Box Score POMONA – Don’t look now, but the Chico State volleyball team has suddenly become extremely tough to beat on the road. After losing their first three matches away from the friendly confines of Acker Gym, the Wildcats have won four straight on the road – the latest a 24-26, 25-22, 25-15, 25-22 victory Saturday night over Cal Poly Pomona – to vault back into the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference race.
With the win – Chico State’s sixth straight versus Cal Poly Pomona – the Wildcats improve to 14-6 overall and 8-5 in CCAA play, moving into sole possession of fifth place in the conference standings. The Broncos saw their modest two-match losing streak come to an end to drop to 10-10 on the season and 6-7 in the CCAA.
Alex Shurtz led a very balanced Chico State attack with 16 kills while also contributing 11 digs, two service aces and three blocks. Ellie Larronde hammered home 13 winners, with Katie Morley posting a career-high 12 kills to go along with six blocks. Lindsay Quigley also had 12 kills; Sable Villaescusa doled out 45 assists and collected 13 digs, and Jessica Simms led the Wildcats with 15 digs on the night.
Cal Poly Pomona jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening set, but kills by Morley, Shurtz and Hannah Wilkins highlighted a 7-0 run to put the Wildcats in front 9-7. Chico State extended its lead to 12-8, only to see the Broncos reel off six unanswered points to go up 14-12. Back came the Wildcats – two Larronde kills and winners by Shurtz and Quigley put Chico State back on top 19-17. The lead went back and forth until the Wildcats went up 24-22, but Pomona fought off two set points, then posted back-to-back winners to finish off the late 4-0 run and steal a 26-24 victory.
The second set was a tightly-played affair, but Pomona had the upper hand for most of the contest. The Wildcats would wipe out a 19-13 deficit by scoring 10 of the next 13 points – Larronde, Shurtz, Quigley and Villaescusa all contributing kills during the run – to take their first lead of the set at 23-22. Shurtz then provided the final two points with a kill and solo block to give Chico State the match-tying 25-22 win.
In the third set, the Wildcats broke open a 4-4 contest, as a pair of Quigley kills and winners by Villaescusa, Wilkins and Morley fueled an 8-3 run to give Chico State a 12-7 lead. Pomona could get no closer than three points the rest of the way, and the Wildcats used kills by Quigley, Wilkins, Larronde, Shurtz and Villaescusa to power the ’Cats to a 9-2 run down the stretch to lock down the 25-15 victory.
Cal Poly Pomona wasn’t going to go down without a fight, and in the fourth set grabbed an early 9-5 advantage. Chico State scored four straight points to knot up the contest, and the set was stilled tied at 16-all when the Wildcats forged ahead for good – kills by Larronde, Wilkins and Morley helped put Chico State up 21-17. Though the Broncos pulled to within 23-22, the ’Cats slammed the door on any comeback attempt with kills by Quigley and Shurtz to win the set 25-22 and the match.
Chico State will be back in action next weekend, traveling to the Bay Area for two extremely important CCAA matches against the conference’s two third place teams. Friday, the Wildcats will take on San Francisco State, followed by Sonoma State on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.
