TURLOCK—The Chico State volleyball team came ready to play Friday in day two action at the NorCal Volleyball Classic in Turlock. Fresh off a season-opening victory Thursday, the Wildcats came through with solid victories over Georgia College (25-21, 13-25, 25-21, 25-20) and Academy of Art (25-9, 25-13, 25-18) Friday at Fitzpatrick Arena in Turlock to not only raise their season record to 3-0, but help Cody Hein reach a career milestone with his 300th win as a Division II Head Coach.
Several Wildcats racked up impressive numbers over the two matches, with Kim Wright leading the way with 20 total kills to go along with six blocks and two service aces. Bekah Boyle added 18 kills, five blocks, 14 digs and an ace; Kelley Jacome delivered 14 kills with six blocks and three aces, and freshman Kennedy Rice chipped in with 14 kills. Nicole Desrochers piled up 53 assists over the two contests along with six kills, 14 digs and three aces, while Brooke Fogel led all Chico State players with 29 digs on the day.
Friday's early match was an exciting contest between two evenly-matches team. The first set saw a lead no bigger than three points until Chico State snapped a 20-all tie with a 5-1 run to win in. Georgia College was up 16-13 before the Wildcats outscored the Bobcats down the 12-5 down the stretch—kills by Wright, Rice and Jacome, a Jacome solo block and a Georgia College error provided the final five points as the 'Cats prevailed 25-21.
Set two was dominated by the Bobcats. A 5-0 run gave Georgia College an early lead, then with the score 14-9, the Bobcats ripped off a 10-2 run to put the contest away. A late Jacome kill was all the Wildcats could muster as Georgia College cruised to the 25-13 victory.
The 'Cats turned things around to start the third set. A Wright block, aces by Rice, Boyle, Desrochers and Fogel, and kills by Jacome, Rice, and Boyle staked Chico State to a 15-7 lead. Georgia College pulled to within 16-13, but the Wildcats used two kills by Boyle and one by Wright to push the advantage to 20-14. The Bobcats came out of a timeout to reel off seven unanswered points to grab a 21-20 lead, only to see Chico State answer with five straight winners—kills by Boyle and Jacome, a Desrochers ace, a Boyle/Makaela Keeve combo block, and a Georgia College error gave the Wildcats the 25-21 win.
Chico State never trailed in the decisive fourth set. The Wildcats spread the offense around, as kills by Wright, Desrochers, Rice, Boyle, and Keeve put Chico State on top 9-5. With the score 10-8, the Wildcats went on a 6-1 run, using kills by Wright, Jacome, Keeve and Rice to build a seven-point advantage. Georgia College battled, but could get no closer than four the rest of the way. The Bobcats survived four match points before Rice delivered the final kill, giving Chico State the 25-20 win and the match victory.
The 'Cats showed no signs of letdown in their late match against Academy of Art. Kills by Wright and Rice plus a Boyle/Keeve combo block powered Chico State to an early 7-3 lead in the opening set. With the score 9-6, the 'Cats put the hammer down, and aided by six Urban Knights errors, went on an 11-1 run to go up 20-7. A Boyle/Wright block and kills by Wright and Boyle provided the final points as the Wildcats registered the 25-9 victory.
The 'Cats kept the good times rollin' in set number two. Up 5-4, Chico State went on a 9-2 run—highlighted by aces by Wright and Desrochers, and kills from Boyle, Keeve, and Jacome—to extend its lead to 14-6. Academy of Art crept to within five at 17-12, but the Wildcats finished off the Urban Knights by scoring eight of the next nine points—a Boyle/Wright combo block netting the final tally in Chico State's 25-13 victory.
Academy of Art made the Wildcats work for the match sweep, but Chico State got it in the third set. Lindsey Bryant contributed two kills and combined with Hailey Carter on a block to help the 'Cats grab an 8-3 lead, and Chico State would not be caught. Up 10-8, a kill by Bryant and two from Gretta Kirkby ballooned the margin to 15-8, and though the Urban Knights were twice able to cut the deficit to three, the Wildcats finished strong—Bryant putting the finishing touches on Hein's milestone coaching victory with a kill to make the final score 25-18.
The Wildcats wrap up the NorCal Volleyball Classic Saturday with an 8:30 a.m. match against Notre Dame de Namur. Fans can follow the action online with Live Stats and live streaming video, available via the Wildcat Athletics website.
