MERCED, Calif. – The Chico State volleyball team rallied in game four to force a deciding set, but couldn't complete the comeback Saturday evening against UC Merced as the Bobcats held off the Wildcats late to win 3–2 (15–25, 25–21, 25–16, 19–25, 15–13) in the first conference meeting between the two programs.
Chico State dropped to 4–10 on the season and remains 0–4 in CCAA play, while UC Merced improved to 5–9 overall and 1–3 in its inaugural conference season.
Match Summary
Set 1: Chico State opened hot, hitting .433 with 16 kills and just three errors. A pair of early aces and kills from Sophia Heller helped spark a 25–15 win.
Set 2: The Wildcats held a late 21–20 lead before the Bobcats closed the set with five straight points to win 25–21 and even the match.
Set 3: Chico struggled offensively, hitting just .136 while UC Merced controlled momentum with a .231 attack percentage to take the set 25–16.
Set 4: The Wildcats came alive again behind 17 team kills and a .310 hitting mark, cruising to a 25–19 win and forcing a fifth.
Set 5: UC Merced erased an early 3–0 Chico lead and finished on a 6–1 run, closing out the match 15–13 on back-to-back Wildcat errors.
Notable Performances
Claire Nordeen – 13 kills (.579), 26 assists, 11 digs, 15.0 points (first career triple-double)
Sophia Heller – 15 kills, 6 digs, 4 blocks, 17.5 points (tied career high in kills)
Jessie Camarillo – 17 digs, 6 assists, 2 aces
Maria Wahl – 9 kills (.267), 11 digs
Kylie Matthews – 6 kills, 26 digs
By the Numbers
– Chico State finished with 58 kills on .213 hitting
– The Wildcats had 73 total digs and 16 blocks (team + assisted)
– UC Merced outhit Chico .231 to .213 and led in total blocks 6.0 to 2.0
– Claire Nordeen posted her fifth double-double of the season and a career-high 13 kills
– Sophia Heller's 15 kills tied her career high
– Chico had a 16–3 blocking advantage in Set 1, but only 4 blocks the rest of the match
– UC Merced's 15–13 win in the fifth set featured 5 tie scores and 3 lead changes
Wildcat Whispers
– This was the first conference meeting and second all-time matchup between Chico State and UC Merced; the Bobcats now lead the series 2–0
– Claire Nordeen recorded her first career triple-double with 13 kills, 26 assists, and 11 digs
– She has also posted back-to-back double-doubles and hit over .500 in two of her last three matches
– Sophia Heller has registered double-digit kills in three of her last four contests
– Jessie Camarillo now has 10 or more digs in eight of the last nine matches
– Claire Nordeen ranks 2nd in the CCAA in assists per set (8.39) and is 8th in hitting percentage at .289
– Gwyneth Wentzel ranks 2nd in the CCAA in hitting percentage at .333
– Wyievee Binda ranks 5th in the CCAA in hitting percentage at .306
– Jessie Camarillo ranks 4th in the CCAA in digs per set (4.15) with 170 total digs
– Chico State ranks 3rd in the CCAA in digs per set (15.61) and 2nd in kills per set (12.17)
– The Wildcats have played five five-set matches this season, tied for the most in the conference
Up Next
Chico State heads to Southern California this week for two CCAA matchups—Friday at Cal State Dominguez Hills and Saturday at Cal State LA. Both matches are set for 5 p.m. first serve.
