It's rare in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) volleyball that two teams play each other in back-to-back matches during the regular season. Chico State and Stanislaus State just happen to feature that odd little quirk in their 2015 schedules, with the two teams squaring off Saturday at Acker Gym in the first of the "home and home" series. Round one went to the Wildcats: in a tightly-played contest, Chico State swept Stanislaus by scores of 25-21, 25-20 and 26-24.
Saturday's win – Chico State's third in a row – moves the Wildcats to 14-4 on the season and into second place in the CCAA with a 6-2 conference mark. Stanislaus State slipped to 9-5 overall and 3-5 in CCAA play.
Olivia Mediano led the Wildcats with 14 kills, with true freshman Shelby Frank collecting a career-high 11 kills on the night. Ashton Kershner reeled off nine kills for the 'Cats, while Torey Thompson handed out 41 assists to go along with a dozen digs. Shannon Cotton contributed a team-high 16 digs as Chico State won its third home match in four tries this season.
The Wildcats jumped out on top in the opening set, with kills by Frank, Kershner, Mediano, Shannon Boling and Hannah Wilkins putting Chico State in front 14-8. Stanislaus answered with a 10-3 run to grab the advantage at 18-17, and were still up 19-18 when the 'Cats mounted the decisive rally – Cotton delivered a service ace, Frank struck for two kills and three winners by Kershner completed a big 7-2 run to give Chico State a 25-21 victory.
The second set featured a dozen tie scores and three lead changes, with neither team leading by more than three points until the very end. With the contest knotted up at 20-apiece, Chico State reeled off five unanswered points – a Jacki Kreymborg ace and kills by Thompson and Mediano provided the big blows as the Wildcats secured a hard-fought 25-20 win.
It appeared that Chico State would breeze to the match sweep, building a 17-10 lead midway through the third set. Stanislaus had other ideas, though, using a 7-2 run to pull to within two at 19-17, then survived two match points to tie things up at 24-all. The Wildcats minimized the drama by scoring two quick points – Thompson feeding Mediano for back-to-back kills – to give Chico State the 26-24 win and the sweep.
The Wildcats and Warriors go head-to-head again Tuesday night, with Stanislaus hosting the contest at Fitzpatrick Arena in Turlock. The match features an early start time, with the opening serve scheduled for 5:15 p.m.
