There are many reasons the Chico State volleyball team sits atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division standings – and one of the unsung heroes of the Wildcats' success this season is defensive specialist Shannon Cotton. As she demonstrated during the 'Cats' two matches at Acker Gym over the weekend, the Santa Cruz product plays a major role on defense, consistently keeps the ball alive with crisp passes and is a regular threat to score from the service line. Cotton's latest all-around efforts have earned the junior Wildcat of the Week honors.
Cotton was all over the court in Chico State's two home contests, racking up 34 digs (averaging 5.67 digs per set), dishing out seven assists and delivering four service aces as the Wildcats swept San Francisco State before dropping a Saturday decision to Sonoma State. The weekend split moved the 'Cats to 17-6 overall and 11-3 in CCAA play.
Friday Cotton recorded 10 digs, four assists and a pair of aces in the Wildcats' win over the Gators. In Saturday's match against the Seawolves, she piled up 24 assists in just three sets while adding three assists and two aces to the Wildcat attack.
Cotton is currently third in the CCAA in service aces (30) and aces per set (0.37) and ranks fifth in the conference in digs per set (4.40).
Chico State plays its final regular season home matches this weekend, taking on UC San Diego Friday and Cal State San Marcos Saturday at Acker Gym.
