ROHNERT PARK—The Chico State volleyball team put themselves in a position to post a sweep of its two matches in opening day action at the Seawolf/Gator Classic, but instead came up just short Friday at the Wolves' Den in Rohnert Park. The Wildcats were victorious in their morning match with Humboldt State, downing the Lumberjacks in four sets, 25-23, 21-25, 25-21, 25-15, but in their evening tilt with host Sonoma State, the 'Cats dropped a tightly-played four-set decision to the Seawolves 19-25, 25-16, 26-28, 25-23.
 
The split of the two non-conference matches moved Chico State's overall record to 4-2 on the season.
 
Makaela Keeve turned in another productive day for the Wildcats, racking up a combined 35 kills, six blocks, and a pair of service aces. Lizzie Wilson added 32 kills over the two Friday matches, adding 11 digs and two aces.
 
Kelley Jacome contributed a combined 17 kills and four blocks for Chico State, with Zoe DiNardo also flooring 17 winners and serving up a pair of aces. Freshman Bree Rodriguez collected 10 kills for the 'Cats Friday.
 
Brooke Ono doled out 102 assists in eight sets, while Kennedy Greenwood led all Chico State players with a combined 29 digs and three aces on the day.
 
The long-standing rivalry between Chico State and Sonoma State was on full display in Friday's evening match. Sonoma roared out of the blocks to take a 5-1 lead in the opening set, forcing the Wildcats to play catch-up for the remainder of the contest. The 'Cats made it interesting down the stretch—trailing 19-11, Chico State scored six straight points—three coming on Keeve kills and another courtesy of a Greenwood ace—to pull to within two at 19-17. The Seawolves regrouped to score six of the last eight points to pull away late and register the 25-19 win.
 
The second set saw the Wildcats take command early—a DiNardo ace and kills by Keeve, Jacome, Wilson, and Grace Shepherd helped the 'Cats fire out to a huge 14-5 advantage. Sonoma put together a modest 6-2 run to creep to within 16-11, only to commit four miscues, and combined with kills by Rodriguez, Wilson, and Jacome, Chico State was able to balloon its lead to 24-13. Jacome finished things off with a thunderous set-ending kill, giving the Wildcats a match-evening 25-16 victory.
 
The third set was another back-and-forth battle, but after the 'Cats grabbed an early 5-3 lead, the Seawolves used a 14-7 run to move in front 17-12. Sonoma was able to keep Chico State at bay, hanging onto the lead and appearing to have the set in hand with a 23-20 advantage. The Wildcats, however, came up big in crunch time—following a timeout, the 'Cats survived three set points and ripped off five of the next six points, and thanks to another Greenwood ace and kills by Keeve, Shepherd, and Wilson, Chico State jumped on top 25-24. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they couldn't close it out—the Seawolves staged a late comeback of their own, surviving two set points and finishing on a 4-1 run to steal a 28-26 thriller.
 
The fourth set couldn't have been any closer, with numerous lead changes and the largest deficit for either team just three points the entire contest. Sonoma was up 15-12 when Chico State combined three Seawolves errors with kills by DiNardo, Ono, and Wilson to briefly go in front 18-17. Sonoma rallied to regain the lead, but kills by Rodriguez, Wilson, and Jacome put the Wildcats back on top 21-20. But that would turn out to be the 'Cats' last hurrah—despite late kills by DiNardo and Keeve, the Seawolves finished on a 5-2 run that gave them the 25-23 win and the match victory.
 
Chico State's morning match against Humboldt State featured three nail-biting sets and a blowout set to determine the outcome. The opener featured a see-saw battle between the Wildcats and Lumberjacks that included no less than 14 tie scores and seven lead changes. Trailing 12-11, the 'Cats grabbed a brief 15-14 lead before Humboldt State went on an 8-3 run to go back in front 22-18. The momentum swung following a Chico State timeout, as the Wildcats scored seven of the final eight points—DiNardo delivering three kills and Jacome hammering home a pair of winners to highlight the rally—to give Chico State a 25-23 victory.
 
The Wildcats jumped out on top early in the second set, but a 10-3 run by the Lumberjacks propelled Humboldt State to a 14-8 lead. The 'Jacks had increased their advantage to 19-12 before Chico State tallied six unanswered points—Jacome, DiNardo, and Keeve supplied kills, with Keeve and Jacome combining on a block—to make the score 19-18. Humboldt State would not relinquish the lead, however, and despite late kills by Jacome and Ono and a Keeve/Shepherd combo block, the Lumberjacks scored three of the final four points to prevail 25-21.
 
The 'Jacks took the early advantage in the third set, jumping out to a 12-8 lead. Humboldt State was still up 17-14 when Chico State made its move, as Wilson posted two kills and a pair of aces to fuel a 6-1 run and put the Wildcats in front 20-18. Humboldt State bounced back to knot things up at 21-all, only to see Keeve and Jacome take over the contest, with both players collecting two kills and combining on a block to give the 'Cats a hard-fought 25-21 win.
 
From the opening serve, the fourth and deciding set was all Chico State. The Wildcats took advantage of five Humboldt State miscues and added kills by Keeve, Shepherd, and Ono to stake themselves to a huge 12-1 lead. The 'Cats kept the pedal to the metal, pushing their advantage to 18-4 on the strength of kills by Keeve, Wilson, and Rodriguez, and though the Lumberjacks battled and twice whittled the deficit to nine, that would be as close as Humboldt State would get. Shepherd would provide the set-deciding kill that gave Chico State a 25-15 victory and the match win.
 
Chico State wraps up the Seawolf/Gator Classic Saturday with a pair of matches at San Francisco State. The Wildcats will take on the host Gators (5-0 on the season) at 12:30 p.m., followed by a 5 p.m. contest against Cal State Monterey Bay (4-2 overall).
 
Each of the 'Cats' Saturday matches will be streamed on the Internet, with live stats also available online. Links are posted on the Chico State volleyball schedule page and home page calendar on the Wildcat Athletics website, at chicowildcats.com.
 
An important note to those interested in attending either of Saturday's Wildcat matches in person. Admission will be granted only to those with a valid San Francisco State ID and proof of vaccination, or via a pass list provided by the team's coaches. Those guests included on the pass list must wear masks inside the gym as well as provide proof of vaccination. Tickets will not be sold at the door.