The Chico State volleyball team went into Saturday's final regular season home match knowing it had officially clinched one of the eight California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament berths. The excitement of saluting Esti Wilson, Brooke Fogel, Bekah Boyle, and Kim Wright on Senior Night only added to the electric atmosphere. And the battle at hand with Stanislaus State for sole possession of first place in the CCAA North Division made it a potential night for the ages. The visiting Warriors evidently weren't interested in dramatics, outplaying the Wildcats and sweeping the match 26-24, 25-22, 25-20 at Acker Gym.
Saturday's setback snapped Chico State's three-match winning streak and dropped the Wildcats to 13-11 on the season and, combined with San Francisco State's win Saturday over Sonoma State, the 'Cats fell to to third place in the CCAA North with a 9-7 conference record. Stanislaus State now sits alone atop the division with an overall record of 15-8 and a 10-6 conference mark.
Makaela Keeve was the most productive Wildcat offensively, hammering 12 kills on the evening. Wright added 10 kills and four service aces, while Grace Shepherd floored six winners. Brooke Ono dished out 30 assists for the 'Cats, while Fogel led all players with 16 digs.
The night started on an amazing high note as the four Chico State seniors were honored by a loud and appreciative Acker Gym crowd that included University President Gayle Hutchinson and several Wildcat volleyball alumni. The rest of the evening, however, belonged to Stanislaus State.
Chico State used kills by Boyle, Shepherd, Keeve, Ono, and Kelley Jacome to take an early 9-7 lead in the opening set, only to see Stanislaus respond with six straight points to roar out in front 13-9. The Warriors maintained their advantage deep into the set, before the Wildcats knotted up the contest at 23-all thanks to kills by Keeve and Shepherd. Stanislaus went back in front, and though the 'Cats survived one set point courtesy of a Keeve kill, the Warriors scored the next two points to come away with the 26-24 win.
The Wildcats took advantage of six Stanislaus miscues, and combined with a Keeve ace and kills by Wright and Shepherd, went up 12-10 in the second set. The Warriors tallied three straight points to move in front, but an ace and kill by Wright put the 'Cats back in the lead at 14-13. With Chico State still up 16-15, Stanislaus reeled off a 7-2 run to jump ahead 22-18, and though Wright and Boyle registered late kills for the Wildcats, it wasn't enough to overtake the Warriors. The 'Cats survived one set point, but a Mya Marshall kill ended the contest and gave Stanislaus the 25-22 victory.
Stanislaus spotted the Wildcats the first point in set number three before going on an 8-2 run to open up an early five-point advantage. Chico State was forced to play catch-up for the remainder of the set, and despite a 7-1 run to creep to within one at 15-14—Mikeila Banda floored back-to-back aces, with Jacome, Ono, and Wright adding kills—that would be as close as the 'Cats would get. The Warriors slowly stretched their lead to six, and after a combo block by Keeve and Shepherd helped Chico State survive match point, a Wildcats error was the decider as Stanislaus completed the sweep with a 25-20 win.
The Wildcats close out regular season play next weekend in Southern California, taking on No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino (22-0, 15-0 CCAA) Friday and Cal Poly Pomona (7-15, 5-10 CCAA) on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
