Box Score CHICO – Senior Night Saturday at Acker Gym turned out to be even more memorable than Wildcat volleyball fans expected. Besides an emotional farewell to outgoing seniors Molly Ratto and Alex Shurtz, the 'Cats and Cal Poly Pomona locked up for one of the most intense and competitive matches of the season. It was an evening of long volleys, airborne players diving for digs, and gym-jarring kills, and in the end Chico State officially wrapped up the 2013 season with a hard-earned 25-19, 17-25, 25-21, 25-23 victory over the visiting Broncos.
The Wildcats wrapped up the year winning their final three matches and six of the last seven to finish 16-13 overall and clinch fourth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 13-9 conference record. Cal Poly Pomona concluded the season dropping five of its last seven matches to finish 12-18 overall and in seventh place in the CCAA with a 10-12 conference mark.
Shurtz led the 'Cats with 17 kills on the night, ending her Wildcat career with the second most kills (1,429) in the program's history. Lindsay Quigley pounded out 16 winners while posting a .462 hitting percentage, with Ellie Larronde adding 10 kills. Torey Thompson had a productive evening, doling out 48 assists (clinching the CCAA title for assists per set) and providing a team-high 17 digs. Shurtz and Emily Duran had 15 digs apiece, with Duran notching four service aces. Ratto, in her final match as a Wildcat, chipped in with seven digs and her team-high 41st ace of the season.
Powered by kills from Larronde, Quigley and Shurtz, Chico State jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the opening set. Cal Poly Pomona promptly answered with a 10-4 run to go out in front 14-12. The Wildcats regrouped and scored eight of the next 10 points – highlighted by four Shurtz kills and two by Quigley – to grab a 20-16 lead. The 'Cats went to the power game to close out the set, as kills by Shurtz, Larronde, Quigley and Kristyn Casalino plus a Quigley/Natalie Nordahl block gave Chico State the 25-19 win.
The Broncos bounced back in the second set, erasing a 12-10 Wildcat lead by ripping off a 7-2 run to go up 17-14. Pomona put the hammer down late by scoring six of the final seven points to win going away 25-17 to even the match.
In the third set, Chico State jumped out to another early lead, as kills Quigley, Shurtz and Casalino put the Wildcats on top 9-4. Pomona again battled back, catching the 'Cats at 15 apiece. With the score 17-all, Chico State finally pulled away, as Shurtz twice delivered back-to-back kills and Shannon Boling sealed the deal with a booming kill to give the Wildcats the 25-21 victory.
The momentum carried over into the fourth set – Chico State racked up the first five points (fueled by kills from Larronde and Boling and two Duran aces), and with the score 6-3, Quigley and Thompson combined for three more aces to spark a 7-2 run and extend the 'Cats' advantage to 13-5. The Wildcats were still enjoying a comfortable 19-13 lead when the Broncos came roaring back, scoring 10 of the next 14 points to knot up the set at 23-all. Chico State was not about to let the contest slip away, using a Pomona error and a Quigley kill to post the final two points and take the set 25-23 and the match victory, insuring that the 2013 season ended on a positive note and sending seniors Shurtz and Ratto off with a well-deserved "W" to close out their Wildcat careers.
