CHICO, Calif. — The Chico State volleyball team defeated UC Merced 3-0 Thursday at Art Acker Gym.
It was the second meeting in a week between Chico State (6-12, 2-8 CCAA) and UC Merced (5-16, 2-8 CCAA); unlike last week's meeting in Merced, Thursday's match was a CCAA match and reflected the conference standings.
The Wildcats finished with advantages of 38-31 in kills and 10-2 in aces while hitting .194 to the Bobcats' .064. The 10 aces were a season high for Chico State. The Wildcats also totaled 11 blocks, surpassing their season average of 8.0. Chico State reached the 1,000-dig milestone and has 1,045 digs, with 49 recorded in the match.
Kassandra Nall led the Wildcats with 15 kills, four service aces and a season-high 23.5 points while adding 11 digs and seven blocks. Nall's four service aces were a career high. She reached 51 total blocks, including seven Thursday, and has surpassed 200 total points with 222, including 23.5 in the match. Claire Nordeen finished with 26 assists, nine digs and three kills on five attacks. Nordeen has recorded 26 or more assists in six consecutive matches. Sophia Heller recorded six kills, three aces, 10 digs and five assists. Heller has 203 digs this season, including 10 in the match. Wyievee Binda added seven blocks and three kills. Binda's seven blocks were a career high, and she reached 50 total blocks with seven in the match.
Heller's service ace and two early Nall kills helped Chico State open the first set with a 4-0 lead, and Nall added two more kills as the Wildcats moved ahead 6-1. The Bobcats closed the gap to 7-6 behind kills from Yahaira Vazquez and Kylah Guzman, but Chico State stayed in front and began to create separation after leading 10-8. The Wildcats won seven of the next eight rallies, getting kills from Nall and Nordeen along with blocks involving Binda and Nall to push the lead to 18-9. The Bobcats scored four straight to get within 18-13, but Chico State answered with Jillian Davis' kill, another Heller ace and late kills from Nall before Finley Corona finished the set at 25-16.
With the second set at 2-1, Davis recorded a kill, and Nall served the Wildcats through five straight points, including back-to-back aces and a block by Whitney Fairfield and Davis, to make it 8-1. Chico State kept the cushion through the middle of the set, moving to 15-5 with kills from Fairfield, Binda and Nall and consecutive blocks involving Nall and Binda. The Bobcats scored three straight points to cut it to 16-9 and later got within 18-13, but Nall stopped that stretch with a kill before Davis and Fairfield helped push the Wildcats ahead 21-13. Nordeen's kill and Fairfield's ace gave Chico State set point at 24-16, and a UC Merced service error closed the set at 25-17.
Chico State opened the third set with five straight points on Heller's serve, getting two Nall kills, a Heller ace, a Binda-Nall block and a Bobcats error. The Bobcats later erased a 14-10 Wildcats lead with four straight points, including two Kyra Miller aces, before Nall served back-to-back aces to help Chico State move ahead 18-15. The Bobcats answered with five straight points to take a 20-18 lead, using kills by Vazquez and Guzman along with Wildcats attack errors. Heller's kill started Chico State's late run, Marley Harrison served an ace to tie the set at 20-20, and the Wildcats took seven of the final eight rallies, finishing the 25-21 win on Nordeen's kill from Fairfield.
Chico State hosts another opponent it saw a last week in No. 4 Fresno Pacific on Saturday. Like tonight's match, Saturday's match with the Sunbirds will count towards the CCAA standings.
