Box Score CHICO – Saturday at Acker Gym was unforgettable for a whole host of reasons. Senior Night provided Wildcats Jessica Leek, Jessica Simms and Sable Villaescusa with a final spotlight on their home floor, and later in the evening Villaescusa became the program’s all-time career assists leader. Almost – but not quite – lost amidst all the hoopla was an extremely competitive volleyball match. The surging ’Cats downed Cal State Monterey Bay in four sets, 25-22, 20-25, 25-20, 25-17 to close out the homestand with the team’s fourth straight victory.
The Wildcats improved to 18-9 overall, with Saturday’s victory keeping Chico State – No. 10 in the West Region rankings – in the mix for an NCAA Championship Tournament bid. The ’Cats also remained tied with Cal State L.A. for fifth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 12-8 conference mark. Cal State Monterey Bay dropped its fourth straight decision to fall to 12-15 on the season and 6-13 in CCAA play.
Alex Shurtz notched her fifth straight double-double to lead the ’Cats, amassing a match-high 21 kills to go along with 12 digs. Lindsay Quigley hammered home 16 winners and collected five blocks, while Ellie Larronde delivered 10 kills on the night.
Villaescusa registered 55 assists, giving her 4,458 for her Chico State career. Her arcing set leading to a Larronde kill late in the third set moved Villaescusa past All American Erica Brick as the program’s all-time assists leader. She also chipped in with six kills, nine digs and three blocks.
Emily Duran wrapped up a productive week of matches with 21 digs, while Simms added 15 scoops for the victorious Wildcats.
Chico State trailed 10-6 in the first set before the offense finally got untracked. Kills by Quigley, Larronde and Shannon Boling keyed a 10-2 run to give the Wildcat a 16-12 lead. Monterey Bay came back to tie up the contest at 16-all, but a Larronde kill put the Wildcats ahead to stay. The Otters pulled to within 23-21, but kills by Shurtz and Larronde sealed the 25-22 decision for the ’Cats.
Monterey Bay came back to even the match in the second set. The Otters went on a 6-2 run to snap an eight-all tie and never relinquished the lead. Chico State pulled to within 18-17, but Monterey Bay posted six of the next eight points to quickly stretch its advantage to five. Lacee Ventura provided the kill that gave the Otters the 25-20 victory.
The third set saw the Wildcats grab an early 14-11 lead, but it didn’t last long. Monterey Bay pulled even at 16-apiece before Chico State reeled off six unanswered points – five coming on kills by Quigley, Shurtz and Larronde – to go back on top 22-16. The ’Cats survived four late Ventura kills to win the set by a final of 25-20.
Chico State took all the drama out of the match by leading wire-to-wire in the fourth and final set. Already on top 9-6, the Wildcats used kills by Quigley, Shurtz and Boling to fuel a 6-1 run and extend their lead to 15-7. Monterey Bay chipped away at the deficit, and pulled to within 17-16 when the ’Cats finished with a flourish, scoring eight of the final nine points – Shurtz and Quigley contributing two kills apiece during the run – giving Chico State the 25-17 victory to win the match and sweep the season series with the Otters.
The Wildcats wrap up the regular season on the road next weekend with must-win matches against Cal State L.A. Friday and Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday. Both contests are slated to get underway at 7 p.m.
