SAN BERNARDINO—The No. 1 volleyball team in Division II remained undefeated Friday, but make no mistake: Chico State made Cal State San Bernardino work extremely hard to bring home the win. The visiting Wildcats gave the Coyotes all they could handle at Coussoulis Arena, but in the end, San Bernardino—which has dropped just six sets the entire season—swept the 'Cats 25-13, 25-20, 25-20 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action.
Chico State slipped to 13-12 on the season with Friday's loss, and now occupy fourth place in the CCAA North Division with a 9-8 conference record. Cal State San Bernardino, which had already clinched the South Division title and the top seed in next week's CCAA Championship Tournament, improved to 23-0 on the year and 16-0 in conference play.
Makaela Keeve provided the lion's share of Chico State's offensive firepower, delivering 10 kills on the night. Kim Wright added eight kills, two blocks, and a service ace, while Bekah Boyle and Gretta Kirkby registered six and five kills, respectively. Brooke Ono dished out 28 assists and recorded a team-high 10 digs to go along with an ace and a pair of blocks.
Cal State San Bernardino jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the evening's opening set, but a pair of Boyle kills and one by Keeve pulled Chico State to within two at 8-6. The Coyotes proceeded to go on a 7-0 run to make the score 15-6, and despite late kills by Keeve, Boyle, and Kirkby, the Wildcats found themselves with too much ground to make up. After the 'Cats crept to within 20-12, San Bernardino scored five of the last six points to win going away 25-13.
Chico State dug itself a hole early in the second set, as the Coyotes raced out to a 7-1 lead. A Lauren Voelker ace and kills Keeve, Jacome, Wright, and Kirky made it a 13-9 contest, but San Bernardino tallied seven of the next nine points to extend its advantage to 20-11. The 'Cats continued to battle, with kills by Wright, Keeve, Jacome, and Ono trimming the deficit to four at 22-18. The Coyotes answered by scoring two straight, and after a Keeve kill and a Keeve/Ono combo block helped the Wildcats survive two set points, San Bernardino scored the final point necessary to secure the 25-20 victory.
The third set was the most tightly-played contest of the match. With the Coyotes up 7-4, Wright delivered an ace, combined with Ono on a block, and pounded home two kills to pull the 'Cats even at 9-all. San Bernardino scored the next three points to go back in front, but Chico State refused to fold, coming out of a timeout to see Boyle, Keeve, and Jacome each ripping kills to knot up the contest 13-13. Every time the Coyotes tried to pull away, the Wildcats answered. Down 20-18, Voelker landed another ace and Boyle floored a winner to once again tie things up at 20-all. Unfortunately, it would prove to be the 'Cats' final offensive flurry, as San Bernardino scored five unanswered points down the stretch to win the set 25-20 and sweep the match.
The Wildcats play their final game of the regular season Saturday when they travel to Pomona to face the Broncos of Cal Poly Pomona. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.; fans can follow the action with Live Stats and live streaming video, available through the Wildcat Athletics website.
