ARCATA – The Chico State volleyball team had little time to brood over its disappointing conference-opening loss Friday to Sonoma State…and sometimes getting right back on the floor is the best way to minimize the blues. With the Chico State men’s and women’s cross country teams in attendance rooting them on, the Wildcats were able to quickly right the ship and return to the win column with a 25-13, 25-19, 25-21 victory over Humboldt State Saturday night at Lumberjack Arena in Arcata.
The victory improves Chico State’s overall record to 5-2 and evens it mark in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) at 1-1. Humboldt State suffered its second straight loss to fall to 3-3 on the season and 0-2 in conference play.
Makenzie Snyder shook off her rough evening Friday against Sonoma State and led Chico State with 14 kills Saturday, with Jessica Leek and Jacqueline Johnson contributing 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Sable Villaescusa was all over the court for the ’Cats, piling up 38 assists and a team-high 11 digs. As a team, the Wildcats posted a .232 attack percentage, committing just 19 errors on the evening.
Chico State spotted Humboldt the first point of the opening set, but once the Wildcats took the lead, they never trailed again, using kills by Snyder, Leek, Johnson, Alex Shurtz and Lindsay Quigley to build a 14-7 lead. The Lumberjacks sliced the deficit to five, but with the score 15-10, Chico State – on the strength of kills by Snyder and Leek and a Johnson service ace – ripped off eight of the next 10 points to extend its advantage to 11, eventually winning the set by a final of 25-13.
In the second set, Humboldt State jumped out to an early lead, but the ’Cats erased a 6-4 deficit with five unanswered points to go on top, 9-6. The Lumberjacks tied the score at nine apiece, only to see Chico State go on a 6-1 run (highlighted by kills from Leek, Johnson and Shurtz) to jump back in front, 15-10. Humboldt was able to pull to within 16-15, but kills by Johnson, Snyder, Leek and Shurtz powered the Wildcats to a comfortable 23-17 lead. Shurtz and Johnson hammered home the final two points to give the ’Cats a 25-19 victory.
The third set saw Chico State grab the early advantage, but Humboldt State battled back to tie the score at 12-all. The Wildcats took control of the set with a 10-3 run, thanks largely to kills by Johnson, Quigley and Snyder, and service aces by Villaescusa and Molly Ratto. The Lumberjacks could get no closer than three points the rest of the way, and Villaescusa delivered the final kill to give Chico State a 25-21 win and a sweep of the match.
BOX SCORE
Chico State takes a brief break from CCAA action Tuesday, as the Wildcats play their home opener at Acker Gym against Simpson University. The match is slated to start at 7 p.m.
