Box Score ARCATA – For the Chico State volleyball team to sweep through the Humboldt State Volleyball Tournament, it was going to have to go through a very talented Cal Baptist squad Saturday in Arcata. As expected, the two undefeated teams engaged in a spirited see-saw match, but when the dust settled at Lumberjack Arena, it was the Wildcats that emerged victorious, downing the Lancers in four sets 25-20, 19-25, 25-21, 27-25.
The win wrapped up a perfect season-opening weekend for the ’Cats, who improved to 3-0 overall. Cal Baptist, one of the top volleyball teams in the Pacific West Conference, fell to 2-1 with Saturday’s loss.
Jessica Leek provided a good chunk of Chico State’s firepower, registering 20 kills to go along with five service aces and a dozen digs. Alex Shurtz added 18 kills and 11 digs, with Ellie Larronde chipping in with a dozen non-returnables. Jessica Simms turned in a solid all-around performance, with two kills, six assists and three aces in addition to a team-high 23 digs. Emily Duran delivered a dozen digs, while Sable Villaescusa collected 46 assists for the Wildcats.
Chico State grabbed the upper hand early in the match, and never trailed in its opening set victory. The Wildcats broke open a tight 5-4 contest with a 13-4 run, as Leek, Shurtz, Larronde and Lindsay Quigley all contributed multiple kills to give the ’Cats an 18-8 lead. The Lancers answered by scoring 11 of the next 15 points to draw to within 22-19, but a pair of kills by Shurtz and another by Kelsie Hanson sealed the Wildcats’ 25-20 victory.
It looked like more of the same in the second set, as the ’Cats used kills by Shurtz, Larronde, Quigley and Hannah Wilkins to race out to an 8-4 lead. The Lancers responded with a 13-3 run to seize the momentum and go up 17-11. Chico State crept to within 22-18 thanks in large part to service aces from Shurtz and Villaescusa, but Cal Baptist was able to fend off the Wildcats’ late charge to win 25-19 and even the match at one set apiece.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair early in the contest – Chico State jumped out to a 5-1 advantage, only to see Cal Baptist score six unanswered points to take a 7-5 lead. The Wildcats took control of the set by scoring nine of the next 11 points – Simms providing a pair of aces during the run – to go up 14-9. Though the Lancers pulled to within 17-16, the ’Cats never relinquished the lead, eventually taking a 25-21 decision.
Cal Baptist led for almost the entire fourth set – at one point holding a 16-9 advantage – but the Wildcats battled back, as Leek delivered four kills and three service aces to fuel a 10-3 run to catch the Lancers at 19-all. The ’Cats had Cal Baptist on the ropes at 24-21, but the Lancers survived four match points before Shurtz snapped the 25-all tie with a pair of kills that powered Chico State to the 27-25 victory, winning the match three sets to one.
The Wildcats are back in action next weekend in Rohnert Park, taking part in the Sonoma State-hosted Seawolf Spike Tournament. Chico State will take on Dominican University Friday at 9 a.m. and Seattle Pacific at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8 the ’Cats square off against Central Washington at 9 a.m., followed by a 1:30 p.m. tilt with Western Washington.
