POMONA – As well as the Chico State volleyball team has played this season, it’s a little surprising that the Wildcats have actually enjoyed more success on the road so far than they have at home. The success away from Acker Gym continued Friday, as the ’Cats racked up their 10th road victory in 13 tries and halted their mini-losing streak at two by downing Cal Poly Pomona 25-22, 25-15, 26-24 at Kellogg Gym.
The win moves Chico State to 15-5 on the season and keeps the Wildcats tied with UC San Diego for third place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 10-5 conference record. Cal Poly Pomona dropped its fourth straight decision to fall to 9-10 overall and 6-9 in CCAA play.
The Wildcats utilized a balanced offensive attack Friday – Jessica Leek hammered home a team-high nine kills while chalking up three service aces; Alex Shurtz and Makenzie Snyder each had eight kills for the ’Cats, with Sable Villaescusa racking up 30 assists. Lauren Orozco chipped in with 13 digs on the night. Snyder and Villaescusa also notched personal milestones Friday – Snyder moved past Traci Ciapponi into fifth place on Chico State’s career kills list, while Villaescusa became just the third setter in Wildcat history to collect 3,000 assists in a career.
Chico State grabbed an early but short-lived lead in the first set; then, with the score tied at six apiece, kills by Shurtz and Lindsay Quigley keyed a 5-3 mini-run to put the Wildcats back on top 11-9. Pomona went on a 5-1 run of its own to take a 14-12 lead, but the ’Cats answered by scoring 11 of the next 16 points – four coming on Shurtz kills – to go up 23-19. The Broncos pulled to within 24-22, but a kill by Leek provided the back-breaker as Chico State took the opening set, 25-22.
The Wildcats fell behind 4-0 to start the second set, but combined kills by Snyder, Leek and Quigley, a Snyder service ace and nine Pomona errors paved the way to a 14-4 Chico State run and a six point lead. The Broncos cut the deficit to four, but with the score 14-10, the ’Cats reeled off five straight points – Leek providing two kills and Lauren Orozco a pair of service aces – to extend Chico State’s advantage to 19-10. Leek delivered two more service aces down the stretch, and kills by Snyder and Jacqueline Johnson sealed the deal as the Wildcats registered the 25-15 victory.
Chico State was able to complete the match sweep, but they had to do it in come-from-behind fashion in the third set. Pomona snapped a 7-7 tie by scoring 11 of the next 17 points to fashion an 18-14 lead, but the Wildcats again answered – fueled by kills from Leek, Shurtz and Johnson, the ’Cats ripped off a 6-1 run to go up 20-19. The Broncos battled back to regain the lead and had Chico State facing set point, but a Leek kill tied the contest at 24-all. The deflated Broncos proceeded to commit two straight attack errors, and the Wildcats came away with the 26-24 victory and a sweep of not only the match but the season series with Pomona.
BOX SCORE
Chico State is back in action Saturday night, when the ’Cats travel to the Bay Area to take on the Gators of San Francisco State. The match is slated to start at 7 p.m.; follow the action online with Live Stats on the Wildcat Athletics website.
