CHICO – The Chico State volleyball team would like nothing better than to carry the momentum of its Saturday sweep of nationally ranked UC San Diego into the final three home matches of the regular season. The Wildcats have a chance to notch a trio of victories this week at Acker Gym, playing host to Cal State Stanislaus Wednesday, followed by Cal State East Bay Friday and Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday. All matches begin at 7 p.m. 

Chico State enters the week 15-9 on the season, and in a tie with Cal State L.A. for fifth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 9-8 conference mark. After dropping a four-set decision Friday to Cal State San Bernardino, the Wildcats bounced back the following night with an impressive three-set win over No. 24 UC San Diego, effectively knocking the Tritons out of the national top 25 rankings.

Currently, the ’Cats are on the outside looking in for an NCAA Championship Tournament berth. But a strong finish could make things interesting, and the schedule favors a late-season surge by the Wildcats. Chico State’s final five CCAA opponents come into this week’s action with a combined 31-54 record in conference play. The ’Cats are 5-3 in home matches so far this season.

The Wildcats continue to rank among the top CCAA teams in several statistical categories. Chico State is:

• Fourth in the conference in kills (1,215)
• Fourth in kills per set (13.21)
• Fourth in assists (1,132)
• Fourth in assists per set (12.30)
• Fourth in solo blocks (46)

Alex Shurtz, just named the CCAA Player of the Week for the third time this season, tops the conference in kills (402), kills per set (4.37) and points per set (4.82), and is second with 25 solo blocks. Shurtz is ranked No. 9 among all Division II players in kills per set and 12th in points per set. Shurtz enters this week’s action needing just 14 kills to notch 1,000 in her Chico State career.

Sable Villaescusa, who is 49 assists shy of becoming just the second Wildcat setter in history with four straight 1,000 assist seasons, is second in the CCAA in assists (951) and assists per set (10.45), while ranking 33rd nationwide.

Lindsay Quigley, closing in on 200 kills for the season, is second in the CCAA in hitting percentage (.329). Jessica Simms, already the No. 2 digger in Chico State history, ranks ninth in the conference in digs (346) and digs per set (3.76).

Cal State Stanislaus, the Wildcats’ Wednesday night opponent, has struggled since posting back-to-back victories in early October. The Warriors have lost four straight and eight of its last nine to fall to 7-18 overall and slip to 11th place in the CCAA with a 4-13 conference mark. Last weekend, the Warriors were swept by both UC San Diego and Cal State San Bernardino. Stanislaus has dropped 11 of its 16 road matches this season.

The Warriors are led by senior outside hitter Andrea Fett, who ranks sixth in the CCAA in kills (306), fifth in kills per set (3.40) and ninth in points per set (3.79). Freshman setter Kendal Munoz is seventh in the CCAA in assists per set (8.54), while junior Ashley Pittman ranks ninth in digs per set (3.80).

Cal State Stanislaus won the first meeting with Chico State this season, sweeping the Wildcats Oct. 3 at Fitzpatrick Arena in Turlock. The ’Cats hold a 46-13 lead in the all-time series between the two teams.

Cal State East Bay, which visits Acker Gym Friday, is 10-14 on the year and in 10th place in the CCAA with a 5-12 conference record. The Pioneers have played well of late, with four of their last five matches – three of them victories – going five sets. East Bay split its two matches last week, beating Humboldt State Thursday before falling to Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday. The Pioneers come to Chico with a 4-8 road record.

As a team, East Bay ranks fourth in the CCAA in digs (1,498) and fifth in assists (1,068). The Pioneers three talented hitters: senior Nicole Boyle (214 kills, team-high 29 service aces and 306 digs) and juniors Suzy Ni Xu (277 kills) and Hannah Bell (197 kills, 27 aces).

The Wildcats won the first meeting of the season, beating East Bay in four sets Oct. 6 in Hayward. Chico State leads the all-time series, 25-9.

Cal State Monterey Bay, Chico State’s Saturday night opponent, enters the week with an overall record of 10-14; the Otters are ninth in the CCAA with a 6-11 conference mark. Monterey Bay has dropped six of its last eight, including matches last week to both Cal Poly Pomona and Humboldt State. The Otters have won only three of 12 road matches so far this season.

Sophomore outside hitter Julia Ashen is Monterey Bay’s top offensive threat, ranking second in the CCAA in both kills (360) and kills per set (4.0). Freshman outside hitter Jessica Malcolm has 246 kills to her credit, while the trio of junior Lacee Ventura and freshmen Janai Johnson and Victoria Clardy have 372 kills between them.

Chico State hung on to beat the Otters in a five-set cliffhanger Oct. 5 in Seaside, giving the Wildcats four straight wins over Monterey Bay. The two teams nearly always battle to the end, with six of the last seven matches going five sets. The ’Cats hold a 15-2 advantage in the all-time series with the Otters.

Saturday is also Senior Day at Acker Gym, featuring a pre-match salute to outgoing seniors Jessica Simms, Sable Villaescusa and Jessica Leek.

If you can’t make it to Acker Gym in person, you can follow the action of all three matches online via Live Stats on the Wildcat Athletic website.

CLICK HERE to connect to Live Stats