¹Cats spot Cal Poly Pomona first set, then take three straight to down Broncos

CHICO  The Chico State volleyball team knows it will miss out on postseason play, but as the 2010 campaign winds down, the Wildcats are not merely playing out the string. Far from it  in fact, like a good, competitive team should, they¹re leaving everything out on the floor. An energized ¹Cats squad avenged an early season defeat at the hands of Cal Poly Pomona and thoroughly entertained a big home crowd Friday night at Acker Gym, dropping the first set before taking three straight from the Broncos to win the match 23-25, 25-21, 25-18 and 25-23.

Friday¹s victory snapped a mini-two match losing streak and pushed Chico State¹s record to 12-13 on the season; the Wildcats also improved to 7-12 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Cal Poly Pomona, which had beaten the ¹Cats in 23 of 33 previous meetings, dropped to 10-14 on the year
and 8-11 in CCAA play.

Alex Shurtz registered double-digit kills for the 11th straight match, leading the Wildcats with 21 on the night. Makenzie Fahnestock added 12 kills, while Jessica Leek contributed a great all-around effort with 10 non-returnables, eight digs, two assists and three service aces. Sable Villaescusa doled out a match-high 50 assists and team-best 13 digs; Molly Ratto added 11 digs, and Jacqueline Johnson collected eight kills, eight digs and four service aces. As a team, Chico State posted an impressive .266 hitting percentage. Jessica Doerner led Cal Poly Pomona with 12 kills in the losing effort.

All four sets were tightly-played affairs. Chico State led early in the opener, scoring the set¹s first three points. Trailing 11-10, Cal Poly Pomona went on a 9-5 run to go up 19-16. The Wildcats answered with four unanswered points, fueled by two Fahnestock kills and two by Johnson to go back on top 21-20. Kristin McNeese then stepped up for the Broncos, leading them on a 4-0 run to take control of the contest. The Wildcats were able to stave off two set points before McNeese delivered her third kill down the stretch to give Pomona the 25-23 victory.

Chico State led from start to finish in the second set, jumping out to a quick 6-1 lead thanks to a Ratto service ace and kills by Villaescusa, Leek and Fahnestock. Pomona closed to within 10-8, and even though the Wildcats never led by more than four the rest of the way, they never relinquished the
lead. The Broncos made a late charge, pulling to within 21-19, but three Shurtz kills and one from Villaescusa powered the ¹Cats to the 25-21 win to knot up the match at one apiece.

The Wildcats fell behind at the beginning of the third set, as Pomona took an early 8-5 lead. But Chico State stayed aggressive on offense, and with Fahnestock smashing four kills and Shurtz and Crystal Trifeletti contributing two apiece, the ¹Cats rode a 14-6 run to move in front 19-14. Chico State then put the set away by scoring three of the final four points to post the 25-18 win.

The Wildcats hung on to the momentum to start the fourth set, using kills by Johnson, Shurtz and Leek to break out to a 4-0 lead. Chico State extended its advantage to 11-6, only to see Pomona go on an 14-6 run to go out in front 20-17. Three Shurtz kills and one by Johnson knotted up the contest at 21-all, and with the scored tied at 23, the Wildcats combined Shurtz¹s final kill of the night with a Bronco attack error to claim the set 25-23 and take the match.

Chico State plays its final home match of the regular season Saturday at 7 p.m., as they host CCAA-leading Cal State San Bernardino; the Coyotes are currently the No. 7 team in the nation and come to Acker Gym having won nine consecutive mathces. Fans unable to attend the match in person can follow
the action via Live Stats, available on the Wildcat Athletics website. Saturday¹s contest will also be broadcast live on the Internet on UStream, with former Chico State great Gillian Heydorff providing color commentary.