ARCATA, Calif. — The Chico State volleyball team lost to Cal Poly Humboldt in straight sets on Saturday at Lumberjack Arena, falling 22-25, 21-25, 18-25 to close out the first week of the CCAA schedule.
The Wildcats finished with 30 kills and a .080 hitting percentage, while Cal Poly Humboldt had 38 kills and hit .208. This match concluded the longest road trip of the conference schedule by mileage for the Wildcats, having played in Carson on Thursday and Arcata today. It is also the only regular season meeting between Chico State and Cal Poly Humboldt this season.
Kassandra Nall scored a team-high 9.5 points with seven kills and three blocks. Maria Wahl matched the team lead with seven kills and added nine digs and two blocks. Sinam Minasian finished with 22 assists, 12 digs and one service ace. Minasian's 12 digs marked a career-high total. Sophia Heller recorded 10 digs, five assists and one service ace.
Cal Poly Humboldt created the first separation in the opening set after an 8-5 score, reaching 15-7 with kills from Avary Spoja, Branson Lennon and Graysen Trupp around Chico State errors. The Wildcats pushed back with Heller serving, getting a Whitney Fairfield block, kills from Jillian Davis and Nall, and another Humboldt attack error to cut the deficit to 15-12. After Humboldt went ahead 17-13, the 'Cats used a service error, another Fairfield block, a Fairfield kill and a Minasian kill to tie the set at 17-17, then pulled even again at 19-19 on Wyievee Binda's kill. Cal Poly Humboldt answered with five of the next six points to reach 24-20, and although Minasian's kill and a bad set by Brielle Wilson kept Chico State within 24-22, Humboldt closed the set 25-22 on a Chico State attack error.
Chico State used Wahl's serve to turn a 1-1 tie into a 5-1 lead, with Nall finishing a kill from Heller and Binda combining on a block during the stretch. Cal Poly Humboldt tied the set at 6-6 on a Claire Crawford service ace, then moved ahead 11-7 behind kills from Branson Lennon and Avary Spoja and a block by Spoja and Isabella Hartwig. After Cal Poly Humboldt reached 16-11, the Wildcats cut the margin to 16-14 on a service error, an attack error and Nall's block, then later got within 19-18 after a Davis ace and a Wahl kill. The 'Cats stayed within one again at 21-20 on another Wahl kill, but Cal Poly Humboldt took four of the final five points to close the set 25-21.
Chico State moved in front 6-2 early in the third set behind a Minasian service ace, kills by Nall and Hayley Frushon, and two Cal Poly Humboldt errors. Cal Poly Humboldt tied it at 6-6, the Wildcats answered with two Nall kills and a Heller ace for a 9-6 lead, and Cal Poly Humboldt came back with the next five points to go ahead 11-9. The 'Cats worked back even at 14-14 on a Wahl kill and a Cal Poly Humboldt attack error, then the teams traded points through an 18-18 tie. Cal Poly Humboldt scored the final seven points, including kills by Kendall Fenstermacher and Tatyana Jennings and a Claire Crawford ace, to close the set 25-18.
Chico State and Cal Poly Humboldt have swept each other in the last four meetings, each with a pair of 3-0 results. The Wildcats also achieved at least 53 digs in two consecutive games during the 2026-27 season.
After playing the first six matches away from Chico to start the season, the Wildcats will open up Acker Gym and welcome their Highway 99 rivals Stanislaus State. First serve is at 5 p.m.
