CHICO – Cal State Monterey Bay stepped into Acker Gym a very hungry volleyball team. After starting out the season 5-0, the Otters had dropped five straight decisions and were ravenous for a win prior to Friday night’s match with Chico State. Monterey Bay gave the Wildcats all they could handle, pushing the contest to five sets, but in the end it was the ’Cats tasting the fruits of victory, downing the Otters 25-21, 25-20, 20-25, 20-25, 15-8.

Friday’s win – the third straight and seventh in the last eight matches for Chico State – upped the Wildcats season record to 11-3. The ’Cats remain in sole possession of fourth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings with a 6-2 conference mark, just a half-game behind third place UC San Diego. Cal State Monterey Bay dipped to 5-6 on the year and 2-6 in CCAA play.

It was a night of big numbers for both teams. Four Chico State hitters registered double-digit kills: Jessica Leek led the way with 15; Alex Shurtz hammered home 13 winners; Makenzie Snyder collected 11 kills, and Jacqueline Johnson chimed in with 10 non-returnables. Leek added three blocks, a service ace and a team-high 19 kills to her stat line, while Sable Villaescusa dished out 52 assists, bumped 16 digs and took part in a pair of blocks. Johnson had a hand in four blocks, with Snyder also chipping in with 16 digs. Monterey Bay’s Rheann Fall piled up a match-high 20 digs and setter Monique Sena collected 57 assists in the losing effort.

After spotting Monterey Bay the first point of the opening set, the Wildcats led the rest of the way. Chico State opened up an early 10-5 lead, but after the Otters cut the deficit to two at 12-10, the ’Cats used kills by Johnson, Shurtz and Leek to spearhead a 10-6 run to go up 22-16. Monterey Bay made another late charge, but kills by Johnson and Snyder cemented Chico State’s 25-21 victory.

The second set was a more tightly played affair – following 10 ties and three lead changes, Monterey Bay held a 19-18 lead. The Wildcats went on to score seven of the final eight points to pull out the win – two kills by Shurtz and one each by Johnson and Villaescusa powered Chico State to a 25-20 win.

Faced with a win or go home situation, the Otters took no prisoners in the third set, leading from start to finish and posting a 25-20 victory. Monterey Bay also took the fourth set, snapping an 18-all tie with a 7-2 run down the stretch to notch a 25-20 win and force a fifth and deciding set.

After falling behind 1-0, the Wildcats tallied seven of the next 10 points to go up 7-4 – Shurtz, Leek and Johnson all contributing kills to the run. Monterey Bay pulled to within one at 9-8, but Chico State put any notions of an Otters comeback to rest by ripping off six straight points – a Lauren Orozco service ace and kills by Leek, Shurtz, Johnson and Villaescusa leading the ’Cats to the 15-8 victory and the match.

BOX SCORE

Chico State returns to action Saturday as the Wildcats welcome Cal State East Bay to Acker Gym. The Pioneers, 9-3 on the season and right behind the ’Cats in the CCAA standings at 5-3, come to Chico after beating Cal State Stanislaus Friday in four sets. Saturday’s match is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. Fans not able to attend the match in person can follow the action on Live Stats via the Wildcat Athletics website.