SAN RAFAEL—The Chico State volleyball team's second day of the 2021 season started out disappointingly, but luckily for the Wildcats, they didn't allow themselves to stay down for too long. After beginning the NorCal Kickoff with an impressive win Thursday, the 'Cats fell in four sets Friday morning to Academy of Art 19-25, 25-17, 18-25, 22-25, but finished the afternoon on a positive note with a 25-21, 25-20, 25-18 sweep of Holy Names at the Conlan Center in San Rafael.
 
The Friday split left Chico State with a 2-1 record on the young season.
 
As she did in Thursday's season opener, Makaela Keeve led the Wildcats' offense with a combined 23 kills on the day, while also contributing eight blocks and three service aces. Zoe DiNardo collected 19 kills and 12 digs over the two matches, with Lizzie Wilson chipping in with 14 kills and four aces. Kelley Jacome registered a combined 12 kills and seven blocks Friday.
 
Brooke Ono racked up 75 assists, 13 digs and four blocks against Academy of Art and Holy Names, while Kennedy Greenwood piled up a dozen digs and two aces on the day.
 
The opening set of the Wildcats' afternoon match against Holy Names was a tightly played affair from start to finish. Chico State snapped a 7-all tie with a 6-2 run, fueled by kills by Keeve, DiNardo, and Jacome, to take a 13-9 lead. Holy Names scored three straight points to pull to within one, only to see the 'Cats use kills by Keeve, Ono, and Wilson to manufacture a 19-13 advantage. Though the Hawks were once again able to whittle the deficit to one, Chico State took advantage of three costly Holy Names miscues down the stretch, scoring five of the final seven points to come away with a 25-21 win.
 
The Wildcats raced out to a 9-4 lead in the second set, and while Holy Names hung tough for the remainder of the contest, the 'Cats prevented the Hawks from putting a sizeable run together. Chico State's lead never dipped below three points, and with the score 22-19, the Wildcats brought the hammer down with kills by Wilson, Keeve, and Grace Shepherd to secure the 25-20 victory.
 
Chico State jumped out early in the third set, as kills by Wilson, Jacome, Keeve, Ali Collins, and Evelyn Clonts, and aces by Keeve and Greenwood, staked the Wildcats to an 11-3 lead. The 'Cats, on the strength of two kills and a block by Clonts and a pair of Wilson aces, slowly began to pull away, upping their advantage to 19-7. Holy Names could get no closer than five points the rest of the way, and a Jacome kill put the bow on Chico State's 25-18 third set win and the match sweep.
 
In Chico State's first match of the day, the Wildcats battled against a talented Academy of Art squad. The opening set started with the 'Cats rolling out to a 9-6 lead, but the Urban Knights scored seven of the next nine points to go up 13-11. Back-to-back kills by Jacome and Keeve knotted up the score at 13-apiece, but Academy of Art responded with a 10-4 run to surge back in front 23-17. Despite late kills by Keeve and DiNardo to keep the Wildcats alive, the Urban Knights notched the two points necessary to post the 25-19 victory.
 
Chico State bounced back to take the second set. Though falling behind early 6-5, the Wildcats put together a sustained 14-6 run, and highlighted by multiple kills by Keeve, Wilson, and Bree Rodriguez, Chico State built a 19-12 advantage. A Wilson ace and late kills by DiNardo, Jacome, and Keeve would put the finishing touches on the 'Cats' 25-17 win.
 
Academy of Art never trailed in the third set, forcing the Wildcats to play catch-up the entire contest. The Urban Knights grabbed an early 5-1 lead, pushing their advantage to seven at 14-7. With the score 18-13, Chico State threatened, as two kills by Jacome and a DiNardo ace trimmed the deficit to 19-17. But that would be as close as the 'Cats would get, as Academy of Art answered with a 6-1 run to win the set going away by a final of 25-18.
 
Chico State took a 7-6 lead in the fourth set thanks to its defense, courtesy of point-producing blocks by Ono, Wilson, Jacome, and Rodriguez. An 11-4 Academy of Art run put the Urban Knights back in front 17-11, but the Wildcats battled back—kills by Wilson, DiNardo, and Rodriguez, combined with blocks by Keeve and Jacome, pulled Chico State to within one at 19-18. Academy of Art refused to relinquish the lead, and though Sheppard delivered a late kill and Greenwood landed a service ace, the Urban Knights held on to register a 25-22 victory to win the match.
 
Chico State concludes the NorCal Kickoff Saturday at 2 p.m., as the Wildcats travel to Hayward to face Fresno Pacific at Pioneer Gymnasium on the campus of Cal State East Bay. Face coverings will be required for fans planning on attending the match in person.
 
The contest will also be streamed free of charge on the Internet, with Live Stats also available online. Links to both can be found on the Chico State volleyball schedule page and home page calendar on the Wildcat Athletics website, at chicowildcats.com.