Box Score CHICO – The Chico State volleyball team opened the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) season on a positive note Wednesday, fighting off a much-improved Cal State Stanislaus squad to register an 18-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-17 win at Acker Gym. The Wildcats lacked a little energy coming out of the gate, but quickly regrouped to prevail in the final three sets to even their season record at 4-4.
Ellie Larronde was once again the big hitter for the Chico State offense, collecting 17 kills on the night, with Lindsay Quigley chipping in with 16 winners and Hannah Wilkins racking up a career-high 14 kills. Torey Thompson dished out 45 assists, contributed 15 digs and added six service aces to the 'Cats' cause, while Larronde, Emily Duran, Molly Ratto and Lauren Orozco all notched double-digit digs for a combined 49 on the night. Blair Ehrlich of Cal State Stanislaus had a match-high 18 kills in the losing effort, as the Warriors saw their two-game winning streak snapped to fall to 3-6 on the year.
CLICK HERE to check out Annie Maize's photo gallery of the Chico State-Cal State Stanislaus volleyball match
Wednesday's opening set was determined by an 11-1 Stanislaus run that eclipsed a nine-all tie and gave the Warriors a comfortable 20-10 lead. Chico State was able to cut the deficit to six, but an Ehrlich kill was the back-breaker as Stanislaus posted the 25-18 victory.
The Wildcats revved it up in the second set, using kills by Wilkins, Quigley and Larronde to fashion an early 9-3 advantage. Stanislaus scored the next three points to pull to within three, only to see Chico State answer with a 7-0 run – powered by a Thompson service ace and three Larronde kills – to go up 18-8. The Warriors again battled back, but with the score 22-18, late kills by Quigley and Larronde sealed the deal for the 'Cats, tying up the match with a 25-20 win.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair that featured 10 ties and five lead changes. With the scored knotted up at 17-apiece, Chico State finally got the upper hand, as kills by Wilkins and Quigley highlighted a 5-1 run to put the 'Cats on top to stay. Stansilaus rallied to get to within one, but Larronde delivered the decisive kill as the Wildcats triumphed 25-23.
The fourth set was another tightly-played contest until Chico State used another impressive run to take command. Trailing the Warriors 6-5, a Larronde kill kick-started the Wildcat offense as they scored 12 of the next 15 points to take a 17-9 lead. Stanislaus could get no closer than six the rest of the way, as late kills by Larronde, Quigley and Thompson paved the way to the match-clinching 25-17 victory.
The 'Cats will have little time to savor Wednesday's win, as they hit the road this weekend to take on conference foes Cal State Monterey Bay Friday and Cal State East Bay on Saturday. Both matches get underway at 7 p.m.
