POMONA – The taste of defeat is never pleasant. And for the Chico State volleyball team, Saturday’s five-set loss to Cal Poly Pomona has got to be the most bitter setback of the season. Looking to rebound from Friday’s match sweep at the hands of California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) leader Cal State San Bernardino, the Wildcats took the first two sets 25-20 and 25-21 against Pomona, only to see the Broncos – who came into action having lost two straight and seven of its last eight – rally to take the final three sets 20-25, 17-25 and 12-15 at Darlene May Gymnasium in Pomona.
Saturday’s loss – Chico State’s third in a row and fifth in the last six matches – dropped the Wildcats to 8-7 on the season and 3-6 in the CCAA. With the win, Cal Poly Pomona improved to 4-9 for the year and 3-6 in conference play.
Makenzie Fahnestock pounded out a career-high 20 kills for Chico State in the losing effort; Alex Shurtz added 13 kills, while Crystal Trifeletti knocked down 11 non-returnables as the Wildcats hit .253 as a team. Sable Villaescusa dished out 54 assists on the night, with Jacqueline Johnson and Jessica Simms combining for 31 digs. Taylr Kreutziger led Cal Poly Pomona with 14 kills on the evening.
Things started well for Chico State Saturday – the Wildcats never trailed in the opening set, and on the strength of multiple kills by Trifeletti and Shurtz, jumped out to a 10-7 lead. With the score 10-8, the ’Cats – led by three Fahnestock kills – went on a 6-3 run to go up 16-11. Cal Poly Pomona twice cut the deficit to two, but Chico State kept the Broncos at bay; with the score 21-19, the Wildcats used kills by Johnson, Fahnestock and Villaescusa to put the finishing touches on a 25-20 victory.
Chico State fell behind 5-4 early in the second set, then proceeded to score 11 of the next 16 points – fueled by two Molly Ratto service aces and kills from Fahnestock, Johnson, Shurtz and Jessica Leek – to go up 15-10. Pomona battled back, pulling to within 23-21, but a Broncos error and a Fahnestock kill cemented the Wildcats’ 25-21 win.
Though Chico State was fully in control of the match at intermission, Cal Poly Pomona came roaring back in the third set, spotting the Wildcats the first four points before going on a 9-3 run to take a two point lead. Two kills apiece by Shurtz and Trifeletti helped the ’Cats tie the score at 12 apiece; the contest was still knotted up at 17-all before the Broncos scored eight of the last 11 points to secure the 25-20 victory.
The Broncos were clearly in command of the fourth set, using four Chico State errors to build an early 7-3 lead. The Wildcats were able to cut the deficit to three, but with the score 9-6, Pomona went on a 5-0 run to extend its advantage to 14-6. The ’Cats could get no closer than six points the rest of the way, and the Broncos cruised to the 25-17 win to set up a fifth and deciding set.
It looked as though Chico State had collected itself just in time, as kills by Shurtz and Trifeletti and two by Leek powered the ’Cats to a 6-3 lead. The Wildcats upped their advantage to 11-7, but not only did Pomona refuse to wilt, the Broncos responded with their best scoring stretch of the night. Pomona reeled off eight of the last nine points – including the final six – to post a stunning 15-12 come-from-behind victory. As if to add insult to injury, the Broncos’ Lindsey Poulos delivered three straight service aces to end the set and the match, handing Chico State its most crushing defeat of the 2010 campaign.
BOX SCORE
The Wildcats return home to Acker Gym next weekend, as they host San Francisco State on Friday, Oct. 8 and Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday, Oct. 9. Both matches are scheduled to being at 7 p.m.
