HAYWARD – The Chico State volleyball team knew that for any chance to qualify for an NCAA Championship Tournament berth, it was going to have to run the table and secure victories in each of its final five regular season matches. The Wildcats got off to a positive start Wednesday with a three-set sweep of Cal State Stanislaus, but Friday in Hayward the ’Cats’ must-win mission was stopped dead in its tracks by Cal State East Bay, with Chico State falling 20-25, 25-20, 20-25, 18-25 at Pioneer Gymnasium.
Friday’s loss dropped Chico State to 16-9 on the season and 11-8 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal State East Bay registered its fourth victory in the team’s last five matches to improve to 15-9 overall and 10-9 in conference play.
Alex Shurtz was Chico State’s main offensive weapon, pounding out a season-high 20 kills, just two shy of her career best. Makenzie Snyder posted a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs; Sable Villaescusa handed out 41 assists, and Lauren Orozco collected 26 digs in the losing effort. Four Cal State East Bay hitters posted double-digit kills Friday; Kitona Offord leading the way with 13.
Cal State East Bay jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, but kills by Snyder, Villaescusa and Jacqueline Johnson fueled a 6-3 run to tie the score. Chico State briefly went on top 10-9, only to see the Pioneers take advantage of five Wildcat errors to post 10 of the next 14 points to go in front, 19-14. The ’Cats were able to pull within two, but with the score 20-18, East Bay went on a 5-2 run to close out the set and give the Pioneers a 25-22 victory.
The second set saw Chico State build an early 7-2 lead on the strength of four Shurtz kills, but Cal State East Bay came back to tie up the contest at 13-all. The Wildcats responded with an 8-3 run, highlighted by kills from Shurtz, Villaescusa and Jessica Leek to go back up 21-16. The Pioneers could get no closer than four points the rest of the way, and Shurtz’s eighth kill of the set put the exclamation point on the Wildcats’ 25-20 win.
Cal State East Bay spotted Chico State the first point of the third set, then ripped off seven straight to grab a big early lead. The Wildcats rallied, with kills by Leek, Snyder and Shurtz pulling Chico State to within 14-11. The ’Cats stayed close, creeping as close as 19-17, but just could not overtake the Pioneers, who tallied six of the final nine points of the set to win, 25-20.
In the fourth set, Cal State East Bay broke open a tight contest with a 6-0 run to give the Pioneers a 9-4 lead. East Bay extended its advantage to seven, but with the score 15-8, Shurtz reeled off five kills to pull the ’Cats to within 16-14. The Pioneers answered with three straight to push its lead back to five, but Chico State was once again able to whittle down the deficit to two at 20-18. That would prove to be the Wildcats’ last hurrah, however, as East Bay scored five unanswered points to win 25-18, take the match and even the season series with Chico State.
BOX SCORE
The Wildcats play their final regular season road match tomorrow when they travel to Seaside to take on Cal State Monterey Bay. The action gets underway at 7 p.m.
