CHICO – The Chico State volleyball team made its 2011 home season opener a successful one, downing Simpson University in three sets, 25-14, 25-18 and 25-16, in a non-conference match Tuesday night at Acker Gym. Every Wildcat saw playing time in the win over the Red Hawks, with Jessica Leek and Makenzie Snyder combining for 21 kills on the evening.
Tuesday’s victory moved Chico State to 6-2 on the season; they remain 1-1 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play. Simpson, a NAIA school out the California Pacific Conference, fell to 4-13 overall.
In addition to a team-high 11 kills, Leek led the Wildcats with nine digs and added a pair of service aces, while Snyder collected 10 kills and posted a .450 attack percentage in limited action. Sable Villaescusa had 10 assists in the first set for the ’Cats, with Kristan Music piled up a combined 25 assists in sets two and three. Freshman Ellie Larronde also had a solid night for Chico State, cracking a career-high seven kills and delivering an impressive .462 attack percentage.
The Wildcats never trailed in the opening set, jumping out to a 9-1 lead thanks to kills by Leek, Synder, Villaescusa, Jacqueline Johnson and Lindsay Quigley. Simpson made the ’Cats battle, though, and the Red Hawks whittled the deficit to 17-12. Chico State ended the set with an 8-2 run, fueled by a Lauren Orozco service ace and kills by Villaescusa, Snyder, Quigley and Leek, and the Wildcats prevailed by a final of 25-14.
Chico State spotted Simpson the first point of the second set, then went on a 10-3 run to go up by six – Snyder led the surge with a trio of kills, with Johnson and Leek also hammering home winners. Again Simpson fought back, tying the set at 13 apiece, but the Wildcats went back ahead to stay, using a Leek service ace and kills by Johnson, Snyder and Quigley to build a comfortable 22-16 advantage. Quigley provided the winning kill as the ’Cats posted the 25-18 win.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair early on, with Simpson taking a 6-5 lead. Chico State responded by scoring 10 of the next 13 points – powered by a trio of Larronde kills and two by Sophia Somers – to go out in front 15-9. The Red Hawks could get no closer than four points the rest of the way, as the Wildcats locked down the set 25-16 to complete the match sweep.
BOX SCORE
Chico State returns to CCAA action this weekend, hosting San Francisco State Friday and Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday. Both matches get underway at 7 p.m. at Acker Gym.
