HAYWARD, Calif.—The Chico State volleyball team is certainly getting the 2017 campaign off to an impressive start. The Wildcats have yet to lose a set in their first three matches, and following Thursday's season-opening sweep of William Jessup, the 'Cats took three straight Friday from both Holy Names and Dominican in first day action at the Route 92 Classic in Hayward.
The Wildcats bested Holy Names 25-17, 25-13, 25-12 and Dominican 25-19, 25-21, 25-18 at Pioneer Gym to improve to 3-0 on the young season.
Sophomore Bekah Boyle enjoyed the most productive day of her Wildcat career, collecting 30 kills over the two Friday matches. Freshman Makaela Keeve contributed a combined 16 kills, with Anna Baytosh adding 14 kills. McKenna Carroll dished out 39 assists in six total sets, with Nicole Desrochers doling out 30 assists. Brooke Fogel racked up 33 digs on the day.
In Friday's morning match, Chico State needed less than 80 minutes to take all three sets from Holy Names. In the opening set, the Wildcats snapped an 11-all tie with a 9-2 run—powered by four Bekah Boyle kills—to go up 20-13, eventually winning by a final of 25-17.
Chico State never trailed in the second set, racing out to a 5-0 lead and cruising to a 25-13 victory. Bekah Boyle delivered another six kills while Kim Wright delivered five winners to pace the Wildcats.
The third set was close at the beginning, but the 'Cats, up 6-4, broke things open with an 18-5 run to take full control of the proceedings. Baytosh ripped off five kills during the stretch, and Chico State closed out the match and securing the sweep by winning the final set 25-12.
Bekah Boyle finished the match with a career-high 16 kills, with Wright and Keeve adding eight and seven kills, respectively. Carroll piled up 18 assists, with Desrochers adding 16 assists and four service aces. Fogel led the Wildcats with 17 digs.
In Chico State's afternoon tilt against Dominican, the Penguins made the Wildcats work for every point in each of the contest's three sets. It was a back-and-forth affair in the opener, but the 'Cats scored several big points down the stretch to pull away with the 25-19 victory.
The Wildcats led through most of the second set, and a Bekah Boyle kill gave Chico pushed Chico State's advantage to 20-15. Dominican answered with a 6-1 run to knot up the contest at 21-all, but the 'Cats were able to regroup—an Olivia Mediano kill and a Desrochers service ace put Chico State back on top. Baytosh followed with back-to-back kills to bring home the Wildcats' 25-21 win.
Set number three was a closely-played affair early on, but with the score tied at 12-apiece, Chico State surged ahead 21-15 thanks to a 9-2 run fueled by kills from Keeve, Baytosh, Wright and Bekah Boyle. The Penguins could get no closer than four points the rest of the way, and consecutive kills by Mediano, Keeve and Alex Boyle sealed the deal, giving the Wildcats a 25-18 victory and the match sweep.
Bekah Boyle led the 'Cats again, this time with 14 kills, while Keeve and Baytosh each registered nine point-producing swings. Carroll and Desrochers combined for 37 assists, while Fogel added another 16 digs to her Friday total.
Chico State wraps up the Route 92 Classic with two more matches scheduled for Saturday. The Wildcats meet Biola College at 9 a.m. in Hayward, then travel to Belmont to take on Notre Dame de Namur at 3 p.m.
