Box Score CHICO – The Chico State volleyball team played host Saturday to a red-hot Cal State L.A. squad, and the Golden Eagles had no intentions of cooling down at Shurmer Gym. Cal State L.A. was up two sets before the Wildcats seriously threatened to climb back into the match, but the Golden Eagles were still able to record the 18-25, 18-25, 24-26 match sweep, handing the ’Cats their second straight defeat.
Chico State, which just three weeks ago was in sole possession of first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), are now seventh in the standings with a 6-5 conference record; overall, the Wildcats are 12-6 on the season. Cal State L.A. won its fourth in a row Saturday to improve to 9-9 on the year and maintain a share of fourth place in the CCAA with a 7-4 conference mark.
Ellie Larronde notched her 10th match of double-digit kills this season, leading the Wildcats with 12 winners Saturday – seven coming in the third set. Alex Shurtz extended her string of double-digit kill matches to 18 with 10 non-returnables while contributing a team-high nine digs, two solo blocks and a service ace. Sable Villaescusa doled out 30 assists and had eight digs, while Haley Uhland chipped in with a season-best eight digs on the night.
Cal State L.A. wasted no time in setting the tone for the evening, building a huge 15-2 lead in the opening set. Chico State battled back, using a service ace by Lindsay Quigley and kills by Quigley, Larronde, Shurtz and Katie Morley to go on a 13-3 run and pull to within 18-15. The Golden Eagles promptly responded with six unanswered points and eventually rolled to the 25-18 victory.
Cal State L.A. raced out to an 11-5 lead and never trailed in the second set, though kills by Shurtz and Morley got the ’Cats to within 18-14. The Golden Eagles tallied three straight winners to create a seven-point cushion, and would end up scoring seven of the last 11 points to win the set 25-18.
The third set was easily the most exciting of the match, with seven ties and six lead changes. Down 17-14, Chico State went on a 6-1 burst, fueled by a Shurtz ace and three Larronde kills to put the Wildcats on top 20-18. Cal State L.A. won four quick points to go back up by two, only to see the ’Cats use two more Larronde kills and a pair of Golden Eagles errors to jump on top 24-22. Chico State found the all-important 25th point elusive, as Cal State L.A. survived two set points, and with the score knotted at 24-apiece, got a kill from Loreal Carter and a solo block by Samantha Potter to give the Golden Eagles a come-from-behind 26-24 victory and the match sweep.
The Wildcats begin a four-match road trip next week, traveling to Arcata to take on Humboldt State Thursday night, followed by Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.
