CHICO, Calif. – Lindsay Macias is closing in on 1,000 career kills, but more importantly, the Chico State volleyball team is closing in on securing a second straight trip to the NCAA Championship Tournament. Macias hit .382 on the way to a match-high 16 kills, bringing her career total to 996, as the Wildcats won for the eighth time in their last nine matches to improve to 12-4 overall and 5-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

Cal State Monterey had won four straight entering the match, but proved to be no match for the Wildcats. The Otters hit only .062 and fell to 5-12 overall and 3-3 in the CCAA.

Chico State won all three games with relative ease, 30-20, 30-16, 30-24, thanks to 62 digs and a hitting percentage of at least .231 in each game. Gillian Heydorff hit .433 and pounded out 15 kills for the Wildcats, while Megan Cape and Crystal Trifeletti killed nine and seven balls, respectively.

Kelly Smiland, in a rare start at Libero, led the Wildcats with 13 digs and added a pair of service aces. Macias and Cape finished with 11 digs apiece. Erica Brick distributed passes nicely, notching 44 assists.

Chico State is back in action Saturday night against visiting Sonoma State. Macias needs just four more kills to become just the fourth Chico State player to reach the 1,000-kill milestone. Cal State Monterey Bay will travel to take on Cal State Stanislaus. Both matches will start at 7 p.m.