Early on, it looked like Friday would be a quick night's work, as the Chico State volleyball team rolled to victories in each of the first two sets against visiting San Francisco State. It didn't turn out that way—the Gators not only came back to tie up the match, but had the Wildcats on the ropes in the fifth and deciding set. But the 'Cats dug deep in crunch time, roaring back from an 8-3 deficit, surviving two match points, and scoring five of the final six points to pull out a 25-20, 25-9, 21-25, 23-25, 17-15 thriller at Acker Gym.
Friday's win—Chico State's third straight—moves the Wildcats to 10-3 on the season and keeps the 'Cats in a tie for first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division with a 3-2 conference record. San Francisco State dropped its second straight and third in the last four matches to dip to 7-5 overall and 2-3 in CCAA play.
Three Wildcat hitters registered double-digit kills on the night, with Bekah Boyle's 20 leading the way. Kennedy Rice blasted 13 winners, while Kim Wright posted 11 kills and four blocks. Makaela Keeve contributed eight kills and four blocks, as Nicole Desrochers dished out 50 assists to go along with 10 digs and four service aces. Esti Wilson chipped in with 11 digs and four aces, while Brooke Fogel notched three aces and a match-high 21 digs.
It was San Francisco State that rolled out to a big lead early in the first set, jumping on top 7-1. Chico State was still down 10-4 when the Wildcats kicked it into gear—multiple kills by Boyle and Wright, two Wilson aces and one apiece by Rice and Wright, plus a Keeve/Kelley Jacome combo block highlighted an 18-5 run to put the 'Cats in front 22-15. The Gators made a late charge, but two miscues provided Chico State with the final points it needed to lock down the 25-20 victory.
The Wildcats never trailed in the second set, busting open a 5-3 contest with a 15-4 run—Boyle, Keeve, Rice, Jacome and Wright all came through with kills, while Wilson and Fogel each scored an ace from the service stripe—putting Chico State up 20-7. San Francisco State could not recover, and late kills by Boyle and Keeve cemented the 'Cats' 25-9 victory.
San Francisco State, now in "win or go home" mode, showed some fire in the third set, racing out to a 13-5 advantage. The Wildcats slowly chipped away at the deficit, pulling to within 19-18 on the strength of three Boyle kills, two Desrochers aces and a solo block by Wright. The Gators refused to relinquish the lead, scoring six of the final nine points to win going away, 25-21.
The fourth set was a see-saw battle that featured no less than 15 tie scores and nine lead changes. Chico State went up early 11-8, only to see the Gators reel off an 8-3 run to take a 16-14 lead. The Wildcats came back to twice take the lead, but with the 'Cats up 21-20, San Francisco State four of the next five points to take a 24-22 lead. A kill by Boyle helped Chico State survive one set point, but a Bailey Johnson kill ended the drama as the Gators prevailed 25-23 to set up a fifth and deciding set.
The Wildcats couldn't get out of their own way early in the fifth set, committing five attack errors and allowing a service ace as San Francisco State built an 8-3 lead. After the two teams switched sides, Chico State used three Boyle kills and one by Keeve to climb back into the contest, but the Gators still led 13-11 when the 'Cats called what turned out to be a crucial timeout. The Wildcats were facing match point when a miraculous dig by Fogel led to a Boyle kill, then two straight San Francisco State miscues suddenly put Chico State on top 15-14. The Gators evened things up on a kill by Johnson, but a Boyle kill and a solo block by Keeve proved to be the back breakers, as the Wildcats completed the come-from-behind 17-15 victory to win the match.
The Wildcats are back in action Saturday, hosting Cal State East Bay (5-8, 1-4 CCAA) at Acker Gym. The match gets underway at 7 p.m. Live stats and live streaming video will be available online via the Wildcat Athletics website.
