CHICO – Now with a much-needed win safely tucked away, the lure of a fourth 20-win season in six years and a chance to keep its NCAA Championship Tournament hopes alive is what faces the Chico State volleyball team this weekend as the Wildcats embark on their final – and possibly most important – road trip of the regular season, taking on Cal State East Bay Friday and Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday. Friday’s match is scheduled for 5 p.m., while Saturday’s ’Cats-Otters tilt gets underway at 7.
Chico State enters the weekend 16-8 on the season, occupying fourth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with an 11-7 conference mark. The Wildcats snapped a three-match losing streak – their longest of the season – with a three-set victory Tuesday over Cal State Stanislaus.
Cal State East Bay, which hosts the ’Cats Friday, is tied for fifth place in the CCAA with a 9-9 conference record; overall, the Pioneers are 14-9 on the year. East Bay had won three straight matches before dropping a four-set decision to Cal State Monterey Bay on Tuesday. The Pioneers rank third in the CCAA in service aces (1.64 a set), fifth in hitting percentage (.219) and fifth in blocks (15.78 per set).
East Bay features a trio of hitters with over 200 kills on the season: junior middle blocker Kitona Offord (236; second in the CCAA with a .382 hitting percentage), sophomore outside hitter Katie Allen (229 kills; leads the conference with a 0.43 service ace-per-set average) and junior outside hitter Nicole Boyle (207 kills). Senior defensive specialist Leslie Ray tops the CCAA in digs (5.21 a set).
Chico State won the first meeting with East Bay this season, downing the Pioneers in three sets Oct. 1 at Acker Gym. The Wildcats hold a 24-8 lead in the all-time series.
Cal State Monterey Bay, Chico State’s Saturday opponent, is 8-13 on the year and shares ninth place in the CCAA with a 5-13 conference mark. The Otters snapped a four-match losing streak with Tuesday’s win over Cal State East Bay. Monterey Bay ranks second among conference teams in digs (18.15 a set), sixth in kills (12.90 per set) and sixth in assists (12.13).
Senior middle blocker Melanie Lashbrook is the Otters’ main weapon, ranking sixth in the CCAA in kills (3.56 a set), seventh in points (4.16 per set), seventh in blocks (0.87 a set), and eighth in hitting percentage (.321). Lashbrook is complemented by senior setter Monique Sena (eighth in the CCAA with 8.57 assists per set) and senior DS Dionna Lucas (fourth in the conference with 4.19 digs a set).
The Otters took Chico State to five sets earlier this season before falling to the Wildcats Sept. 30 at Acker Gym. All-time, the ’Cats have won 14 of 16 matches between the two teams.
Fans can follow the action of both matches online via
Live Stats on the Wildcat Athletics website.
