Box Score CARSON – Even if Friday’s loss to Cal State L.A. keeps the Chico State volleyball team out of the NCAA Championship Tournament, credit the Wildcats for leaving it all out on the floor right down to the final whistle of the regular season. The ’Cats, down two sets to one to Cal State Dominguez Hills, stayed alive by winning the fourth set and then came from behind in thrilling fashion during the fifth and deciding set to down the Toros 25-21, 22-25, 22-25, 25-21, 17-15 at the Torodome in Carson.
With the victory, the Wildcats won five of their last six matches to wrap up the regular season 19-10, equaling the team’s win total from a year ago, and improving to 13-9 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal State Dominguez saw its season come to an end Saturday, dipping to 12-17 overall and 10-12 in CCAA play.
Alex Shurtz recorded her seventh straight double-double for the Wildcats, pounding out 22 kills to go along with 12 digs and a pair of blocks. Lindsay Quigley blasted a career high 22 kills and two blocks; Ellie Larronde registered 11 winners, and Katie Morley chipped in with 10 kills and four blocks. Sable Villaescusa notched a season high 61 assists and added 15 digs, while Molly Ratto and Jessica Simms had 17 and 16 digs, respectively.
Chico State trailed early in the first set, but Shurtz was on fire, accounting for five of the Wildcats’ first 10 points. The ’Cats knotted up the contest at 11-apiece, and the two teams were still deadlocked at 18-all when Chico State took control – four Shurtz kills and one from Larronde put the Wildcats in front 24-21, and a block by Morley and Shannon Boling provided the winning point in the ’Cats’ 25-21 victory.
Set number two was a back-and-forth affair early, but with the Toros in front 8-7, the Wildcats used kills by Boling, Quigley and Villaescusa to fuel a 6-1 run to go up 13-9. Dominguez Hills answered by posting 10 of the next 14 points to jump back on top 19-17. A Quigley kill helped Chico State take a 22-21 lead, only to see the Toros rip off four straight winners to snatch the 25-22 win.
Dominguez Hills roared out to an 11-6 lead in the third set, but the Wildcats battled back – kills by Quigley, Shurtz and Larronde highlighted an 8-3 run to catch the Toros at 14-all. It was still tied at 17-apiece when Dominguez Hills re-took a lead it would not relinquish. A Larronde kill brought the ’Cats to within 23-22, but a service error and Elizabeth Krieger kill enabled the Toros to hang on and register the 25-22 victory.
Chico State trailed only once in the all-important fourth set, and once the Wildcats established an early 9-4 lead, they never looked back. Three times Dominguez Hills crept to within two points of the ’Cats, but four late kills and an ace by Quigley pushed Chico State’s advantage to 23-18. Shurtz and Morley finished things off with kills to give the Wildcats the match-tying 25-21 win.
The fifth and deciding set saw the Toros lead for most of the way, though the Wildcats were never more than three points down. Kills by Shurtz and Quigley kept the pressure on, eventually tying the contest at 11-all. Dominguez Hills tallied the next two points to re-gain the lead, and had Chico State at match point until a kill by Quigley evened things up at 14-apiece. The Wildcats went up 15-14, but this time it was the Toros that escaped match point. Chico State then put an abrupt end to the proceedings, using a Larronde kill and a Dominguez Hills error to win a 17-15 thriller to take the match and earn a split of the season series with the Toros.
Chico State, entering the weekend as the No. 10 team in the West Region rankings, will find out their postseason fate Sunday night during the NCAA Championship Tournament selection show, broadcast live beginning at 7 p.m. on
www.ncaa.com. Chico State must be among the region’s top eight teams to earn its first postseason berth since 2008.
