CARSON, Calif. — The Chico State volleyball team defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills 3-1 on Thursday at Torodome, winning 25-21, 25-15, 19-25, 25-16 to capture the Wildcats' first victory in the Torodome in 10 years.
The Wildcats finished with 45 kills, eight service aces and 11 total blocks while holding the Toros to a .081 hitting percentage. The team achieved a season-high of eight service aces in the game.
Kassandra Nall put down a team-high 14 kills on 29 attacks and added a block assist, achieving a season-high total of 14 kills. Maria Wahl scored 16 points with 13 kills, 12 digs and four total blocks. Wahl reached a career milestone of 261 digs, including 12 in the current game. Sinam Minasian finished with 33 assists, four service aces and seven digs. Minasian set a career-high with 33 assists and recorded a career-high of four service aces. Whitney Fairfield posted a team-high five total blocks and added four kills on seven attacks.
The Wildcats started the first set with three straight points, getting a Minasian service ace between two Toros attack errors, before Dominguez Hills tied it at 4-4 and later moved ahead 7-6. The set stayed tight through the middle, as kills by Jillian Davis, Wahl, Wyievee Binda, Nall and Fairfield helped Chico trade points before a Jaidan Alexander ace put CSUDH ahead 18-17. The 'Cats tied it at 18-18 on an Anna Sanzaro attack error with block assists from Fairfield and Wahl, moved in front on Wahl's kill, and after the Toros tied it 19-19, Chico State scored four straight points on a service error, a Nall kill, a Minasian ace and a Ryann Bennett attack error. Dominguez Hills got back within 24-21, but Binda closed the set with a kill from Minasian for a 25-21 Wildcats win.
After a 2-1 start, Sophia Heller served Chico through four straight points, including an ace and a Fairfield kill from Minasian, to open a 6-1 lead. The Toros cut into the gap in small stretches, but the Wildcats kept answering with sideouts, including kills by Davis, Wahl and Fairfield to stay ahead 12-6. Davis recorded a season-high 10 kills, and Nall's kill, a Dominguez Hills attack error, and a Wahl-Catalina Trautner block pushed the margin to 15-6 before a Giovannina De Sisto ace helped CSUDH get back to 15-8. Chico State moved to 20-10 on a Nall-Fairfield block, and after the Toros scored four of the next seven points, Wahl delivered two late kills before Minasian's ace closed the set at 25-15.
The Wildcats started the third set with Wahl's block and a Minasian ace for a 2-0 lead, then came back from a 6-4 deficit with a Toros service error, an attack error and a Marley Harrison ace to lead 7-6. The set was tied at 9-9 after a Dominguez Hills service error, but Ryann Bennett had three straight kills in a four-point CSUDH burst that moved the score to 13-9. Chico State got kills from Nall at 12-16, 13-16 and 15-18, but the Toros kept answering through Dakota Carvo, Rilee Graham and Giovannina De Sisto. Wahl added late kills that brought the Wildcats to 18-23 and 19-24, but Bennett closed the set with a kill for Dominguez Hills' 25-19 win.
Chico State answered an opening Toros kill with kills from Nall and Davis and moved ahead 3-1, but the set stayed tight through ties at 4-4 and 5-5. After that, the Wildcats pushed in front 10-6 behind a Fairfield block and a shared block by Binda and Minasian, before Dominguez Hills pulled even at 12-12 on consecutive service aces by Rilee Graham. Davis achieved a season-high 13 digs. The 'Cats regained separation with a Binda kill and block, then stretched the lead from 14-13 to 17-13 on a Davis kill, a Heller ace and a Nall kill. Wahl added back-to-back late kills to help Chico State reach 24-16, and Binda finished the fourth set with a kill for a 25-16 win.
Chico State's longest week road swing of the season continues into Saturday, as the Wildcats have to travel across the state, literally, to play Cal Poly Humboldt Saturday at 1 p.m.
