The Cal State LA volleyball team came to Northern California Friday knowing a victory over Chico State would secure the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season crown. What the Golden Eagles didn't bargain for was a scrappy, hustling Wildcats squad determined not to let their its visitors celebrate on the Acker Gym floor. After a very competitive first set, however, Cal State LA was able to steadily grind the 'Cats down, with the Golden Eagles taking the title-clinching contest 25-22, 25-17, 25-9.
Friday's loss dropped Chico State to 3-21 on the season and 1-16 in the CCAA. Cal State LA, ranked No. 19 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Top 25 poll, notched its third straight victory to improve to 20-5 overall and 15-2 in conference play.
Zoe DiNardo led the Wildcats with six kills in the contest, while adding a pair of blocks to her stat line. Nariah Prescott added five kills and two blocks, with Grace Shepherd contributing four kills and a block to the 'Cats' attack. Brooklynn Anderson registered a team-high four blocks. Brooke Ono and Caitlyn Eichhorst combined for 20 assists and 16 digs, with Lexi Carpenter leading all players Friday with 16 digs.
The opening set was the most exciting of the evening. After Cal State LA opened up a 9-3 lead, Chico State took advantage of six unforced Golden Eagles miscues, and combined with a Prescott kill and Prescott/Anderson and Anderson/DiNardo combo blocks, fashioned a 9-2 run to jump in front 12-11. Cal State LA retook the lead at 14-13 and slowly built a seemingly comfortable 24-18 advantage. The Wildcats, however, refused to fold, surviving five set points—Ono delivering a service ace, Shepherd and Anderson combining on a block, and Prescott, Carpenter, and Jane Mcnulty crushing kills—to pull to within two. Iane Henke stopped the 'Cats' rally in its tracks, however, with a kill that gave the Golden Eagles the point needed to put away the 25-22 win.
It was a back-and-forth affair early in the second set, with both teams letting leads get away before a Prescott kill put Chico State on top 6-5. A 12-6 Cal State LA run put the Golden Eagles up 18-11, and despite late kills by Shepherd and Lauryn Osendorf, the Wildcats were unable to close the gap, and the Golden Eagles rolled to a 25-17 victory.
The 'Cats once again took advantage of multiple Cal State LA errors to jump out in front 4-3 in the third set, but the Golden Eagles soon moved into the lead and stayed on top for the rest of the contest. It was still anyone's set as more LA miscues and a Shepherd kill moved Chico State to within 11-7, but from there it was all Golden Eagles, who finished things off on a 14-2 run to win the set 25-9, sweep the match, and clinch sole possession of first place in the CCAA regular season standings for the first time since 2000.
Chico State wraps up the regular season with Senior Night Saturday, as the Wildcats host Cal State Dominguez Hills at Acker Gym. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m., with the match preceded by a special ceremony honoring outgoing Chico State senior players Grace Shepherd and Gretta Kirkby.
