Make no mistake—Friday's home loss to Sonoma State carried a huge sting. But fortunately, the Chico State volleyball team had little time to dwell on the disappointment of succumbing to the Seawolves. The Wildcats found themselves right back in action for the third time in five days, taking on Humboldt State in a rare Saturday afternoon affair. Despite a sluggish start, the 'Cats took care of business at Acker Gym, concluding a 2-1 home stand by downing the visiting Lumberjacks 23-25, 25-17, 25-14, 25-16.
Saturday's victory improved Chico State's season record to 9-6, and moved the Wildcats back into a tie with Stanislaus State for first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division with a 5-2 conference mark. Humboldt State dropped its fifth straight decision to slip to 5-8 overall and 1-5 in CCAA play.
The Chico State offense was clicking for most of the afternoon, posting a solid .310 attack percentage, piling up 59 kills, and flooring 12 service aces. Kim Wright led all players with 18 kills and added four aces, while Makaela Keeve and Grace Shepherd registered 15 and 12 kills, respectively. Brooke Ono dished out 52 assists, with Brooke Fogel collecting a team-high 17 kills as the Wildcats improved their home record to 3-1 on the season.
Things didn't get off to a rousing start for the 'Cats, though, as Humboldt State jumped out a 14-8 lead in the opening set. The Lumberjacks were still up six when Chico State's 10-4 run—highlighted by an Esti Wilson ace and kills by Keeve, Wright, Shepherd, and Kelley Jacome—tied the contest at 18-all. Humboldt tallied six of the next eight points to go up 24-20, and though the 'Cats survived three set points, the 'Jacks took advantage of a Chico State miscue to score the final point needed to secure the 25-23 win.
The opening-set loss seemed to serve as a wake-up call for the Wildcats. Thanks to an Ono ace, a combo block by Wright and Gretta Kirkby, and kills by Ono, Keeve, Jacome, Wright, and Kirkby, Chico State broke open a tight second set with a 14-7 run to build a 21-14 lead. Humboldt tried to rally, but the 'Cats scored the final three points on a Wright kill and a pair of Keeve/Ono combo blocks to win going away 25-17.
The Lumberjacks grabbed an early 8-7 lead in the third set, but back-to-back kills by Keeve and Kirkby put Chico State ahead to stay. With the score 14-10, the Wildcats took control of the contest with an 11-4 run—Ali Collins floored a pair of aces, while Jacome, Wright, Shepherd, and Keeve all contributed kills—to give the 'Cats the 25-14 victory.
In the fourth set, Humboldt State fired out of the gates again, steadily building a 12-9 lead. Chico State was quickly able to knot up the score at 14-all on the strength of another Wilson ace and kills by Jacome and Kirkby. The set was still tied at 16-apiece when the Wildcats officially brought the hammer down, using two Wright aces and multiple kills by Keeve to reel off nine unanswered points, giving the 'Cats the 25-16 win and the match victory.
Chico State has one match scheduled for next week. The Wildcats will travel to Seaside to take on Cal State Monterey Bay (5-10, 1-7 CCAA) Saturday at 7 p.m. in The Kelp Bed.
