HAYWARD—The Chico State volleyball team came within a whisker of posting a big road victory over Cal State East Bay Tuesday—but instead, the night ended in heartbreak for the Wildcats. The host Pioneers survived three match points to win the all-important fourth set, then carried the momentum into the decisive fifth set to down the 'Cats 25-18, 18-25, 22-25, 28-26, 15-9 at Pioneer Gymnasium in Hayward.
Tuesday's loss—Chico State's second straight and fourth in the last five matches—dropped the Wildcats to 11-7 on the season and 4-6 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division. Cal State East Bay used its fourth straight victory to improve to 9-8 overall and jump into a three-way tie for first place in the CCAA North with a 5-4 conference mark.
Kim Wright delivered one of her most productive matches of the season, leading the Wildcats with 14 kills while adding 14 digs and seven blocks. Bekah Boyle and Kennedy Rice each had 11 kills and three blocks, with Makaela Keeve notching 10 kills and three blocks. Nicole Desrochers doled out 50 assists, and Brooke Fogel was just one shy of her career high with 25 digs on the night.
Cal State East Bay scored the first four points of the opening set, but a pair of Esti Wilson service aces, kills by Rice, Boyle, and Keeve, plus a Keeve/Boyle combo block spearheaded a 10-4 Wildcats run to give Chico State a two-point lead. The Pioneers responded with a 14-3 run to go up 22-13, and despite late kills by Wright, Rice, and Boyle, the 'Cats could not recover, allowing East Bay to cruise to the 25-18 victory.
Chico State came back with a vengeance in the second set. Down early 3-2, the Wildcats went on a 20-6 tear—highlighted by four Wright kills and three by Boyle, plus a Rice solo block—to take full control of the contest. East Bay countered with a 9-1 run to pull to within 23-18, but a Wright/Boyle combo block and a kill by Keeve gave the 'Cats the points needed to cement the 25-18 win.
The Wildcats led through most of the third set, but had to put it in overdrive late to register the go-ahead victory. Two kills apiece by Wright, Rice, and Keeve helped put Chico State on top 10-4, only to see the Pioneers battle back to catch the 'Cats at 15-all. The Wildcats answered by scoring nine of the next 13 points to go up 24-19, with Wright, Keeve, Rice, and Kelley Jacome all contributing kills. East Bay survived three set points, but Rice ended the suspense with a kill to give Chico State the 25-22 victory.
The fourth set was an epic see-saw affair that saw 17 tie scores and eight lead changes. With East Bay up 20-19, Chico State got the upper hand, as kills by Jacome, Wright, and Boyle put the Wildcats up 24-23. The Pioneers were faced with three different match situations, and each time were able to stay alive. A kill by Lindsey Ray tied the score at 26-all, then back-to-back Chico State errors gave East Bay the 28-26 win, forcing a deciding fifth set.
It was all Pioneers in the finale, as East Bay roared out a 10-2 lead. The 'Cats didn't fold, however, as consecutive kills by Wright, Desrochers, and Keeve brought Chico State to within 10-5. But the Wildcats could get no closer than four the rest of the way, and with the score 12-8, East Bay posted three of the final four points to win the set 15-9 and the match.
The Wildcats return home to wrap up the week's action with a Friday matchup against Cal State Monterey Bay (10-6, 5-4 CCAA). First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Acker Gym.
