SAN FRANCISCO—The Chico State volleyball team came within a whisker of catching lightning in a bottle and advancing to the NCAA Championship Tournament. After impressive wins against Cal State San Marcos and Cal State LA in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament, the Wildcats took on the conference top South Division seed, Cal State San Bernardino—and had the Coyotes rocking on their heels early in Saturday's tournament final at The Swamp in San Francisco. Unfortunately for the 'Cats, San Bernardino recovered from a first set loss to win the next three and hand Chico State a season-ending 25-18, 20-25, 20-25 21-25 defeat.
Chico State closes out the year with a 17-14 record. Saturday's loss marks the second straight season the Wildcats has bowed to Cal State San Bernardino in the CCAA Championship Tournament final. The Coyotes, who earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament, improved to 21-7 overall.
Senior Olivia Mediano racked up 18 kills and 14 digs to close out her Chico State career, with Bekah Boyle adding 16 winners. Kelley Jacome added eight kills, while Anna Baytosh scored seven kills in her final match as a Wildcat. Tristen Thompson, also playing in her last collegiate contest, paced the 'Cats with 23 digs. McKenna Carroll doled out 26 assists in her final Chico State match, with Nicole Desrochers collecting 24 assists on the night.
Following the championship match, Mediano and Boyle were named to the CCAA All-Tournament team.
The match began encouragingly for the 'Cats. Chico State grabbed 14-6 lead in the first set thanks to a Mediano service ace, kills by Mediano, Jacome, Boyle, Desrochers, Makaela Keeve, and Kim Wright, plus combo blocks by Keeve/Baytosh, Keeve/Boyle and Wright/Baytosh. San Bernardino slowly chipped away at the deficit, pulling to within 19-15, but the Wildcats prevented the Coyotes from climbing back into the contest, using kills by Boyle, Baytosh and Wright and a Jacome/Keeve block to outscore San Bernardino 6-3 down the stretch and secure the 25-18 victory.
Three Mediano kills put the 'Cats up 4-1 early in the second set, only to see San Bernardino go on an 8-2 run to jump on top 9-6. Chico State rallied, with Boyle and Baytosh delivering three and two kills, respectively, to propel the Wildcats to a 16-15 lead. The 'Cats were still out in front 17-16 before the Coyotes scored six of the next seven points to go up 22-18. Mediano and Jacome came through with late kills, but it wasn't enough as San Bernardino prevailed 25-20.
Mediano crushed four kills, and single scores by Keeve, Baytosh, Jacome and Wright kept the 'Cats even with the Coyotes 9-9 at the start of the third set. San Bernardino went up 13-10, only to see Chico State knot up the score at 16-all on the strength of a Brooke Fogel ace and kills by Boyle, Baytosh and Jacome. The Coyotes responded with six unanswered points to retake the lead, and though a Desrochers ace and kills by Jacome and Mediano pulled the Wildcats to within three, San Bernardino was able to close out the set and record the 25-20 win.
In full-on "win or go home" mode, Chico State jumped out to a 10-5 lead in the fourth set. The Coyotes clawed back and tied the contest at 13-all, and after the Wildcats briefly went back in front, San Bernardino scored five of the next six points to go up 19-17. Kills by Boyle and Mediano kept the 'Cats close, but it would end up being the Coyotes' night, as San Bernardino closed things out with a 5-2 run to post the 25-21 win to take the CCAA Championship and end Chico State's 2017 season.
For Mediano, Baytosh, Carroll and Thompson, Saturday served as a bittersweet end to their Wildcat careers. With 1,221 kills (third most all-time) and 1,095 digs (seventh in school history), Mediano will be a prominent figure in the Chico State record books for many years to come. Thompson finishes her career ranked seventh in Wildcat history with 3.33 digs per set.
The 2017 season also served to give the Wildcat underclassmen valuable experience and confidence. With Brooke Fogel, Kim Wright, Nicole Desrochers, Bekah Boyle, Kelley Jacome, and Makaela Keeve among the 12 players expected to return, and with several talented recruits already signed on for next season, there is already plenty of optimism in the Wildcats' camp that the program will be a force to be reckoned with in 2018 and beyond.
