SAN FRANCISCO — Cal State East Bay volleyball finished the SF State Invitational with a split on Saturday at SFFCU Gymnasium at Don Nasser Family Plaza, falling in straight sets to Fresno Pacific before bouncing back with a four-set win over Western Oregon. The Pioneers showed resilience in the second match of the day, led by standout performances from Barakat Adekola and Pi'ilani Carvalho.

After a tough loss to the Sunbirds in the morning, East Bay responded with a gritty effort against the Wolves, highlighted by a pair of extended opening sets and a strong finish in the deciding fourth.

Set Scores: 25-21, 25-15, 25-17

• First Set: The Pioneers had an early 12-8 lead after a kill from Adekola, but Fresno Pacific scored the next seven points, with four kills in the stretch from Mikayla Smith. East Bay kept the set close, but FPU also did not relinquish a lead from there and finished with a 25-21 win. 
• Second Set: Knotted at 5-5, FPU scored eight unanswered, and comfortably went up 2-0 after finishing the set, 25-15
• Third Set: A similar scenario happened in set three after a 4-4 tie. FPU strung together the next seven points and led the rest of the way for a 25-17 win to complete the sweep. 

Notable Stats:

• Gianna Navarro led East Bay with 12 kills.
• Kale'a Kuamo'o had 19 digs. 

Set Scores: 28-26, 26-28, 25-22, 25-19

• First Set: A back-and-forth battle that went into extra points at 26-26. Natali Herrera set up a match point advantage with a kill and Carvalho had a kill to win set point at 28-26. 
• Second Set: The Wolves returned the favor flipping the 28-26 score, overcoming multiple set points and finishing off the set with a service ace from Samanta Darby.
• Third Set: Up 23-17, East Bay was able to fend off a run late by the Wolves, as a kill by Malayah Adams sealed the set at 25-22. 
• Fourth Set: The Pioneers stayed in control for much of set four. Although they did not take a full on dominant lead, they stayed ahead and finished the match with three straight points to win 25-19 and take the match, 3-1. 

Notable Stats:

• Barakat Adekola posted 14 kills and 11 digs for her third double-double of the season. East Bay is 3-0 this season when Adekola has a double double. 
• Pi'ilani Carvalho added a double-double with 19 assists and 10 digs.
• Herrera tallied seven block assists.
• Fane Paua added three more blocks, in addition to the three in Saturday's first match, bringing her season total to 31, tied for third in the CCAA.

Cal State East Bay head coach Kimberly Lambert following the Gator Classic:
"On a day where we have two opponents, it was a great team response to rebound after the FPU match to finish the tournament with a win."
 

Cal State East Bay: 3-5
 

Cal State East Bay opens CCAA play and hosts its 2025 home opener on Thursday, September 18 against Cal State Monterey Bay. First serve is set for 5 p.m. at Pioneer Gymnasium in Hayward.