CHICO – Finding home cooking not as satisfying as it would have liked, the Chico State volleyball team hits the road this weekend to play two schools going in totally opposite directions. The Wildcats, who dropped three of five home matches over the last two weeks, travel to southern California to take on No. 4-ranked Cal State San Bernardino Friday, and a reeling Cal Poly Pomona squad on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Chico State enters the weekend 8-5 on the season, but the Wildcats have lost three of its last four matches and have tumbled to eighth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 3-4 conference mark. The ’Cats split their two matches last weekend, coming from behind for a thrilling 3-sets-to-2 victory Friday over UC San Diego before dropping a four-set decision to Cal State East Bay on Saturday.
The Wildcats have actually fared pretty well on the road so far this season. Chico State is 5-2 away from Acker Gym and has split its two conference road matches.
Statistically, the Wildcats are in the upper reaches of the CCAA in several categories. Chico State ranks second in the conference in hitting percentage (.233), fifth in kills (averaging 12.57 per set), fifth in digs (14.76 a set), sixth in assists (11.51 per set) and sixth in service aces (1.80 a set).
Individually, Jessica Leek is fourth in the CCAA in kills (149), 10th in kills per set (3.04) and ninth in hitting percentage (.325). Crystal Trifeletti leads the Wildcats in hitting percentage (.328) and ranks eighth in the conference. Sable Villaescusa is sixth in the CCAA in assists (averaging 9.71 per set); Makenzie Fahnestock has delivered a team-best 20 service aces and is ranked eighth in the conference (averaging 0.43 a set); and Jessica Simms is ninth in the CCAA in digs (3.45 per set).
Cal State San Bernardino, Chico State’s Friday night opponent, is attempting to win its fifth straight CCAA championship, and the Coyotes are off to a blazing start. San Bernardino, which reached the NCAA Championship semifinals last year, has earned its top five national ranking by winning its last eight matches to improve to 10-1 on the season…in fact, the Coyotes have not lost a set since suffering their only loss of the season back on Sept. 4 against Alaska Anchorage. San Bernardino sits atop the conference standings with a perfect 7-0 record, one game ahead of second place Cal State Monterey Bay. The Coyotes beat Humboldt State and Sonoma State on the road last weekend, then returned home Wednesday to down Cal Poly Pomona – San Bernardino sweeping all three matches.
The Coyotes are in the upper tier of practically every conference statistical category, leading the CCAA in kills (averaging 13.59 per set) and hitting percentage (.322), while ranking second in blocks (2.18 a set), third in assists (12.47 per set), and third in service aces (2.06 a set). San Bernardino is led by senior Jane Chafeh – the All-American OH has piled up 127 kills, averaging 4.10 per set (second best in the CCAA), and tops the Coyotes with nine solo blocks. Junior MB Samantha Middleborn, an All-CCAA and All-West Region selection a year ago, has been putting up MVP-type numbers – her .566 hitting percentage is far and away the best in the conference, and she is third in the CCAA in service aces (17) and third in blocks (1.03 per set). Camille Smith, a sophomore libero, is the Coyotes’ top setter and ranks fourth in the conference, averaging 9.93 assists a set.
Cal State San Bernardino has dominated Chico State in the all-time series between the two schools, winning 30 of 32 matches, including the last 29 in succession. The last Wildcat win over the Coyotes was a five-set victory back on Sept. 23, 1995.
Cal Poly Pomona, which takes on the Wildcats Saturday following a Friday match against Cal State Stanislaus, enters the weekend 4-8 on the season and is tied for ninth in the CCAA with a 2-5 conference mark. The Broncos have struggled of late, losing six of its last seven matches after starting the season 3-2. Pomona split its two road matches last weekend, topping Humboldt State and losing to Sonoma State before dropping a three-set decision to Cal State San Bernardino Wednesday.
As a team, the Broncos rank fifth in the CCAA in assists (averaging 11.64 per set) and sixth in kills (averaging 12.44 a set), but are seventh in the conference in service aces (1.71 per set), ninth in digs (12.64 a set), ninth in blocks (1.73 per set), and 10th in hitting percentage (.194). Cal Poly Pomona features four hitters that have done their share of damage this season – junior RS Kristin McNeese leads the Broncos in kills (114) and service aces (16), while freshman OH Jessica Doerner has collected 109 kills and is averaging a team-high 3.03 kills per set. Sophomore MB Taylr Kreutziger has contributed 77 kills and ranks fifth in the CCAA in blocks, averaging 0.93 per set. Sophomore OH Diana Lake has piled up 92 kills and leads Pomona with 116 digs; freshman S Katin Colin is currently fifth in the conference in assists, averaging 9.80 per set.
Chico State holds a 22-10 lead over Cal Poly Pomona in the all-time series; the Wildcats swept both meetings last season.
Both Friday and Saturday Chico State volleyball matches will be broadcast live on the Internet on UStream, with former Wildcat star Gillian Heydorff providing color commentary.
CLICK HERE to be connected to the Wildcats’ Internet broadcast.
