SAN FRANCISCO—Fresh off Friday's thrilling five-set victory over Cal State Monterey Bay, the Chico State volleyball team carried that winning momentum into the Bay Area for Saturday night's showdown with San Francisco State. The Wildcats had the host Gators—one of the best teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) this season—rocking back on its heels by posting an exciting come-from-behind win in the opening set. But despite playing San Francisco State toe to toe for most of the evening, the Gators eventually outlasted the 'Cats, winning in four sets 24-26, 25-19, 25-20, 25-18.
Saturday's loss dropped Chico State to 7-13 on the season and 3-9 in the CCAA standings. San Francisco State racked up its fourth straight victory to improve to 16-3 overall and 9-3 in conference play.
Kelley Jacome turned in another productive evening for the Wildcats, leading the team with 11 kills while contributing a pair of blocks. Makaela Keeve racked up 10 kills, three assists, and seven blocks; Zoe DiNardo contributed eight kills and two blocks, and Bree Rodriguez matched her season high with seven kills to go along with a pair of solo blocks.
Brooke Ono dished out 34 assists for the 'Cats, with Kennedy Greenwood adding 10 digs, two assists, and an ace to the Chico State attack.
Chico State came out swinging in the opening set, with kills by Keeve, DiNardo, Rodriguez, and Jacome staking the Wildcats to a 10-8 lead. San Francisco State scored seven of the next nine points to jump in front 15-12, and were up 20-16 when the 'Cats posted a 5-1 run—Greenwood delivered an ace, Keeve and Lizzie Wilson combined on a pair of blocks, and DiNardo hammered home a kill—to tie the contest at 21-all. The Gators quickly went back in front, and led 24-23 when the Wildcats staged the winning rally, taking advantage of two San Francisco State miscues and scoring the winning point on a Wilson ace to steal the 26-24 victory.
The Gators struck early and often in the second set, and despite kills by Jacome, Wilson, and DiNardo, San Francisco State gradually built a 15-9 lead. Chico State briefly stemmed the tide thanks to kills by Keeve, Wilson, Rodriguez, and Jacome, but the Wildcats could get no closer than five points the rest of the way, and the Gators tallied four of the last six scores to roll to the 25-19 win.
In the third set, San Francisco State raced out to a 9-5 lead, only to see the Wildcats answer with five straight points—DiNardo blasting back-to-back kills during the stretch—to put Chico State on top 10-9. The Gators responded with an 11-4 run to make the score 20-14. The 'Cats scored three straight points to pull to within three, but San Francisco State answered back with three consecutive winners to once again widen its lead. Jacome and Keeve came through with late kills for the Wildcats, but it wasn't enough to keep the Gators from securing the 25-20 victory.
What turned out to be the final set was the most tightly played of all, with neither team able to mount more than a two-point lead for the majority of the action. The Wildcats never stopped battling—down 14-12, a Keeve ace, kills by DiNardo and Keeve, and a San Francisco State error fueled a 4-1 run to give Chico State a brief 16-15 lead. It would turn out to be the 'Cats' last hurrah—with the score tied at 17-apiece, the Gators broke the contest open with an 8-1 run to lock down the 25-18 win and the match.
Chico State returns to Acker Gym next weekend to host a pair of CCAA opponents. The Wildcats will host Cal State East Bay Friday beginning at 7 p.m., then take on Cal State San Marcos Saturday starting at 5 p.m.
