TURLOCK—The Chico State volleyball team opened California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play Wednesday faced with a rather sizeable challenge—to go on the road and beat one of the preseason favorites to vie for the conference's North Division crown. The 'Cats stepped up big time to meet that challenge, traveling to Turlock and sweeping host Stanislaus State 25-18, 25-23, 26-24 at Fitzpatrick Arena.
Wednesday's victory, Chico State's fourth in its last five outings, raised the Wildcats season record to 5-4 and got conference play underway with a huge hashmark in the win column.
The Wildcats combined a balanced offensive attack with crisp passing and solid defense to outplay Stanislaus in every facet of the contest. Chico State held the Warriors to a .137 hitting percentage on the evening, recorded eight blocks, and notched a .270 attack percentage to notch the victory.
Grace Shepherd led three Wildcats with double-digit kills, flooring 13 winners to go along with four blocks and a service ace. Kim Wright added 12 kills, five blocks, and an ace, while Bekah Boyle hammered home 11 kills. Brooke Ono recorded 36 assists and 11 digs, with Brooke Fogel leading all players with 13 digs on the night.
Chico State won Wednesday's opening set on the strength of three impressive scoring runs. Stanislaus grabbed an early 8-4 advantage, but the Wildcats took eight of the next 10 points to jump in front 12-10. The Warriors briefly regained the lead at 15-13, only to see kills by Wright and Boyle, a Wright/Ono combo block, and a Wright ace put the 'Cats ahead 19-16. Stanislaus crept to within two, but kills by Shepherd, Makaela Keeve, and Evelyn Clonts powered a 5-0 run down the stretch to give Chico State the 25-18 victory.
The 'Cats fell behind 8-7 early in the second set before ripping off six unanswered points—Wright, Keeve, and Shepherd all contributing kills—to put Chico State up 13-8. Stanislaus came back to retake the lead, but with the Warriors ahead 22-20, the Wildcats saved their best for crunch time: three Shepherd kills and one by Clonts highlighted a late 5-1 run to help Chico State pull out the 25-23 come-from-behind victory.
The Warriors led for most of the third set, but once again the 'Cats were productive when it counted the most. Stanislaus looked as though it would force a fourth set, forging a 22-18 lead. Chico State, though, had other ideas—Wright posted a kill, Ono came through with an ace, and Boyle delivered three kills while teaming up with Keeve on a block that spurred a 6-1 run and put the 'Cats in front 24-23. Stanislaus survived one match point, but back-to-back kills by Keeve and Wright sealed the deal, lifting Chico State to the 26-24 win and the sweep.
The Wildcats are back in action Friday as they host Cal State Monterey Bay in the 2019 home season opener at Acker Gym. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
