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
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