SAN BERNARDINO—The Chico State volleyball team has proven time and again this season how talented it is, but Friday the Wildcats showed just how much heart and soul they possess. Head Coach Cody Hein's squad dug deep to overcome big deficits in all three sets of its California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament semifinal match against Stanislaus State and swept the Warriors 25-23, 25-23, 26-24 at Coussoulis Arena. The 'Cats now advance to the tournament's championship round, where they will take on Cal State San Bernardino Saturday at 7 p.m.
Fans can follow the action on the Internet with Live Stats via the Wildcat Athletics website. Live streaming video is also available.
Chico State's sixth straight win not only improved its season record to 23-6—matching the program's highest single-season victory total since 2009—but inched the Wildcats closer to clinching an NCAA Championship Tournament berth. The 'Cats entered the CCAA Championship Tournament as the No. 8 seed in the West Region, and their two wins could be enough to lock down an NCAA tourney bid. A victory Saturday would make it official, earning Chico State the CCAA's automatic bid to the national tournament.
Olivia Mediano registered a team-high 12 kills, with Kim Wright contributing 11 kills, five blocks and a pair of service aces in Friday's win over Stanislaus. Camryn Rocha chipped in with eight kills and two aces, with Ashton Kershner and Anna Baytosh posting seven kills apiece. Torey Thompson dished out 36 assists to go along with 18 digs and three blocks, while Shannon Cotton, Jacki Kreymborg and Tristen Thompson combined for 39 digs on the night.
Stanislaus State took the upper hand early in the opening set, jumping out in front 5-1. The Wildcats grabbed the lead on the strength of a 12-4 run—kills by Wright, Kershner, Mediano, Rocha and Torey Thompson, and a Wright ace and solo block highlighting the run—to make the score 13-9. A 6-2 Warriors run tied the contest at 15-all, and the lead see-sawed back and forth until, with Stanislaus up 21-20, the 'Cats took control—Mediano delivered a pair of kills, Baytosh floored a winner and Wright's thunderous kill capped off Chico State's late 5-2 run to come away with a 25-23 win.
The Warriors quickly recovered and roared out to an 8-1 lead in the second set, and were still up 12-5 when the Wildcats rallied back—kills by Kershner, Rocha, Wright, Mediano and Baytosh fueling an 11-2 run to put Chico State in front 16-14. The 'Cats extended their advantage to 20-15, but the Warriors answered by scoring six of the next seven points to tie the contest at 21-all. Kills by Rocha and Torey Thompson plus a Kershner/Thompson combo block put the Wildcats back in the lead, and after Stanislaus survived one set point, Baytosh put it away with a crushing kill to give Chico State the 25-23 victory.
The Wildcats spotted Stanislaus the first two points in the third set, then used kills by Wright, Mediano and Rocha to grab a 6-3 lead. The Warriors countered with an 13-5 run to go up 16-11, only to see Chico State score seven of the next nine points to pull even at 18-all. Two Kershner kills, a Rocha ace and a Kershner/Baytosh combo block gave the 'Cats a 23-21 lead, but Stanislaus countered with three straight points to jump back on top 24-23. Chico State, though, was not to be denied—kills by Wright and Mediano and a Warriors error provided the tying, go-ahead and set-winning points as the Wildcats secured the 26-24 win and the match sweep.
Chico State beat Cal State San Bernardino for the first time since 1995 with a three-set sweep October 1 at Acker Gym in the lone meeting of the regular season between the two teams.
