SAN MARCOS—The Chico State volleyball team knew it had to play close to its absolute best this weekend to notch a win or two on the program's challenging Southern California road trip. While the Wildcats did show flashes of the quality play they've regularly displayed during the first half of the season, it wasn't consistent enough to avoid a pair of disappointing losses. Less than 19 hours after being swept by UC San Diego Friday night, the 'Cats fell to Cal State San Marcos 18-25, 16-25, 26-28 Saturday afternoon at The Sports Center.
Chico State dipped to 10-8 on the season and 6-4 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division with Saturday's setback. Cal State San Marcos improved to 13-7 overall and 7-4 in the conference's South Division standings.
Grace Shepherd was the lone Wildcat to register double-digit kills, flooring 11 winners on the afternoon. Kim Wright collected nine kills—the first of which was the 1,000th of her Chico State career—while also contributing four blocks. Makaela Keeve posted seven kills, with Bekah Boyle and Kelley Jacome adding six and five kills, respectively. Brooke Ono doled out 36 assists for the 'Cats, and Mikeila Banda corralled a team-high nine digs.
Cal State San Marcos grabbed an early 5-3 lead in the opening set, but a 6-0 Chico State run—highlighted by kills from Keeve, Shepherd, and Jacome—put the Wildcats on top 9-5. The Cougars answered by scoring 10 of the next 13 points to jump back on top 15-12, but the 'Cats came back on the strength of kills by Boyle and Wright to knot up the contest at 16-all. With the score tied at 17-apiece, San Marcos abruptly closed out the set with an 8-1 run and cruised to the 25-18 victory.
Two kills by Wright and a Gretta Kirkby ace propelled Chico State to a 4-1 lead early in the second set, and thanks to a Keeve/Ono combo block and kills by Shepherd and Jacome, the Wildcats stayed in front by a score of 8-6. Cal State San Marcos cranked up its offense to tally 10 of the next 14 points to grab a 16-12 lead and force the 'Cats to call time out. Shepherd immediately delivered a kill to pull Chico State to within three, only to see the Cougars pull away courtesy of a 9-3 run to hand the Wildcats a 25-16 defeat.
Needing a win to stay alive, the Wildcats came out aggressively in the third set, with a Wright kill, a Wright/Boyle combo block, and a Brooke Fogel ace putting Chico State in front 3-0. San Marcos fashioned a 12-5 run to build a four-point lead, but the 'Cats battled back to roar out in front 14-13 with kills by Keeve, Boyle, and Wright. The lead didn't last long, and seven tie scores later, the two teams were deadlocked at 21-all.
Kills by Boyle and Wright put Chico State up 23-21, but three straight points by San Marcos suddenly had the Wildcats looking at match point. Three times the 'Cats survived, as Shepherd and Keeve delivered clutch kills, but with the score 26-all, the Cougars came through with the back-to-back points needed to secure the exciting 28-26 win and the match sweep.
Chico State returns home next week for another pair of key conference matchups. Friday the Wildcats entertain Cal State Dominguez Hills, with Cal State LA visiting Acker Gym on Saturday. Both matches get underway at 7 p.m.
