Box Score CHICO – Before the start of the 2012 season, Chico State volleyball coach Cody Hein stressed the importance of putting together two solid opening weekends so the team could roll into the friendly confines of Acker Gym to begin conference play with a good head of stream. Mission most definitely accomplished – after a 6-1 start, the Wildcats came home and took care of Cal Poly Pomona Friday, then on Saturday completed the weekend sweep by handing Humboldt State a 25-9, 25-20, 21-25, 25-19 defeat.
Saturday’s victory not only upped Chico State’s overall mark to 8-1 overall and 2-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), it gave Hein – already the winningest coach in Chico State volleyball history – his 200th career coaching victory. Humboldt State dropped its fourth straight to fall to 2-8 on the year and 0-3 in conference play.
Alex Shurtz delivered double-digit kills for the ninth straight match, leading the Wildcats by hammering home 14 winners. Lindsay Quigley turned in another outstanding performance, blasting 13 kills while posting an eye-popping .632 attack percentage. Sable Villaescusa doled out 29 assists in three sets, while Emily Duran contributed a team-high 17 digs and a pair of service aces. Jessica Simms added 14 digs and five assists, with Molly Ratto chipping in with a dozen digs on the night.
Chico State took no prisoners in the opening set, scoring the first four points and jumping out to a 13-5 lead. Humboldt State won the next point, but the Wildcats responded with an 11-1 run powered by four Quigley kills and two by Ellie Larronde to make it a 24-7 contest. Shurtz provided the set-winning kill to give the ’Cats the 25-9 victory.
The Wildcats had to come from behind to win the second set. Chico State went up quickly 5-1, only to see the Lumberjacks score 12 of the next 17 points to go out in front 13-10. The ’Cats grabbed the lead back at 17-16, but Humboldt rallied to tie the contest at 20-apiece. Chico State used kills by Quigley, Lauren Orozco and Shannon Boling to power a 5-0 run and win the set going away, 25-20.
Humboldt State avoided the match sweep by taking the third set, but the Lumberjacks had to work for it. After using a 5-1 run to forge a 10-6 advantage, Humboldt never trailed, though Chico State made several small runs and pulled to within one late in the contest – two Hannah Wilkins kills and a Melissa Berndt service ace made the score 21-20. The Lumberjacks held on, though, scoring four of the last five points to come away with the 25-21 victory.
The fourth set was another tightly-played affair, with just two points serving as the biggest lead for either team before things were knotted up at 16-all. The Wildcats then pulled away – a Duran ace and kills by Quigley and Shurtz highlighted a 9-3 run that gave the ’Cats the 25-19 set victory and the match.
The Wildcats are back home next weekend to entertain the only other undefeated teams in conference play. Sonoma State visits Acker Gym on Friday, with San Francisco State coming to Chico on Saturday, Sept. 22nd. Both matches will get underway at 7 p.m.
