CHICO – The Chico State volleyball team was hoping to put a pre-Halloween scare into visiting Cal State San Bernardino Saturday – the Wildcats even took the court in costume for their pre-match warm-ups. But despite some spirited play by the ’Cats, the Coyotes would not fall for any of Chico State’s tricks, and certainly provided no treats for the Wildcat faithful, as the No. 3 team in the nation downed the ’Cats 17-25, 21-25, 21-25 at Acker Gym.
The suddenly reeling Wildcats have now lost three straight and five of their last six matches to fall to 15-8 on the season and 10-7 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal State San Bernardino upped its record to a perfect 22-0 and remains atop the CCAA standings with a 17-0 conference mark.
Four Chico State hitters – Jacqueline Johnson, Lindsay Quigley, Makenzie Snyder and Alex Shurtz – registered seven kills on the night, with Snyder moving past Amber Crezee into fourth place on the Wildcats’ career kills list. Sable Villaescusa doled out 32 assists, while Lauren Orozco posted a team-high 10 digs for the ’Cats. Samantha Middleborn, on her way to winning a second straight CCAA Player of the Year award, led Cal State San Bernardino with 10 kills and five blocks.
The Coyotes had the Wildcats back on their heels at the outset, racing to a 7-1 lead in the first set. Chico State used kills by Snyder, Shurtz, Jessica Leek and Ellie Larronde to keep the ’Cats close for awhile, but San Bernardino eventually stretched its advantage to 17-9. The Wildcats answered with a 6-1 run – highlighted by two Quigley kills – to pull to within 18-15, but the Coyotes ripped off six straight points to go back up by nine; Megan Johnson delivering the final kill that gave San Bernardino the 25-17 victory.
The Coyotes never trailed in the second set, but the scrappy Wildcats stayed close the entire way. San Bernardino finally forged a seemingly comfortable 22-16 lead, only to see Chico State score three straight on a Coyotes error, a Shurtz kill and a service ace by Leek to pull to within 22-19. San Bernardino, though, was able to fend off the ’Cats late charge, and kills by Middleborn and Camille Smith gave the Coyotes a 25-21 win.
In the third set, it was Chico State roaring out to the early advantage, as kills by Johnson and Shurtz powered the Wildcats to a 7-2 lead. With the ’Cats still up 12-8, San Bernardino score six unanswered points to go on top 14-12, but Chico State battled back to regain the lead at 15-14. That would turn out to be the Wildcats’ last hurrah, as the Coyotes scored four straight points to take the lead for good. Chico State crept to within 21-20, but three late errors did the ’Cats in, as San Bernardino came away with the 25-21 victory and the match sweep.
BOX SCORE
Chico State is back in action Wednesday night, as Cal State Stanislaus visits Acker Gym. The match gets underway at 7 p.m.
