Box Score CHICO – Give credit where credit is due – the Cal State East Bay volleyball team made Chico State work for every point it got Friday night at Acker Gym. The Pioneers, long out of the postseason picture, battled for four grueling sets against a Wildcat squad trying to run the table and position themselves for a possible NCAA Championship Tournament berth. But in the end, the ’Cats succeeded in scoring a grind-it-out victory over East Bay, downing the Pioneers by a final of 22-25, 25-23, 25-18 and 25-22.
With Friday’s win – Chico State’s third straight – the Wildcats are now 17-9 overall and remained tied for fifth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with an 11-8 conference record. Cal State East Bay dipped to 10-15 on the season and 5-13 in CCAA play.
Alex Shurtz posted her fourth straight double-double for the ’Cats, clubbing a match-high 18 kills while contributing 18 digs. Shannon Boling matched her career high with 12 kills, with Lindsay Quigley adding 11 kills and a pair of service aces. Sable Villaescusa doled out 44 assists and 16 digs on the night; she is now just 38 assists shy of becoming Chico State’s all-time assists leader. Jessica Simms was all over the court, collecting a match-high 27 digs, while Emily Duran chipped in with 15 digs and four aces.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair, featuring 14 ties and seven lead changes. With Chico State down 13-12, Quigley delivered a kill and an ace, while a solo block by Shurtz helped the Wildcats go up 16-13. Cal State East Bay used a 6-1 run to take a 19-17 lead, and three tie scores later the two teams were knotted up at 22-apiece. The Pioneers proceeded to put things away with a Samantha Bruno kill, a Danielle Stewart ace and a combo block by Bruno and Hannah Bell to take the first set 25-22.
A pair of Duran aces and kills by Boling, Quigley, Shurtz and Ellie Larronde led the charge early in the second set as the Wildcats raced out to a 13-6 lead. East Bay stayed close, slowly chipping at the deficit until the Pioneers caught the ’Cats at 23-all. Chico State was able to dodge the bullet, getting a kill by Boling and an East Bay error to squeak out the 25-23 victory.
Things were tight again in the third set, but with the Pioneers up 14-13, Chico State put together its first sustained run of the match to take control of the contest. Villaescusa, Shurtz, Quigley and Hannah Wilkins all provided key kills to fuel a 10-3 run that gave the Wildcats a comfortable 23-17 lead. Shurtz would provide the winning kill as the ’Cats prevailed by a final of 25-18.
Cal State East Bay was down, but certainly not out in the fourth set. After kills by Shurtz, Wilkins, Villaescusa, Quigley and Boling powered Chico State to a 19-12 lead, the Pioneers steadily worked their way back into the contest, scoring 11 of the next 15 points to pull to within 23-22. Following a timeout, the Wildcats put the kibosh on East Bay’s comeback attempt – kills by Shurtz and Quigley delivered the decisive points that gave the ’Cats the 25-22 victory and the match.
The Wildcats play their final regular season home match Saturday as they welcome Cal State Monterey Bay (12-14, 6-12 CCAA) to Acker Gym. The Otters come to Chico after suffering their 13th straight conference road loss Friday, bowing in five sets to Cal State Stanislaus.
It’s also Senior Night, featuring a pre-match ceremony honoring outgoing seniors Jessica Leek, Jessica Simms and Sable Villaescusa.
The action gets underway at 7 p.m. If you can’t make it in person, you can follow the match online via Live Stats through the Wildcat Athletics website.
CLICK HERE for Live Stats
