Box Score CHICO – The Chico State volleyball team didn't spend a whole lot of time dwelling over its disappointing five-set loss Friday against Cal State L.A. The Wildcats simply hit the Acker Gym floor Saturday night and took out their frustrations on Cal State Dominguez Hills, earning a split of the weekend homestand with a convincing 25-11, 25-17, 25-18 victory over the visiting Toros.
With Saturday's win, Chico State improved to 8-8 on the season and moves into a tie with Cal State Monterey Bay in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 5-4 conference record. Cal State Dominguez Hills dropped its third straight decision to fall to 8-9 overall and into last place in the CCAA with a 1-8 conference mark.
Ellie Larronde was the lone hitter for either team with double-digit kills, knocking down 10 winners on the night. Alex Shurtz added nine kills and Natalie Nordahl contributed eight while racking up a .615 hitting percentage. Torey Thompson doled out 35 assists and chipped in with nine digs, with Molly Ratto, Lauren Orozco and Emily Duran combining for 24 digs for the victorious 'Cats.
Chico State blew open the first set early. Trailing 6-5, the Wildcats ripped off eight unanswered points – combining three Dominguez Hills errors with a Larronde service ace and kills by Nordahl and Shurtz – to build a formidable 13-6 lead. The Toros were not able to recover, as the 'Cats scored eight of the final 11 points – punctuated with multiple kills by Larronde and Lindsay Quigley – to coast to a 25-11 win.
The second set saw Dominguez Hills again grab an early 7-6 lead, but the Wildcats took command of the contest with an 8-2 run to go up 14-9. The Toros closed the gap to four at 17-13, only to see Quigley immediately register a kill and an ace, and late kills by Larronde, Nordahl and Ashton Kershner powered Chico State to a 25-17 victory.
The final set was close early, with Chico State snapping a five-all tie with kills by Larronde and Kershner. The Wildcats would not relinquish the lead, using back-to-back aces by Ratto and kills by Nordahl and Shurtz to build a 17-11 advantage. Dominguez Hills pulled to within 20-16, but Larronde slammed the door on any late Toros comeback hopes with four kills down the stretch – including the winning strike – to give the 'Cats a 25-18 win and the match sweep.
Chico State hits the road next week, traveling to southern California Thursday to take on Cal Poly Pomona, followed by a Saturday tilt in Arcata against Humboldt State. Both matches are scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m.
