HAYWARD, Calif. — Cal State East Bay volleyball continued its strong play in conference action Saturday afternoon, sweeping Cal Poly Humboldt 25-15, 25-23, 27-25 at Pioneer Gymnasium. The victory improved the Pioneers to 13-9 overall and 10-4 in CCAA play while clinching a CCAA Tournament berth.
The Pioneers set the tone early with a dominant first set, hitting .355 as a team while holding Humboldt to just eight kills. Cal State East Bay's offense was led by Jada Stone, who delivered nine kills on a .304 hitting percentage, and Natali Herrera, who added eight kills while hitting an efficient .429. Fane Paua was a two-way standout, finishing with five kills, two service aces, and a match-high seven total blocks.
The second set saw more back-and-forth action, as the Lumberjacks battled to stay within striking distance. Pi'ilani Carvalho guided the offense with 27 assists and three aces, while Makaiya Gerhardt contributed seven kills and a pair of service aces to keep the Pioneers in control. Kale'a Kuamo'o anchored the back row with 19 digs, helped East Bay pull away late with the final three points in a 25-23 win.
In the final frame, both teams traded leads in a tightly contested finish that featured 12 ties and eight lead changes. A timely block from Carvalho and Pane and a match ending ace from Carvalho sealed the win, 27-25.
As a team, East Bay hit .227 compared to Humboldt's .121, and the Pioneers out-blocked the visitors 14-6 while also holding a 37-35 kill advantage.
Cal State East Bay will look to carry its momentum into next week's CCAA road swing, beginning Friday at Cal State San Bernardino.
Latest Women's Volleyball
- Pioneers Push Past Cougars in Four-Set VictoryHAYWARD, Calif. - Cal State East Bay volleyball celebrated Halloween night in winning fashion, taking down Cal State San Marcos 3–1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-11, 25-18) on Friday evening. After dropping a tightly contested opening set, the Pioneers stormed back with a dominant stretch of play behind strong attacking and a relentless defense improve to 12-9 overall and 9-4 in the CCAA.
- Pioneers Suffer Setback at San Francisco StateSAN FRANCISCO — Cal State East Bay volleyball put up a strong fight on the road but came up short in a four-set battle against San Francisco State, falling 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-14, 25-19) on Saturday afternoon. The loss moved the Pioneers to 11-9 overall and 8-4 in CCAA play, while the Gators improved to 7-12 and 6-6 in the CCAA.
- Pioneers Power Past Chico State in Straight-Set Home SweepHAYWARD — Cal State East Bay delivered a commanding performance Friday night at Pioneer Gymnasium, sweeping Chico State 25-19, 25-23, 25-22 to extend its strong CCAA run and improve to 11-8 overall and 8-3 in conference play.
- Kuamo’o Collects her Second FloCollege/CCAA Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week awardCal State East Bay's Kale'a Kuamo'o has been voted the FloCollege/CCAA Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 13-19.
- Pioneers Topple UC Merced in Four SetsMERCED, Calif. — The Cal State East Bay volleyball team continued its strong run through CCAA, taking down UC Merced 3–1 (21–25, 25–19, 25–23, 25–20) on Saturday night. The Pioneers improved to 10–8 overall and 7–3 in conference play and currently sit in fourth place.
- Balanced Attack Powers Pioneers Past Cal State Monterey Bay, 3–1SEASIDE, 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.
