Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ROHNERT PARK – The Chico State volleyball team broke even Friday in first day action at the Sonoma State-hosted Seawolf Spike Tournament in Rohnert Park. After kicking things off with a four-set victory over Montana State-Billings, 25-21, 17-25, 25-16, 28-26, then gave No. 12 Western Washington all it could handle in the afternoon match, ultimately bowing to the Vikings in four sets, 16-25, 25-23, 17-25, 18-25.
With the Friday split, Chico State now stands at 2-3 on the season.
Ellie Larronde provided the big offensive numbers for the Wildcats, pounding out 46 kills over the two matches, including a career-high 29 in the win over Montana State-Billings. Lindsay Quigley added 25 kills, while setter Torey Thompson piled up an even 100 assists on the day. Lauren Orozco contributed 37 digs, with Thompson adding 33 digs and Emily Duran 27 digs.
The Wildcats got off to an impressive start against nationally-ranked Western Washington, with kills by Quigley and Larronde and a pair of Molly Ratto service aces giving Chico State a 4-0 lead. With the first set tied at eight apiece, the Vikings took the lead for good, though the 'Cats were trailing just 18-15 before Western Washington went on a 7-1 run down the stretch to roll to the 25-16 win.
Chico State returned the favor in the second set, rallying back from a 17-11 deficit to score 14 of the final 20 points to come away with a 25-23 victory. Larronde hammered four kills and Quigley three for the 'Cats during the stretch to knot up the match at one win apiece.
Western Washington led from start to finish in the third set, jumping out to a 4-0 advantage and led by as many as nine late in the contest. Chico State went on a brief 6-1 run to close to within 20-16 – kills by Larronde and Shannon Boling and a Thompson service ace leading the way – but the Vikings recovered to score five of the next six points to cruise to the 25-17 victory.
Now with their backs to the wall, the Wildcats used kills by Larronde, Quigley and Boling to take an 11-7 lead in the fourth set. Western Washington slowly chipped away at the deficit, finally tying the contest at 14-all. The Vikings went ahead 18-16, but two Boling kills pulled the 'Cats even. That would turn out to be Chico State's last hurrah, as the Vikings scored the final seven points to post the 25-18 win, taking the match and improving to 6-0 on the year.
Earlier in the day, Chico State took on Montana State-Billings. The opening set was played pretty evenly until the Wildcats took control in the second half of the contest. Trailing 15-14, Chico State used six Larronde kills and one apiece from Alex Shurtz and Quigley to power a 10-4 run to take a 24-20 lead; a Montana State-Billings service error provided the final point in the 'Cats' eventual 25-21 victory.
The Yellowjackets bounced back in the second set, snapping a nine-all tie by scoring 12 of the next 15 points to take a commanding 21-12 lead. The Wildcats whittled the deficit down to seven on the strength of kills by Shurtz, Quigley and Larronde, but Montana State-Billings held on to knot up the match with a 25-17 win.
Chico State ripped off a 12-2 run midway through the third set to grab a comfortable 20-10 lead, only to see Montana State-Billings score six of the next nine points to pull to with 23-16. The Wildcats put the set away thanks to a Yellowjackets attack error and a service ace by Orozco to claim the 25-16 victory.
The fourth set was a see-saw battle – Montana State-Billings jumped out to a 14-10 advantage, but Chico State responded with a 10-4 run – powered by kills from Quigley, Shurtz and Larronde to go up 20-18. The 'Cats still led 24-22 when the Yellowjackets survived four match points to tie the contest at 26-all. The Wildcats finally put the finishing touches on the set courtesy of a Quigley kill and a Montana State-Billings error to lock down the 28-26 win and the match.
Chico State wraps up the Seawolf Spike Tournament with a pair of Saturday matches. The Wildcats will take on Dominican at 11:15 a.m., followed by Hawaii Pacific at 3:45 p.m.
