The Chico State volleyball team knows there will be more action beyond the regular season, but the Wildcats still want to wrap up the 2019–20 campaign riding a hot hand into next week's CCAA Championship Tournament. This weekend the 'Cats travel to Southern California for their final conference games of the year, taking on No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino Friday and Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday. Both matches tip off at 7 p.m.
Fans can follow the action of both matches on the Internet with Live Stats, accessible through the Wildcat Athletics website. Live streaming video is also available online.
Chico State clinched one of the eight CCAA Championship Tournament berths last week on the way to a two-match split in the team's final regular season home stand. The Wildcats (13-11 overall, 9-7 CCAA) downed San Francisco State in four sets Wednesday, but in Saturday's battle for first place in the CCAA North Division, dropped a four-set decision to Stanislaus State. As a result, the 'Cats begin the week in third place in the North, a game behind front-running Stanislaus and a half-game back of second place San Francisco State.
Chico State are 9-7 on the road this season, but are winless in four tries against CCAA South Division opponents.
Cal State San Bernardino, which faces the Wildcats Friday, is the top team in all of Division II, sporting a 22-0 record entering the week and having already secured the No. 1 seed in the CCAA Championship Tournament with a 15-0 conference record, good for first place in the South Division. The Coyotes have absolutely dominated all comers in 2019, dropping just six sets the entire season.
Cal State San Bernardino is a perfect 10-0 this year on its home floor, Coussoulis Arena.
Beating the Coyotes has always been a tall order for the Wildcats. Since 1985, San Bernardino has won 46 of the 49 meetings with Chico State, including the last 21 on the Coyotes' home floor.
Cal Poly Pomona, which hosts Chico State Saturday, is playing its final games of the year this weekend. The Broncos, 7-15 overall and sharing fifth place in the CCAA South Division with a 5-10 conference record, has been eliminated from postseason play, but chalked up a five-set victory over Cal State Monterey Bay in their lone match last weekend.
The Broncos are just 1-9 this season at Kellogg Gymnasium in Pomona.
Cal Poly Pomona swept the Wildcats at Acker Gym in their lone meeting of the 2018 season. The Broncos hold a 27-19 lead in the all-time series between the two teams, but Chico State has won 11 of the last 16 contests dating back to 2009. The 'Cats have also won four of the last tilts with Pomona at Kellogg Gym.
