Box Score CHICO – Visiting San Francisco State made the Chico State volleyball team work for the victory, but the Wildcats were up to every challenge Saturday in beating the Gators 25-23, 25-18, 25-23 at Acker Gym. The win capped off a perfect week for the 'Cats, matching their longest winning streak of the season with three straight victories – and they did it without losing a single set.
It marks the first time Chico State has swept three straight matches since Oct. 1-8, 2011, when the 'Cats rolled up three-set wins over Cal State East Bay, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A.
Saturday's win also pushed Chico State back over the .500 mark for the season. The Wildcats improved to 13-12 overall while moving into sole possession of fifth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 10-8 conference mark.
Alex Shurtz posted a double-double to lead the Wildcats Saturday, contributing a match-high 13 kills to go along with 12 digs. Lindsay Quigley added 10 kills, two service aces and five blocks, while Kristyn Casalino hammered home a career-high 10 kills. Torey Thompson fed the offense to the tune of 42 assists on the night; Natalie Nordahl racked up six kills and five blocks, and Emily Duran paced the 'Cats with 19 digs.
San Francisco State looked good early, scoring the first four points of the opening set. Chico State caught the Gators at five apiece, but was constantly playing catch-up until late in the contest. With San Francisco State up 19-17, the Wildcats made their move, with kills by Casalino, Larronde, Quigley and Shurtz, a service ace by Molly Ratto and a Quigley/Nordahl block highlighting an 8-4 run that gave Chico State the 25-23 victory.
The second set was another tightly-played affair, with four ties in the early going. With San Francisco State leading 12-10, the Wildcats took control by ripping off 12 of the next 14 points – Ellie Larronde got the run started with a thunderous kill, followed by kills from Quigley, Shurtz, Casalino and Nordahl plus a Nordahl/Casalino combo block – to give Chico State a 22-14 lead. The Gators pulled to within six, but Larronde ended the late comeback bid with the deciding kill to give the 'Cats the 25-18 victory.
The third set saw Chico State reel off the first four points and thanks to kills by Shurtz, Nordahl, Casalino, Thompson and Larronde, built a 15-10 lead. San Francisco State answered with five unanswered points to climb back into the contest, and the two teams battled to a 22-all tie. The Wildcats would prevail in the late going, using a Casalino kill and a Quigley/Nordahl combo block to go up 24-22, and after the Gators survived one match point, Larronde put an exclamation mark on the proceedings with the kill that gave Chico State the 25-23 victory, the match sweep and a sweep of the season series with San Francisco State.
The Chico State volleyball team embarks on its final road trip of the season next weekend, traveling to southern California to take on Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday and Cal State L.A. Saturday.
