Following an emotional comeback win Friday over San Francisco State, the Chico State volleyball team put itself in position for a productive weekend home series sweep and the chance to move in sole possession of first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division. The Wildcats' Saturday night opponent, Cal State East Bay, had no intentions of going along with the plan. The Pioneers triumphed in a marathon opening set and then dominated the rest of the way, sweeping the 'Cats 30-28, 25-8, 25-20 at Acker Gym.
Saturday's loss snapped Chico State's three-match winning streak and dropped the Wildcats to 10-4 overall and into a tie for second place in the CCAA North with a 3-3 conference mark. Cal State East Bay put a halt to its three-match losing streak, improving to 6-8 on the season and 2-4 in CCAA play.
Bekah Boyle was the lone Wildcat to register double-digit kills, collecting a dozen on the night. Kim Wright and Makaela Keeve each had seven kills, with Kelley Jacome, Kennedy Rice and Gretta Kirkby combining for another 13 winning swings. Nicole Desrochers handed out 34 assists, while Brooke Fogel led all players with 11 digs.
The opening set was a tightly-played affair that featured 17 tie scores and 10 lead changes. Chico State used kills by Rice, Wright, Boyle, and Keeve, plus a Wright/Rice combo block, to build an early 9-5 lead, only to see Cal State East Bay scored eight of the next 11 points to jump on top 13-12. The contest went back-and-forth the rest of the way—the Wildcats survived one set point, but despite having four opportunities to put the Pioneers away, East Bay stayed alive and eventually squeaked out a 30-28 victory on a 'Cats' miscue and a Lindsey Ray service ace.
Chico State was out of the second set almost as soon as it begun, as the Pioneers streaked out to a 10-0 lead and quickly upped their advantage to 15-2. The Wildcats displayed a small burst of offense, when kills from Wright and Boyle and a Desrochers solo block brought the 'Cats to within 16-5, but East Bay pulled away for good with a 9-3 run to roll to the 25-8 win.
The third set was much closer, but Chico State was forced to play catch-up the entire way. Falling behind early 8-2, the 'Cats parlayed two kills by Boyle and three East Bay errors to score five unanswered points to pull to within one, but the Pioneers answered with a 7-2 run to balloon their lead to 15-9. The Wildcats made one more serious charge, as kills by Keeve and Kirkby made it a 15-12 contest, but that would be as close as Chico State would get. East Bay stretched their lead back to seven at 21-14, and despite late kills by Kirkby, Keeve, Boyle, and Desrochers, the Pioneers were able to tack on the final points necessary to win the set 25-20 and sweep the match.
Chico State hits the road next week for three important conference matches. Tuesday the Wildcats are in the Bay Area to take on San Francisco State, followed by a Friday night tilt in Arcata vs. Humboldt State. The 'Cats will then travel to Rohnert Park Saturday to square off with the Seawolves of Sonoma State. All matches get underway at 7 p.m.
