TURLOCK, Calif. – The Chico State volleyball team got two different outcomes in day two of Stanislaus State's Tournament at Fitzpatrick Arena on Friday.
 
The Wildcats had to claw back from a 2-0 set deficit to force a deciding set which they lost to NCAA Division II newcomer Menlo (15-25, 23-25, 25-20, 27-25, 10-15) and despite starting 83 minutes later than scheduled in the nightcap against Dominican, Chico State swept the Penguins (25-15, 25-20, 25-20) to post the second win against them in a week.
 
Maria Wahl had an excellent day on the floor, recording 25 kills including a career-high 17 against the Oaks. Kassandra Nall ended the night with 19 kills and 10 digs while Cashe Olswang had 11.
 
Claire Nordeen combined for 41 assists in the two matches and Caitlyn Eichhorst had 30. Both had 14 digs as well.
 
Defensively, Jessie Camarillo continues to be the stopper with 36 digs on the day, including 21 against Menlo to be just two shy from tying the career-best. Kailie Flores also came through on the defensive end with 12 total blocks.
 
Match 1 – MENLO 3, CHICO 2
After falling in the first two sets, the Wildcats started off the third game with a 4-1 lead and never looked back. Wahl recorded six of the Wildcats' dozen kills in the game. Menlo did shrink the lead down to two (20-18) but Chico State won five of the last seven serves to get the set win.
 
Chico State was down five point approaching midpoint of the fourth set. It was an 8-2 run that put the Wildcats ahead 19-18. Menlo was at match point (24-22) when Nall recorded a kill and an attacking error tied the game. Menlo got back into match point, but Nall tied the match again with a kill, Olswang got a service ace, and another attack error allowed Chico State to force a deciding set.
 
Menlo started the fifth game leading 7-4. Chico State scored four unanswered points behind Gwyneth Wentzel, Flores and Kylie Matthews to jump ahead by one. The Oaks turned the tide back to them by winning eight of the final 10 rallies to take the match.
 
Match 2 – CHICO 3, DOMINICAN 0
The Wildcats started off fast, taking a 6-2 lead from the moment of first serve. A 7-1 run would bump Chico State's lead to nine. Dominican couldn't get into any sort of rhythm in the set and Chico State ended up winning seven of the final eight rallies to take the opening set.
 
Set two was a much different performance, especially for Dominican. The Wildcats jumped to an 8-4 lead into the second round but the Penguins kept the deficit to less than five the entire time. At one point, Wentzel got two straight kills and Jillian Davis got a service aces for a 3-point run that helped the Wildcats build a 20-15 lead that would help keep them ahead to the finish line.
 
The Penguins opened set three with their best moment by taking a 4-2 lead. However, a service error gave the ball back to the Wildcats and with Nordeen serving Chico State went on a seven-point run to take a 9-4 lead. Dominican shifted the tide back to its favor thanks to a 6-1 run, giving the Penguins a one-point lead. It was short lived as Wentzel tied the game at 14 and with her serving the Wildcats were awarded six straight points to take a 20-14 lead. Both sides would trade sideouts in the end but it was Chico State which came out victorious in the end.
 
The Wildcats will have a short amount of sleep as they return to Fitzpatrick Arena one last time on Saturday to take on another NCAA Division II newcomer in Jessup at 9 a.m. It will be the non-conference finale for Chico State.