Knowing it needed a victory to get back into the mix for a division title and a postseason berth, the Chico State volleyball team displayed an intensity Friday night that had visiting Cal State Monterey Bay rocking back on its collective heels. The Wildcats breezed to victory in the first two sets, but the all-important third set victory to close out the match proved elusive. The Otters regrouped over the final three sets and stunned the 'Cats with a come-from-behind 7-25, 15-25, 25-22, 25-23, 16-14 win at Acker Gym.
Friday's loss—Chico State's third straight and fifth in its last six matches—dropped the Wildcats to 11-8 on the season. Even more distressing, the 'Cats slipped to sixth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division standings with a 4-7 conference record.
Cal State Monterey Bay won its fifth straight decision to improve to 11-6 overall and 6-4 in conference play, keeping the Otters in a first place tie with Cal State East Bay in the CCAA North.
Kennedy Rice led three Chico State hitters in double-digit kills with 17 on the night to go along with two service aces and a pair of blocks. Kelley Jacome matched her career high with 14 kills and contributed four blocks, while Bekah Boyle racked up 12 kills. Kim Wright and Makaela Keeve combined for 11 kills and 13 blocks, and Esti Wilson delivered four aces. Nicole Desrochers dished out 50 assists, while Brooke Fogel led all players with 25 digs and added three aces to the 'Cats' attack.
The opening set was all Wildcats. Chico State was very aggressive coming out of the blocks, as kills by Rice, Wright, Boyle, and Keeve powered the 'Cats to a quick 11-3 lead. Chico State pushed the advantage to 16-6, then closed things out on a dominant 9-1 run—Rice smashed four kills, Wright stuffed an Otters attack with a solo block, and then combined with Desrochers and Rice for a pair of combo blocks—to win going away by a final of 25-7.
The Wildcats never trailed in the second set, roaring out to a huge 10-1 lead on the strength of three Jacome kills and back-to-back aces by Wilson. The 'Cats built a 19-9 lead, and used a pair of late Boyle kills to finish off the Otters and give Chico State the 25-15 victory.
From that point on, the match took a complete 180-degree turn. Monterey Bay, completely outplayed through the first two sets, suddenly had an answer for everything the Wildcats threw at them. Trailing 21-20, the Otters managed to steal the third set on a late 5-1 run to win 25-23, then in the fourth set Monterey Bay held off a late Chico State charge to post a 25-23 decision to force a fifth and deciding set.
The Otters led through most of the early going, staking themselves to a 9-7 lead. Chico State fought back, and thanks to kills by Jacome and Rice, a Keeve solo block, two Monterey Bay miscues, and another Wilson ace, the 'Cats went in front 13-12. The Otters notched the next two points to regain the lead, and though Chico State survived match point on a Jacome kill, Monterey Bay used a kill by Jenna Tobin and a combo block by Anela Visesio and Chandler McKean to score the two points necessary to win the hard-fought set 16-14 and complete the match victory.
The Wildcats take a week off before returning to action next Friday and Saturday, when they host CCAA South Division opponents Cal State San Marcos and UC San Diego at Acker Gym. Both matches get underway at 7 p.m.
