Despite a 1-3 start to the season, the Chico State volleyball team is brimming with confidence. And why not? The Wildcats have won five of their last six matches—including their first two California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) contests—and are in sole possession of first place in the conference's North Division standings. The 'Cats look to continue their winning ways this weekend as they head to the Bay Area for conference clashes with Cal State East Bay Friday and San Francisco State on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.
Fans can follow the action on the Internet with Live Stats, via the Wildcat Athletics website. Live streaming video is also available for both matches.
Chico State enters the weekend 6-4 on the year and 2-0 in the CCAA. The Wildcats opened conference play last week with authority, sweeping Stanislaus State on the road Wednesday before handing Cal State Monterey Bay a three-set defeat Friday at Acker Gym.
Collectively, the Wildcats rank first among the 13 CCAA teams in assists (492), second in kills (520) and assists per set (12.62), third in kills per set (13.33), and fourth in hitting percentage (.236).
Individually, middle hitter Kim Wright tops all CCAA players in kills (134), kills per set (3.44), and shares the conference lead in total blocks (41), while ranking second in points per set (4.50) and sixth in blocks per set (1.05). The senior ranks 29th among all Division II players in points per set, and 39th in total blocks.
Freshman Brooke Ono continues to put up big numbers for the 'Cats. The Cameron Park product leads all conference setters in both assists (379) and assists per set (10.53), and ranks 26th in the nation in assists per set.
Brooke Fogel begins the week fourth in the CCAA in digs (162) and sixth in digs per set (4.15). The senior stands just seven bumps shy of 1,000 career digs—a milestone only eight other players in Chico State volleyball history have reached.
Cal State East Bay, the Wildcats' Friday night opponent, is 1-9 on the season and 0-2 in CCAA play. The Pioneers have lost their last four contests, and last weekend suffered a pair of home sweeps at the hands of UC San Diego and Cal State San Marcos.
Cal State East Bay's lone victory of the season was back on September 12, when the Pioneers defeated Alaska-Fairbanks in the Los Angeles pod of the D2 West Region Showcase.
With only one senior on the roster, Cal State East Bay is a young team, and is led by a pair of freshmen: opposite hitter Kara Green (a team-high 89 kills) and outside hitter Jasmyne Love (63 kills, 10 service aces, 12 blocks). Sophomore outside Steena Hubbard leads the Pioneers with 25 blocks.
Cal State East Bay took both matches of the season series with Chico State in 2018, sweeping the Wildcats September 22 at Acker Gym and prevailing in a five-set decision October 2 in Hayward. Though the Pioneers have won four of the last five meetings dating back to 2016, Chico State leads the all-time series 33-14.
San Francisco State, which hosts the Wildcats Saturday following a Friday night contest against Stanislaus State, enters the week with a solid 8-3 season record and is 1-1 in CCAA play. Last weekend, the Gators stretched their winning streak to seven with a conference-opening four-set victory over Cal State San Marcos before being swept last Saturday by UC San Diego.
San Francisco State is very talented on both the offensive and defensive ends. Junior outside Drew Morris leads the team and ranks among the CCAA's top 10 hitters with 115 kills, while the Gators boast a pair of middle hitters—freshman Trinity Barr and senior Bailey Johnson—who have combined for 189 kills and 35 blocks while posting a collective .419 hitting percentage.
Last season, Chico State and San Francisco State split a pair of matches. The Wildcats edged the Gators in five sets September 21 at Acker Gym, but were swept September 25 at The Swamp in San Francisco. Chico State holds a 43-20 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams.
