SAN FRANCISCO—The Chico State volleyball team went into Saturday's action hoping that the final day of the Seawolf/Gator Classic would go a long way towards ironing out any rough spots prior to beginning conference play next weekend. Things did not exactly go according to plan, however, as the Wildcats dropped a pair of matches at San Francisco State's Don Nasser Family Plaza. The 'Cats were swept by the host Gators 25-14, 25-17, 25-11 in the day's first contest, then they finished the day by falling in four sets to Cal State Monterey Bay 23-25, 27-25, 19-25, 14-25.
The two Saturday setbacks extended Chico State's current losing streak to three, and saw the team's overall record even at 4-4.
Makaela Keeve was at the forefront of the Wildcat attack, collecting 25 kills over the two matches while delivering five blocks and four service aces. Lizzie Wilson chipped in with a combined 15 kills, four blocks, and two aces, with Zoe DiNardo hammering home 12 winners on Saturday.
Brooke Ono piled up 58 assists, 20 digs, and five blocks on the day. Kennedy Greenwood led all Wildcats with a combined 25 digs while landing a pair of aces.
The opening set of Saturday's afternoon matchup with Cal State Monterey Bay began with Chico State jumping out to a 4-2 lead, but the Otters utilized an 11-5 run to surge in front 13-9. Kills by DiNardo and Keeve helped the Wildcats trim Monterey Bay's lead to three at 15-12, only to see the Otters score nine of the next 13 points to extend their advantage to 24-19. The 'Cats survived four set points—Wilson coming through with a pair of aces, and DiNardo and Kelley Jacome adding kills—but the comeback fell short as Monterey Bay scored the point necessary to hang on for the 25-23 win.
Twelve tie scores and four lead changes highlighted an exciting second set. The contest was tied at 13-all when Chico State went out in front courtesy of a 5-2 run fueled by two kills apiece by Jacome and DiNardo. The Wildcats held the lead until the Otters came all the way back to go up 25-24 and threaten to steal the set. The 'Cats rallied, however, snatching victory out of the jaws of defeat—a Monterey Bay error, a Jacome kill, and a Keeve/Jacome combo block completed a clutch 3-0 run and gave Chico State a 27-25 win.
The third set began just like the second set ended, with Keeve and Jacome combining for a point-scoring block. The Otters promptly answered with a 7-1 run to take the lead, and they would not trail for the remainder of the contest. The Wildcats closed to within 9-8 thanks to aces by Keeve and Greenwood, and kills by Keeve, Wilson, and Ono, but Monterey Bay used a big 11-2 run to push its lead to 20-10. Again, the 'Cats made some noise in the late stages, as another Greenwood ace and kills by Keeve and Wilson cut the deficit to five. The Otters, though, were able to secure the final point and post the 25-19 victory.
The fourth set was pretty much all Monterey Bay. After spotting Chico State the first point on a DiNardo kill, the Otters used a 10-2 run to establish a comfortable lead. The Wildcats tried to battle back, with kills by Wilson, DiNardo, Ono, Keeve, and Grace Shepherd making it a 14-9 contest, but Monterey Bay stiffened, scoring 11 of the final 16 points to take the set 25-14 and the match.
The first match of the day saw the Wildcats struggle to get in sync against undefeated San Francisco State. As a result, the Gators raced out to a 7-0 lead in the first set and never looked back. Down 11-3, Chico State's offense attempted to climb back into the contest, stringing together a Wilson kill, a Keeve service ace, and a Wilson/Bree Rodriguez combo block to make the score 11-6. San Francisco State responded with an 11-4 run to push its advantage to a dozen, and despite late kills by Keeve and Wilson, the Gators won going away 25-14.
San Francisco State scored the first three points of the second set, forcing the 'Cats to once again play catch-up. Early kills by Jacome and Keeve reduced the deficit to 5-4, but the Gators slowly added to their lead and built a seven point advantage at 18-11. Keeve, Rodriguez, and DiNardo registered kills down the stretch, but it wasn't nearly enough to generate a late comeback, as San Francisco State notched four of the final six points to win 25-17.
The third set started promisingly for Chico State when Gretta Kirkby served up an ace, but the Gators tallied four unanswered points to take a lead it would not relinquish. A San Francisco State error and a Keeve/Ono combo block made the score 4-3, but the Gators proceeded to take total control of the contest courtesy of a 17-4 run to go up 21-7. Rodriguez and Keeve scored late kills for the 'Cats before San Francisco State's Trinity Barr blasted the set-ending kill that gave the Gators the 25-11 victory and the match sweep.
Chico State is back in action next weekend, playing its first home matches of the season and opening California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play. Friday, the Wildcats take on defending conference and NCAA Division II champion Cal State San Bernardino, then the 'Cats host Cal Poly Pomona at Acker Gym on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.
