The Chico State volleyball team hit the court at Acker Gym Saturday night determined to rebound from a disappointing five-set loss Friday to Cal State Dominguez Hills, and despite facing nationally-ranked Cal State LA, it appeared early on that the Wildcats were on the way to scoring a much-needed victory—and against a nationally-ranked team to boot. The 'Cats won the first set, and battled hard the rest of the night, but ultimately fell to the No. 24 Golden Eagles 25-20, 19-25, 23-25, 20-25.
Chico State suffered its fourth straight defeat to see its overall record even out at 10-10. The Wildcats also slipped to 6-6 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play and into a third place tie with Sonoma State in the North Division standings. Cal State LA improved to 14-5 on the season and 10-1 in conference play.
The 'Cats spread the offense between five hitters Saturday. Kim Wright led the way with 12 kills, to go along with a service ace and seven blocks. Kelley Jacome delivered double-digit kills for the second time in as many nights, flooring 10 winners, while Makaela Keeve hammered nine kills. Bekah Boyle and Grace Shepherd contributed seven kills apiece, with Brooke Ono doling out 35 assists and adding 13 digs. Brooke Fogel led all players with 14 digs on the evening.
The two teams split the first 12 points of the opening set before Chico State used a Keeve ace, a Jacome/Wright combo block, and kills by Jacome, Keeve, and Boyle to fashion an 8-4 run to go up 14-10. The Wildcats never relinquished the lead, and finished the set strong with a Mikeila Banda ace, a solo block by Wright, and kills by Wright, Ono, and Shepherd to post an impressive 25-20 victory.
Cal State LA wasted no time evening up the contest with a convincing second set victory. The Golden Eagles snapped a 5-all tie with three straight points and never looked back, methodically building their advantage to 10 at 23-13. Chico State made some noise late in the set thanks to kills by Ono, Boyle, and Keeve, but it was too little, too late as Cal State LA rolled to the 25-19 win.
The Wildcats grabbed an early 10-5 lead in the third set, fueled by an ace by Wright and multiple kills by Ono and Shepherd. Chico State was up 16-11 when the momentum shifted in favor of Cal State LA, which reeled off a 6-1 run to knot up the contest at 17-all. The 'Cats reclaimed the lead with three straight points—Fogel delivering an ace, with Jacome and Keeve each blasting a kill—but the Golden Eagles scrambled back to score five straight points to take a 22-20 lead. A kill by Keeve and a pair of Cal State LA miscues kept the 'Cats alive, but a Mickayla Sherman kill provided the winning point as the Golden Eagles hung on for the 25-23 victory.
The fourth set was an intense, tightly-played affair that featured 14 tie scores and seven lead changes. Neither team could establish a lead larger than one point until Chico State scored three straight to go up 16-14. Cal State LA answered with a 5-0 run to jump back in front 19-16, only to see the Wildcats claw back to pull to within 20-19. That would be as close as the 'Cats would get, as the Golden Eagles tallied five of the last six points to win the set 25-20 and the match.
Chico State is back on the road next week to play a pair of important in-division conference matches. The Wildcats will be in Arcata Friday to take on Humboldt State, followed by a Saturday showdown with Sonoma State in Rohnert Park. Both matches are slated to get underway at 7 p.m.
