Box Score HAYWARD – Head Coach Cody Hein still maintains the Chico State volleyball team is a "work in progress," but the hours of hard work the Wildcats have put in leading up to the first week of California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play is paying off with immediate results. The 'Cats won their third match in four days Saturday, wrapping up a weekend road trip with a convincing 25-16, 16-25, 25-18, 25-18 victory over Cal State East Bay at Pioneer Gym in Hayward.
Chico State improves to 6-4 overall and maintains sole possession of first place in the CCAA with a 3-0 conference record. Cal State East Bay slipped to 5-5 on the year and 1-1 in CCAA play.
Ellie Larronde led a balanced Wildcat attack with 17 kills, while Hannah Wilkins and Lindsay Quigley contributed 12 and nine kills, respectively. Torey Thompson handed out 45 assists and added 10 digs; Lauren Orozco led the 'Cats with 15 digs and Emily Duran chipped in with 14 digs. Molly Ratto also added to the offense with four of Chico State's seven service aces on the night. The Wildcats posted a combined .275 attack percentage, while defensively the 'Cats piled up 15 blocks in Saturday's win.
Ratto delivered a pair of service aces to help Chico State score the first five points of the opening set, then kills by Quigley and Ashton Kershner and a combo block by Thompson and Larronde opened up a 10-2 lead for the 'Cats. East Bay came back to cut the deficit to 13-11, but the Wildcats responded with kills by Larronde, Quigley, Ratto and Wilkins plus solo blocks by Wilkins and Larronde to key a 10-4 run and put Chico State up 23-15. Kills by Larronde and Natalie Nordahl put the finishing touches on the Wildcats' 25-16 victory.
The Pioneers spotted Chico State the first two points of the second set, then reeled off a 11-6 run to go up by three. Thanks largely to three Larronde kills, the Wildcats hung close, but East Bay slowly built its advantage to 24-15. Nordahl knocked home another kill to keep the 'Cats alive, but in short order Kitona Offord delivered the kill that gave the Pioneers the match-tying 25-16 win.
The third set saw Chico State jump out to a 9-2 lead on the strength of a Ratto ace and kills by Quigley, Larronde and Thompson. The 'Cats extended their advantage to 13-5, but East Bay was able to whittle the deficit five at 15-10. That would be as close as the Pioneers would get, as Chico State held on to its hefty lead and used a Wilkins kill to tally the final point and take the set, 25-18.
East Bay took an early 6-3 lead in the fourth set, only to see the Wildcats rip off a 10-2 run – powered by kills from Wilkins, Larronde and Kershner, plus combo blocks by Nordahl/Quigley and Nordahl/Kershner – to go on top 13-8. Every time the Pioneers tried to make a run, the 'Cats seemed to have an answer, and though East Bay pulled to within three at 19-16, two late kills by Wilkins and one by Quigley sealed the deal, as Chico State won the set 25-18 to take the match.
The Wildcats return to action next weekend, hosting nationally-ranked Cal State San Bernardino on Friday and UC San Diego Saturday at Acker Gym. First serve for both matches is scheduled for 7 p.m.
