ATHERTON, Calif. — The Chico State volleyball team lost 3-1 to Menlo on Saturday.
Chico State (4-11, 1-8 CCAA) rallied from a three-point deficit to take a late lead in the fourth set, but the Oaks (7-11, 5-5 CCAA) won the set 28-26. The Wildcats' 25-18 second-set win was their lone set victory.
This was the second meeting of the season between the teams; Chico State won the last meeting 3-1 in non-conference play on Sept. 26 in Acker Gym, while Saturday's match counted toward the CCAA standings.
Maria Wahl led the Wildcats with 15 kills, hit .314 and added 10 digs. Kassandra Nall matched the team high with 15.0 points, finishing with 13 kills and four block assists. Whitney Fairfield reached a career milestone by totaling 51 blocks this season, including four in the match. Claire Nordeen recorded 35 assists and 11 digs, while Sophia Heller collected a team-high 22 digs and added eight assists.
The Oaks moved ahead 11-4 in the opening set as Fuka Kikuchi had four early kills and Chico State was hurt by attack and setting errors. The Wildcats cut the deficit to 14-12 behind two kills from Wahl, two from Wyievee Binda, a kill by Alexis Holman and a block by Holman and Fairfield. The Oaks answered with five straight points to stretch the lead to 19-12, including kills by Kate Ross and Kikuchi and a block by Ross and Sophia Kelso. Chico State later got within 24-20 after an Oaks service error and a block by Nall and Binda, but Michelle Mlikan closed the set for the Oaks, 25-20.
The Oaks moved in front 7-2 in the second set behind Mlikan kills and a Makenna Mello service ace, but Chico State cut the deficit to 7-5 on back-to-back Oaks errors. After the Oaks rebuilt the lead to 14-9, Nall had two kills during a Wildcats run that brought the set within 14-13, and Holman and Nall later answered an Oaks point to tie it at 15-15. Jillian Davis followed with a service ace for a 16-15 Chico State lead, and after the teams traded points to 19-18, the Wildcats closed the set with six straight points. Wahl had three kills in the final run, Binda added a block and a kill, and Chico State finished the set at 25-18 on an Oaks attack error.
After the Oaks scored the first two points of the third set on kills by Mlikan and Dayjah McFadden, Chico State moved ahead 3-2 on a service error, Nall's kill from Heller and a block by Nall and Binda. The Oaks tied it at 3-3, but an attack error and Heller's ace put the Wildcats up 5-3 before the Oaks came back to lead 7-6. After Nordeen's kill tied it at 7-7, the Oaks built a 14-8 advantage behind kills from Avery Krebill, Kikuchi, Mlikan and McFadden. Chico State got kills from Wahl, Binda, Holman, Fairfield and Nall through the middle and late portions of the set, including consecutive Wahl kills that made it 21-16. The Oaks closed with four straight points — a McFadden kill, two blocks by McFadden and Krebill, and a Wildcats attack error — to take the set 25-16.
Davis tied the fourth set at 10-10, and Chico State followed with an Oaks attack error, a Nall kill and a Nall-Fairfield block to move ahead 13-10. The Oaks came back to lead 15-14, but Chico State went back in front 18-17 on two Wahl kills and an Oaks attack error before Kikuchi helped the Oaks answer with a stretch to 22-19. The Wildcats pulled even at 23-23 on a Davis kill and took a 24-23 lead on an Oaks attack error, but the Oaks won the next two points before Davis tied it again at 25-25. After Ross and Fairfield traded kills for 26-26, Kikuchi's kill and an Oaks block closed the set for the Oaks, 28-26.
Up next, Chico State visits UC Merced on Friday at 5 p.m. at Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation & Wellness Center.
