to go with four kills and 12 digs.
Defensively, Kale'a Kuamo'o led the back row with 12 digs, while the Pioneers combined for 12 team blocks, including three each from Herrera, Adams, and Paua. East Bay finished with 40 kills on .234 hitting, compared to UC Merced's 34 kills at a .131 clip.
The Pioneers return to action tomorrow night when they host Stanislaus State at Pioneer Gymnasium at 5:00 pm
Latest Women's Volleyball
- Pioneer Preview: October 14-20The Pioneers have a big week ahead with some key men's and women's soccer CCAA matches at home while volleyball heads out on the road. Men's and women's cross country also runs in their final tuneup before the CCAA Championships at the end of the month.
- Pioneers Push Cal Poly Pomona to the Brink in Five-Set ThrillerHAYWARD, Calif. — Cal State East Bay went toe-to-toe with conference leader Cal Poly Pomona on Friday night at Pioneer Gymnasium, taking the match the full five sets before ultimately falling 3–2. The Pioneers fell 23–25, 26–24, 20–25, 25–21, 13–15 to snap a three match win streak and move to 8-9 overall and 5-3 in CCAA play.
- Pioneers Outlast Cal State Dominguez Hills in Four-SetsHAYWARD, Calif. – Cal State East Bay volleyball continued its strong run of conference form Friday night, defeating Cal State Dominguez Hills 3–1 (23–25, 25–11, 25–20, 28–26) at Pioneer Gymnasium. The Pioneers improved to 8–7 overall and 5–2 in CCAA play with their third straight victory
- Kale’a Kuamo’o Earns Her First Career FloCollege/CCAA Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week AwardKale'a Kuamo'o from has been voted this week's FloCollege/CCAA Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week. Kuamo'o averaged a CCAA-best 4.38 digs on the weekend to help Cal State East Bay defend its home court with a pair of victories. She added five assists and two aces.
- Pioneers Outlast Stanislaus State in Five-Set ThrillerHAYWARD, Calif. – Cal State East Bay volleyball earned a thrilling five-set victory over Stanislaus State on Saturday night, taking the match 20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 14-25, 15-10. With the victory, the Pioneers evened their record at 7-7 overall and improved to 4-2 in CCAA play, while the Warriors dropped to 7-6 and 5-1 in conference.
- East Bay Battles but Falls in Four to Cal State LALOS ANGELES, Calif. – Cal State East Bay pushed one of the CCAA's top teams to the limit on Saturday afternoon, but the Pioneers came up just short in a four-set road loss to Cal State LA, 25-17, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20, at University Gym. The result moved East Bay to 5-7 overall and 2-2 in CCAA play, while the Golden Eagles improved to 8-3 and remained unbeaten in league action at 4-0.
