Pioneers take over second place with sweep of Monterey Bay
Junior Jit Athwal posted 16 kills and hit at a .364 clip in the win. (Photo: Ron Allen)
- October 22, 2010
HAYWARD, Calif. - In a battle of the CCAA’s second place teams, the Cal State East Bay volleyball team defeated visiting Cal State Monterey Bay in three sets, 25-17, 25-16, 25-19 on Oct. 22. With the victory, the Pioneers (15-4, 12-5 CCAA) take over sole possession of second place improve to 7-1 at home in 2010. Cal State Monterey Bay drops to 12-5 overall and 9-5 in conference play.
The Pioneers put down 44 kills and hit for a .250 percentage. The Otters had 20 kills and hit .067 for the match. Outside hitter Jit Athwal had a solid match with 16 kills, a .364 hitting percentage and eight digs.
"We played well as a team tonight," Athwal said. "On the court, we helped each other out and avenged an earlier loss to Cal State Monterey Bay. Our strong mentality in practice is showing in victories over Humboldt State, Chico State, and Monterey Bay during the second half of conference play.
"With four straight home matches coming up, we want to keep our streak of solid play alive in Pioneer Gym. We want to show our fans that we’re worth watching. Our student section is great. They bring us good energy."
Katie Allen followed Athwal with nine kills and two block solos. Kitona Offord put down seven kills while Roxanne Neely contributed to the Pioneer victory with five kills, a .714 hitting percentage, 22 assists, three service aces and 10 digs.
Melanie Lashbrook and Lauren Shacklock had six and five kills, respectively, for the Otters.
"I felt that we had something to prove on the court tonight following an earlier defeat to Cal State Monterey Bay," CSUEB Head Coach Jim Spagle said. "After three matches in the second half of the CCAA,
players like Jit, Roxy, and Lauren Massa have provided the leadership necessary to be successful in this conference."
The Pioneers never trailed in the first set jumping out to a 9-3 lead and later maintaining a 20-14 advantage. Katie Glomb’s service ace and Athwal’s kill accounted for the Pioneers last two points of the first set.
In the second set, the Pioneers went on a 7-4 run to take an 11-7 lead. Consecutive kills by Athwal increased the Pioneers margin to 19-12. An attack error by the Otters enabled the Pioneers to take a 2-0 advantage.
Cal State Monterey Bay took a 14-11 lead in the third set. The Pioneers tied the set 15-15 on an Athwal kill. East Bay went ahead 22-19 and captured the set and match on a Brianna Bryant kill.
Cal State East Bay returns to action on Saturday night when it plays host to San Francisco State. The Pioneers suffered a loss to the Gators in the first edition of the Battle of the Bay on Sept. 17 in San Francisco. Fans are encouraged to wear black and Black Out Pioneer Gym for the match which is set for a 7 p.m. first serve.