What a difference a week makes. After dropping its first two California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) contests in late August, the Chico State volleyball team churned out back-to-back conference wins to start September. The result? The Wildcats immediately vaulted from last place in the CCAA North Division to owning a share of the division lead heading into this weekend's action, as Head Coach Cody Hein's club prepares to take on Bay Area rivals San Francisco State Friday and Cal State East Bay Saturday at Acker Gym. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m.
Fans unable to attend the matches in person can follow the action on the Internet with Live Stats via the Wildcat Athletics website. Live streaming video is also available online.
Chico State enters the weekend 9-3 overall and 2-2 in the CCAA, tied with Sonoma State and San Francisco State atop the North Division standings. The Wildcats got back on the winning track last week with a come-from-behind, five-set victory Wednesday over Stanislaus State, followed by a dominating four-set road win Saturday against Cal State Monterey Bay.
Chico State is racking up some solid numbers so far in 2018. The Wildcats currently lead the 13-team CCAA in service aces per set (2.07), while ranking second in the conference in aces (89) and fifth in hitting percentage (.235).
Individually, several Wildcats continue to fill up the stat sheet:
- Nicole Desrochers leads the CCAA in aces (21) and aces per set (0.50), and ranks fifth among all conference setters averaging 10.17 assists per set.
- Bekah Boyle is third in the CCAA in kills (145) and seventh in kills per set (3.37).
- Kim Wright ranks second in the conference in aces (19), fifth in aces per set (0.44) and fifth in hitting percentage (.352).
- Makaela Keeve is eighth in the CCAA in hitting percentage (.338), and ranks 10th in blocks per set (0.86).
- Brooke Fogel is seventh in the conference in digs (163), and 10th in digs per set (3.88).
San Francisco State, the Wildcats' Friday night opponent, sports a 7-4 record on the season. The Gators are coming off a weekend road split, beating UC San Diego Friday in La Jolla before being swept at the hands of Cal State San Marcos on Saturday.
San Francisco State is led by sophomore outside hitters Drew Morris (116 kills, 3.31 kills per set) and Jessica Haynie (107 kills, 3.06 kills per set). Junior middle blocker Bailey Johnson and senior outside Olivia Tabron have combined for 150 kills and 60 blocks on the season.
Chico State swept both regular season matches with the Gators in 2017 and have won eight of the last 10 head-to-head matchups. Since 1985, the Wildcats have won 49 of 61 contests versus San Francisco State.
Cal State East Bay, which takes on the Wildcats following a Friday night match in Turlock against Stanislaus State, is 5-7 on the year and 1-3 in CCAA play. The Pioneers have dropped four of their last five decisions, including a pair of four-set losses last weekend to Cal State San Marcos and UC San Diego.
East Bay features three hitters who have already registered triple-digit kills on the season. Senior outside Lindsey Ray is among the CCAA's top hitters in both kills (157) and kills per set (3.41), with senior outside Kiki Leuteneker adding 137 kills and 23 blocks to the Pioneers' attack. Senior middle blocker Deja Thompson, an All-America performer in 2017, has posted 111 kills and a team-high 36 blocks this season.
The Wildcats and Pioneers split their two 2017 meetings, and over the last four seasons the two teams have played pretty even, with Chico State winning four of the last seven contests. The 'Cats have not lost to East Bay at Acker Gym since 2010, and since 1985 hold a 33-12 advantage in the all-time series.
