SEASIDE, Calif. — The Cal State East Bay volleyball team delivered a strong performance Thursday night, defeating Cal State Monterey Bay 3–1 (25–16, 24–26, 25–19, 25–18) at the Otter Sports Center. The Pioneers hit an impressive .275 as a team, with three players recording double-digit points to improve to 9-8 overall and 6-3 in CCAA play.
Malayah Adams paced the Pioneer offense with 14 kills on 41 swings, while junior Barakat Adekola added 13 kills and 12 digs. Jada Stone also had a strong outing with 11 kills and 15 digs, and setter Pi'ilani Carvalho ran the offense with 45 assists, adding four kills, two service aces, and five digs.
East Bay came out fast in the opening set, hitting .156 and taking advantage of Monterey Bay's early errors to cruise to a 25–16 win. Adekola and Adams each tallied multiple early kills. Libero Kale'a Kuamo'o anchored the defense with several key digs, while Fane Paua made her presence felt at the net with two solo blocks and three block assists.
The second set proved to be the most competitive of the night, featuring 11 ties and five lead changes. Both teams traded long rallies and defensive stands before the Otters narrowly pulled out a 26–24 win. Despite the loss, Adekola and Stone combined for seven kills in the frame, while Rebeca Freitas contributed a pair of aces and 10 digs to keep East Bay within striking distance.
The Pioneers responded with a strong offensive showing in set three, hitting .371 while limiting Monterey Bay to .191. Adams and Stone led the charge while Paua and Natalí Herrera combined for three blocks to slow the Otter attack.
In the fourth set, the Pioneers saved their most dominant effort for last, hitting .515 as a team and closing out the match 25–18. Adams and Adekola combined for 11 kills in the final frame to help EB to a match high 19 kills in the set.
East Bay recorded 10 service aces, five of which came from Freitas while adding 11 total blocks, and 73 digs.
The Pioneers will look to build on the win as they take on UC Merced on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.
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