Box Score CHICO – Cal State L.A. came into Acker Gym Saturday in sole possession of first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). They left that way, too…but only by a whisker. In a dramatic five-set match, Chico State gave the Golden Eagles all they could handle, rallying from two sets down and coming within one point on seven different occasions from delivering the upset, but Cal State L.A. survived to register the 25-17, 25-18, 12-25, 23-25, 21-19 win.
The loss snapped Chico State's two-match winning streak and dropped the Wildcats to 7-6 on the season and 5-4 in the CCAA. Cal State L.A. notched its fifth straight win to improve to 10-2 overall and a CCAA-best 8-1 in conference play.
Olivia Mediano delivers one of
her eight kills Saturday vs.
Cal State L.A.Lindsay Quigley bombed a season-high 18 kills and delivered five blocks to lead the Chico State attack, with Ellie Larronde adding 15 kills and Kristyn Casalino producing 10 winners. Torey Thompson dished out 59 assists and recorded a pair of service aces, while Emily Duran came through with 16 digs on the night. Shannon Cotton had 13 digs and a pair of aces, with Anu Munkhtur contributing six digs and two aces.
Cal State L.A. was the clear aggressor starting out the match, racing to a 13-6 lead in the opening set. Kills by Quigley and Larronde plus a Quigley/Hannah Wilkins combo block highlighted a 7-2 Chico State run to pull the Wildcats within 15-13, but the Golden Eagles regrouped to post 10 of the next 14 points, including a 6-1 run to end the set and give Cal State L.A. a 25-17 win.
The second set was a much tighter contest, with eight ties and a pair of lead changes. With the score knotted up at 13-apiece, Cal State L.A. went ahead to stay thanks to an 8-2 run, and despite late kills from Quigley and Larronde, the Golden Eagles netted three of the final four points to grab a 25-18 victory.
It was all Chico State in the third set, breaking open a five-all tie with an impressive 14-4 run – an ace by Munkhtur and kills from Casalino, Wilkins, Larronde, Quigley and Olivia Mediano giving the 'Cats a comfortable 19-9 lead. Cal State L.A. never got any closer than nine the rest of the way, with a Casalino kill cementing the Wildcats' 25-12 win.
Needing to win again to stay alive, the Wildcats prevailed in an intense fourth set, which included three lead changes and no less than a dozen tie scores. Chico State was able to build a late 22-19 lead, only to see Cal State L.A. post three unanswered points to tie up the contest. The 'Cats dug deep, using a Golden Eagles error and kills by Quigley and Mediano to pull out the 25-23 win and force a fifth and deciding set.
Cal State L.A. promptly jumped out to an 8-5 lead, but Chico State answered with a 6-1 run – powered by a Cotton service ace, two Quigley kills and a Thompson/Quigley block – to go up 11-9. The Golden Eagles stayed close, but the Wildcats maintained a two-point advantage as the score moved to 14-12. The 'Cats had seven different chances to close things out, but Cal State L.A. wiggled off the hook each time, surviving match point before going out in front 20-19. Now with Chico State facing match point, Kymberly Silveyra plunged the dagger with a kill that gave the Golden Eagles the 21-19 win and the match.
Chico State travels to the Bay Area next weekend for a pair of CCAA contests. Friday the Wildcats go head-to-head with San Francisco State, then take on Cal State East Bay Saturday in Hayward. Both matches are slated for a 7 p.m. start.
