CHICO – The Chico State volleyball team, fresh off a victory Tuesday against Simpson University at Acker Gym, continues to enjoy some home cooking this weekend with a pair of important California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) tilts. The Wildcats welcome Cal State East Bay to Chico Friday, with Cal State Monterey Bay in town on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.

 

Chico State enters the weekend 3-3 overall and one of five teams tied for fourth place in the CCAA with a conference record of 1-1. After two long road trips and five away matches to start the season, the Wildcats finally got to play in front of the home fans Tuesday in the friendly confines of Acker Gym, and came away with a non-conference sweep of Simpson University. The three-set victory continued the program's impressive success on its home floor – the 'Cats have now won 61 of their last 91 matches at Acker dating back to the 2006 season.
 
Several Wildcats are among the top 10 players in the CCAA in several statistical categories:

     -- Shannon Boling ranks fifth in the conference (3.53), ninth in points per set (3.60) and 10th in kills (67).
     -- Torey Thompson leads the CCAA in assists per set (11.05) and ranks third in the conference in assists (221), fifth in service aces (9) and fifth in aces per set (0.45).
     -- Emily Duran is second in the conference in digs per set (4.81) and third in digs (101). Duran is just 25 digs shy of 1,000 for her Chico State career.
     -- Kristyn Casalino is fourth in the CCAA in hitting percentage (.344).
     -- Lindsay Quigley is fifth among conference players in hitting percentage (.329).
     -- Izzy Sagely is tied for seventh in the CCAA is kills per set (3.44).
 
Cal State East Bay, the Wildcats' Friday night opponent, is 4-3 on the season and along with the Wildcats, is one of five teams with a share of fourth place in the CCAA standings entering weekend play. The Pioneers split a pair of home matches last weekend, dropping a hard-fought five-set decision to conference leader Cal State San Bernardino Sept. 12 before downing Humboldt State the following evening.
 
Cal State East Bay is led by senior outside hitter Amber Hall, who ranks second in the CCAA with 93 kills on the year. Senior middle/opposite hitter Samantha Bruno is eighth in the conference with 73 kills, while freshman middles Jovan Turner and Micah Hammond head up the Pioneers defense with 39 total blocks between them.
 
Chico State, which has not lost at home to East Bay since 2010, swept the season series with the Pioneers in 2013 and lead the all-time series 28-9.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay, which comes to Chico following a road match Friday against Cal State Stanislaus, is off to a slow start in 2014. The Otters, winners of 18 games a year ago, enters the weekend with an 0-6 record and are tied for 10th place in the CCAA with an 0-2 conference mark. Monterey were swept twice at home last weekend, bowing to both Humboldt State and Cal State San Bernardino.
 
Junior outside hitter Jessica Malcolm, an All-CCAA Second Team selection in 2013, is the Otters' top offensive threat so far on the year, with 77 kills. Senior outside hitter Julia Ashen, an All-CCAA First Teamer last season, has 45 kills to her credit and has combined with junior middle Victoria Clardy and sophomore middle Janai Johnson for 41 total blocks.
 
It's always a battle to the end when Chico State and Monterey Bay get together – eight of the last 10 meetings between the two teams have gone the full five sets. The 'Cats and Otters split their two matches in 2013 (both going five sets, naturally), but the Wildcats have won 10 of the last 12 head-to-head contests and lead the all-time series 18-3.
 
Friday's match against Cal State East Bay is a special promotional event. It's Jack in the Box Pack the House Night, with fans getting several chances throughout the evening to win a $10 Jack in the Box gift card. General admission is just two dollars with $1 hot dogs available to all hungry Wildcat fans.
 
Fans who can't make watch the Wildcats in person at Acker Gym can follow the action of both weekend matches online with Live Stats via the Wildcat Athletics website.