The Chico State volleyball team didn't necessarily enter Thursday night's match against Stanislaus State with revenge as a motivator. Keeping their current winning streak alive was the top priority, but you can bet the Wildcats were anxious to make amends for the October 7 loss in Turlock that provided the Warriors with their lone win of the season. The 'Cats were successful on both counts, concluding a successful home stand with a 26-24, 25-20, 25-15 victory at Acker Gym.
The Wildcats extended their season-best winning streak to four straight while improving to 12-10 on the season. Chico State also evened its California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) record to 6-6 to pull into a tie with Cal State Monterey Bay for third place in the conference's North Division standings. Stanislaus State dropped its third in a row to fall to 1-18 overall and 1-10 in CCAA play.
Olivia Mediano was the lone player with double-digit kills on the night, hammering home 11 winners. Mediano also posted a career milestone, as her five digs put her up and over 1,000 in her four years as a Wildcat. She joins former Chico State greats Lindsay Macias and Gillian Heydorff as the only players in the program's history with 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs.
Bekah Boyle contributed eight kills to the 'Cats' attack, while Makaela Keeve racked up seven kills and four blocks. Kim Wright, Kelley Jacome and Anna Baytosh combined for 15 kills and 13 blocks, with McKenna Carroll and Nicole Desrochers teaming up to dish out 39 assists on the evening. Tristen Thompson led all players with 19 digs.
Chico State was ahead for nearly the entire first set, but Stanislaus State kept battling back to keep the contest close. With the score tied at 17-all, Jacome provided kills on the front and back end of a 6-2 run to put the Wildcats up 23-19. The Warriors responded with four unanswered points to knot things up at 23-apiece, then survived one set point before Boyle and Carroll delivered the kills that gave the 'Cats the hard-fought 26-24 victory.
The second set was another tightly-played affair featuring 10 tie scores and six lead changes. Stanislaus was up 15-13 when the Wildcats took control with an 8-2 run—Desrochers racked up a service ace, Keeve and Boyle each delivered a kill, and Keeve teamed up with Mediano and Baytosh on combo blocks—to put Chico State on top 21-17. The Warriors twice pulled to within two, but a Jacome kill and two Stanislaus errors provided the final three points the 'Cats needed to prevail 25-20.
Chico State used three Boyle kills to grab an early 10-5 advantage in the third set, but Stanislaus refused to fold, edging to within 12-11. It would turn out to be the Warriors' last hurrah, though, as the Wildcats scored six of the next seven points to extend their advantage to 18-12. Stanislaus could get no closer than five the rest of the way, and the 'Cats snuffed out any hope of a Warriors comeback with a set-ending 5-0 run—Boyle, Mediano and Wright all registered kills, and Jacome and Wright added a combo block—to complete the match sweep with a 25-15 win.
The Wildcats hit the road this weekend, traveling to Arcata Saturday to take on Humboldt State (3-13, 2-7 CCAA). First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at Lumberjack Arena. Fans can follow the action online with Live Stats and live streaming video, available via the Wildcat Athletics website.
