SAN FRANCISCO—Yes, the Chico State volleyball team was playing from behind most of the night. And yes, San Francisco State was pulling out all the stop to keep its postseason hopes alive. But by the end of the night Friday, the host Gators were feeling a sense of relief after coming away with a 25-20, 25-11, 25-23 victory against a scrappy, never-say-die Wildcats squad at The Swamp on the San Francisco State campus.
Chico State dropped to 3-19 on the season and 1-14 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with Friday's loss. San Francisco State improved to 13-9 overall and 9-6 in conference play.
Grace Shepherd led the Wildcats with six kills Friday, while Nariah Prescott racked up four kills and three blocks. Jane Mcnulty contributed three kills and three blocks, with Zoe DiNardo and Brooklynn Anderson each registering three kills and a block. Bree Rodriguez and Lauryn Osendorf had eight blocks between them, and Caitlyn Eichhorst and Brooke Ono combined to dole out 18 assists. Lexi Carpenter posted a team-high seven digs on the night.
San Francisco State used a 7-1 run to jump out to an early lead in the opening set, but a pair of Prescott kills and combo blocks by Prescott/Osendorf and Osendorf/Mcnulty helped Chico State even things up at 9-9. The contest was still tied at 19-all when an Osendorf ace gave the Wildcats their first lead of the set, but with the score 20-19, the Gators bounced back to strike for six unanswered points down the stretch and come away with a 25-20 victory.
The 'Cats went out in front 3-1 in the second set, but San Francisco State quickly took a 10-4 lead on the strength of a 9-1 run. A Jessie Camarillo ace and a Rodriguez/Eichhorst combo block pulled Chico State to within 10-7, but it was as close as the Wildcat would get, as the Gators promptly put the contest away with a 15-4 run to win going away 25-11.
The Wildcats fired back in the third set, with a Camarillo ace, a Prescott/Rodriguez combo block, and kills by Prescott, Mcnulty, and Anderson gave Chico State a 7-6 lead. San Francisco State scored seven of the next 10 points to go out in front, but a Shepherd kill and Anderson/Gretta Kirkby block made it a 13-12 contest. The Gators steadily expanded their lead, and an 11-4 run put San Francisco State one point away from victory. But with the score 24-16, Chico State dug deep to survive seven straight match points—Carpenter delivering an ace, Prescott producing a solo block, and Shepherd, Anderson, and Prescott all contributing kills—to once again creep to within one. The Gators thwarted the 'Cats' heroic comeback, though, as an Alhana Valesquez kill gave San Francisco State the 25-23 win and the match sweep.
The Wildcats play their final road match of the season Saturday, when they travel to Seaside to take on Cal State Monterey Bay. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. Fans can follow the action online with Live Stats and live streaming video on the CCAA Network, with links available on the Wildcat Athletics website home page and on the volleyball schedule page. Access to the live video stream requires a subscription fee that grants users access to every CCAA event on the network, home and away.
