Chico State volleyball continues its long home stand this week, with climbing up the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference standings high on the team's priority list. The Wildcats look to return to the win column when they welcome Cal State East Bay to Acker Gym Friday at 5 p.m., with Cal State San Marcos following Saturday for a 2 p.m. match.
Fans unable to attend the matches in person 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 home page. Accessing the live video stream requires a monthly subscription fee of $9.95.
Chico State is coming off a split of their first two home matches last weekend, and enters play Friday with an overall mark of 3-8 and a 1-3 record in the CCAA. Last Friday the Wildcats came back from two sets down to stun Cal State Monterey Bay in five before bowing in three sets Saturday to San Francisco State.
A quartet of 'Cats are among the conference leaders in several statistical categories entering the weekend. Grace Shepherd ranks seventh among all CCAA hitters in kills (125), fifth in kills per set (3.21), and sixth in points per set (3.40).
Zoe DiNardo is ninth in the conference with 117 kills while ranking seventh in kills per set (3.00).
Brooke Ono is fourth among CCAA setters with 361 assists on the season. She also ranks third in assists per set (9.03), ninth in digs (133), and 10th in digs per set (3.33).
Lexi Carpenter's 148 digs are the third-most in the CCAA. The junior libero also ranks seventh in the conference in digs per set (3.70).
Cal State East Bay, Chico State's Friday opponent, starts the week 10-2 on the year and claiming a share of third place in the CCAA with a 3-1 conference record. The Pioneers split a pair of home matches last weekend—after downing Cal State Dominguez Hills in three sets on Thursday, East Bay saw its 10-match winning streak come to an end Saturday with a sweep at the hands of Cal State LA.
The Pioneers feature three front row players who have already registered triple-digit kills this season. Sophomore middle blocker Mia Jordan ranks fourth in the CCAA with 137 kills, while also posting a team-high 35 blocks. Sophomore opposite hitter Lexi Pagani has 129 kills—sixth-most in the conference—and 27 blocks, and junior opposite Kara Green has racked up 106 kills and is fourth in the CCAA with 26 service aces.
Chico State and Cal State East Bay split their season series last year, and in fact have played dead even since 2016. All-time, the Wildcats lead the series with the Pioneers 36-15.
Cal State San Marcos, which comes to Chico Saturday following a Friday tilt with Stanislaus State, is 3-8 overall and 2-2 in CCAA play. The Cougars have lost seven of their last nine matches, though they split last weekend at home, falling to Cal State LA in three sets Thursday before bouncing back with a four-set win Saturday over Cal State Dominguez Hills.
San Marcos is led by junior outside hitter Trinity Barr, who has registered a team-high 105 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Sophia Hedqvist has contributed 79 kills to the Cougars' attack, while senior middle Kiora Ridgeway is the top San Marcos blocker with 33 stuffs on the season.
Cal State San Marcos took both ends of last year's season series with Chico State, and has won the last four meetings dating back to 2018. The Cougars lead the all-time series with the Wildcats 6-3.
