Box Score CHICO – For the second straight night, the Chico State volleyball team fought toe-to-toe with a nationally-ranked top 20 opponent. Despite several impressive stretches, the end result each night was frustratingly the same. Following Friday's four-set loss to No. 20 Cal State San Bernardino, the Wildcats bowed to No. 10 UC San Diego Saturday by scores of 25-20, 18-25, 25-21 and 26-24.
With Saturday's setback, Chico State dipped to 6-6 on the season and into a tie for third place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 3-2 conference record. UC San Diego improved to 11-2 on the year and 3-2 in CCAA play.
Lindsay Quigley turned in a monster match for the 'Cats. In addition to leading all hitters with 17 kills and posting an impressive .500 hitting percentage, the junior middle hitter delivered three service aces, three blocks and three digs on the night. Ellie Larronde added 16 kills and three blocks, while Torey Thompson handed out 44 assists. Three Chico State players logged double-digit digs; Emily Duran led the way with 17 bumps.
UC San Diego used a balanced offensive attack to post the win, with five players registering nine or more kills. Sarah McCutchan paced the Tritons with 16 winners.
The night started out well for the 'Cats, though UC San Diego led for most of the first set. The Tritons were up 20-17 when Chico State went on an 8-0 run – three kills by Quigley, two by Thompson and a combo block by Quigley and Larronde paved the way for a 25-20 Wildcat victory.
UC San Diego knotted up the match in the second set, but the Wildcats made the Tritons work for it – Chico State trailed by as many as six midway through the contest, but twice cut the deficit to two. With the score 20-18, the Tritons put any thoughts of a 'Cats comeback to rest by scoring five unanswered points to roll to the 25-18 win.
Quigley literally put the Chico State offense on her shoulders in the third set, pounding out seven kills and adding a service ace. It was not enough, however, as UC San Diego snapped a 14-all tie and would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the contest. Despite two late kills by both Larronde and Quigley, the Tritons were able to hold off several Wildcat attempts at scoring runs to eventually post a 25-21 victory.
Chico State came out strong in the fourth set. Quigley delivered a kill and a solo block, Larronde smashed a pair of winners and Ashton Kershner added a kill to put the Wildcats up 7-5. UC San Diego answered with a 14-7 run to grab a 19-14 lead, but four Larronde kills helped the 'Cats pull even at 21 apiece. The Tritons scored three of the next four points to put Chico State on the brink, only to see the Wildcats survive two match points to tie the score at 24-all. The comeback was short-lived, as Kameron Cooper came through with a kill and combined with Caitlin Brenton for a point-scoring block to give UC San Diego the 26-24 victory and the match.
Chico State returns to action next weekend, traveling to the Bay Area to take on San Francisco State Friday and No. 16 Sonoma State on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.
