HAYWARD, Calif. — The Chico State volleyball team lost to Cal State East Bay 3-1 (14-25, 22-25, 25-23, 16-25) in resumption of CCAA play on Friday at Pioneer Gymnasium.
The Wildcats (4-6, 1-3 CCAA) finished with 37 kills and a .090 hitting percentage, while the Pioneers totaled 54 kills and 15 service aces. The team achieved a season-high total of 86 digs in the game.
Sophia Heller posted a team-high 22 digs and matched the team lead with 10 kills. Heller registered a career-high total of 22 digs in the match and reached the 100 digs milestone this season, totaling 101 digs. She also surpassed the 250 digs milestone, with a career total of 253 digs. Claire Nordeen recorded 32 assists and 13 digs. Nordeen has now recorded at least 32 set assists in three consecutive games. Jessica Ortiz collected 17 digs and added three assists, reaching a seasonal milestone with 100 total digs. Kassandra Nall finished with 10 kills and one block assist.
Nall put away consecutive kills from Nordeen to give the Wildcats a 3-1 lead, and the 'Cats later moved ahead 8-6 after a Pioneers service error and an attack error. The Pioneers (5-8, 3-2 CCAA) answered by scoring five straight points to take an 11-8 lead, getting an ace from Kale'a Kuamo'o and consecutive blocks involving Pi'ilani Carvalho and Carys Fouser. The Wildcats got a point back on Wyievee Binda's block, who recorded a career-high of three solo blocks, but a service error returned the serve to the Pioneers, and Carvalho's turn at the line carried the home side from 12-9 to 19-9 with three blocks and kills by Fouser, Carvalho, and Gianna Navarro. Chico State scored four straight from 24-10 behind a Maria Wahl kill, two Pioneers attack errors, and a Whitney Fairfield kill, before Navarro closed the set for the Pioneers, 25-14.
After an even start through 5-5, the Pioneers pushed the Wildcats into a 14-8 deficit with kills by Makaiya Gerhardt and Natali Herrera and a Kale'a Kuamo'o service ace during the stretch. Chico State cut into the gap behind kills from Heller and Nall, and Nall added two more kills before Heller's finish brought the Wildcats within 16-15. The 'Cats moved ahead 19-17 on three straight Pioneers errors, but the Pioneers answered with six straight points, the last five on Gianna Navarro's serve with three aces, to lead 23-19. Chico State pulled back within 23-21 on a Nordeen kill and fought off set point with another Heller kill, but the Pioneers closed the set 25-22 on Barakat Adekola's block.
After the teams traded points to 3-3, Fairfield put the Wildcats in front with consecutive kills from Nordeen, but the Pioneers answered with three straight points to move ahead 6-5 and later led 11-8. Chico State worked back to 13-13 on another Fairfield kill, then moved ahead 20-16 behind two Heller kills and a Binda block. The Wildcats reached 23-19 after an Isabelle Watson attack error, but the Pioneers scored four straight, including two Natali Herrera kills and a Gianna Navarro ace, to tie the set at 23-23. Wahl put Chico State back ahead with a kill from Ortiz, achieving 106 kills for the season and crossing the 100-kill milestone with eight in the game. Wahl also reached the 10 solo blocks milestone, recording a total of 10 with one in the game, and totaled 25 blocks for the season, hitting the 25 total blocks milestone with one in the game. Heller finished the set off Nordeen's assist for a 25-23 win.
The Wildcats traded points through the early part of the fourth set and led 8-6 after a Heller kill from Nordeen. The Pioneers scored the next six points to move in front 12-8, but Chico State answered with kills by Nall, Wahl, and Nall around an attack error to tie the set at 12-12. The Pioneers went back ahead and, after the Wildcats stayed within 17-15 on Wahl's kill from Nordeen, used a five-point stretch that included two Trinity Cox service aces and a block by Pi'ilani Carvalho and Natali Herrera to reach 22-15. Heller stopped that run with a kill, but the Pioneers took the final three points to win the set 25-16.
Up next, the Wildcats travel across the San Mateo Bridge to visit San Francisco State on Saturday at 5 p.m.
