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Tritons spoil Chico State's Halloween, tame Wildcats in three sets

Volleyball players Gillian Heydorff and Makenzie Snyder.

Gillian Heydorff (L) and Makenzie Snyder combined for 21 kills, but UC San Diego topped the Wildcats in three sets Saturday afternoon at Acker Gym.

10/31/2009 6:43:39 PM

CHICO, Calif. – The Haunted Hall at Acker Gym attracted plenty of costumed youngsters Saturday afternoon, but for the Chico State volleyball team, the day’s treats stopped there as the No. 2 UC San Diego Tritons handed out most of the tricks, running its winning streak to 15 straight by beating the No. 25 Wildcats in three sets, 25-21, 25-23 and 25-17.

The loss dropped Chico State to 21-7 on the year and 12-6 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). UC San Diego, in a dogfight with Cal State San Bernardino for the top spot in the conference standings, improved to 24-1 overall with Saturday’s win and 16-1 in conference play.

The Tritons broke out to an early 7-3 lead in the opening set, and had an answer to just about every Chico State rally attempt. With the score 9-7, UC San Diego scored nine of the next 13 points to fashion a more comfortable 18-11 advantage. The Wildcats used kills by Makenzie Snyder, Gillian Heydorff and Jacqueline Johnson to pull to within 21-19, but three Triton kills and a service ace by Cara Simonsen sealed UC San Diego’s 25-21 opening set victory.

The match’s second set was the most tightly contested of the afternoon, as neither team led by more than two the entire way. Snyder delivered seven kills for Chico State in the set, but the Wildcats let two late leads (16-14 and 20-19) slip away, and UC San Diego, after grabbing a 21-20 advantage, used two kills apiece from Katie Condon and Sylvia Schmidt to power its way to the 25-23 win.

The Tritons were in complete charge of the third set, spotting Chico State an early 3-2 lead, then going on an 18-8 run to go up 20-11. The Wildcats didn’t give up and battled ‘til the end, but could get no closer than six points as Janessa Werhane plunged the dagger with a service ace to give UC San Diego the 25-17 victory and the sweep of the match.

Snyder finished the day with a team-high 10 kills and added nine digs for Chico State, while Heydorff had 10 kills, a service ace and two solo blocks on defense. Sable Villaescusa contributed 28 assists to the Wildcats’ cause, while Jessica Simms led the team with 13 digs. Schmidt posted a match-high 19 kills for UC San Diego while the CCAA’s top setter, Elaine Chen, piled up 41 assists and delivered four service aces in the winning effort.

BOX SCORE

Chico State will play its final two home matches of the regular season next Friday and Saturday – on Friday, November 6 the Wildcats welcome Sonoma State to Acker Gym, followed by a Saturday showdown with Humboldt State. Both matches are scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

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Wildcats of the Week

Kelly Clancey

Women's Track

There’s something about the annual Chico Multi that always brings out the best in heptathlete Kelly Clancey. For the second straight year, the junior from Modesto earned an NCAA Championships provisional bid in the heptathlon during the two-day Chico Multi, collecting 4,743 total points over the seven events, easily surpassing the 4,400 points needed to secure the provisional bid.

Clancey was the dominant athlete in the 12-person field, taking first place in four of the seven hepthatlon events. She took top honors in the high jump (5 feet, 3.25 inches), long jump (17 feet, 9.5 inches), 100-meter hurdles (15.42 seconds) and the 800-meter run (2 minutes, 20.25 second), while finishing second in the 200-meter dash (26.34 seconds), fourth in the shot put and sixth in the javelin throw.

Clancey, already well ahead of last season's schedule in which she scored a 4,400 in the Chico Multi and went on to post a career-best 4,811 at the CCAA Championships and advance to the NCAA Championships, will try to better her provisional mark March 24-25 at the California Multi, hosted by UC Berkeley.

Sylvester Gama

Men's Golf

Sylvester Gama carded three consecutive sub-par rounds and finished alone in second place at 7-under par at the Coyote Classic last Monday and Tuesday. Gama, competing as an individual, finished six strokes clear of third place in a standout performance that was bettered only by Cal State San Bernardino's Gene Webster, Jr.

Gama went 2-under in the opening round on the par-70 course at Arrowhead Country Club. He went 1-under in the afternoon. And on Tuesday, Gama's 66 was bettered only by Webster and matched his teammate Kyle Souza for the third lowest round of the tournament.

A 6-foot senior from Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara CC), Gama has now gone under par in eight of his 16 rounds of the 2009-10 season. His stroke average of 72.1 is second on the Wildcats as are his three top-five finishes.

Those efforts have made him easily the team's most improved player thus far this season. His stroke average was 75.3 last season and he had just one top-10 finish - an eighth-place finish at the CCAA Championships.

2.24.10 | Women's Volleyball

Calling all volleyball players! Chico State Grass Volleyball Tournament scheduled for May 1-2

CHICO – The annual Chico State Grass Volleyball Tournament, sponsored by the Wildcat women’s volleyball team in association with Volleyzoo, is set to take place Saturday and Sunday, May 1-2. Open to the public, the event offers two days of fun in the sun, spirited competition and prizes.

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2.24.10 | Women's Volleyball

Wildcats to host Volleyball Coaches Clinic on April 30

CHICO – The annual Chico State Volleyball Coaches Clinic, hosted by Wildcat women’s volleyball Head Coach Cody Hein, is set to take place Friday, April 30 at Acker Gym on the Chico State campus. Volleyball coaches of all levels are invited to be part of this free, informative two-hour clinic that will offer practical coaching instruction and technique on key phases of the game.

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1.14.10 | Women's Volleyball

Chico State volleyball tryouts set for Feb. 26

CHICO - Chico State Head women's volleyball Coach Cody Hein has announced an open tryout on Feb. 26 from 3:30-6. All prospective athletes must bring proof of a physical within the last six months to participate. The Chico State volleyball program is one of the best in the NCAA Division II West Region, having earned trips to the NCAA Championship Tournament in four of the past five seasons. The Wildcats are coming off a 23-9 season.

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12.4.09 | Women's Volleyball

Another All-America honor for Snyder

HILLSDALE, Mich. – Chico State’s Makenzie Snyder provided the kills in 2009, and as a result of her record-setting accomplishments, the hits just keep on comin’. The Wildcats’ talented outside hitter, already the recipient of four postseason accolades, was awarded a fifth Friday when she was named to the NCAA/Daktronics Division II Volleyball All-America Third Team.

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11.30.09 | Women's Volleyball

Makenzie Snyder named AVCA Second Team All-American

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Chico State’s Makenzie Snyder accomplished a lot in the just-completed 2009 volleyball season – besides etching her name in the school record books and leading the Wildcats to a 23-9 mark, the sophomore outside hitter has been honored with All-CCAA, American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and NCAA/Daktronics All-West Region First Team selections. Monday, Makenzie received another national accolade, and it’s her biggest yet – the AVCA Division II All-America Committee named Snyder to its 2009 All-American Second Team.

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11.24.09 | Women's Volleyball

Snyder, Heydorff and Villaescusa receive All-West Region honors

SPOKANE, Wash. – Chico State outside hitter Makenzie Snyder put up statistics during the 2009 season that would look impressive as career numbers for just about any other player – besides setting a new Wildcat record for kills per set, Snyder led the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in three offensive categories and was among the top hitters in the country in kills per set. So it came as no surprise when the Chico State sophomore was named Tuesday to both the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and NCAA/Daktronics All-West Region First Teams. Wildcat teammates Gillian Heydorff and Sable Villaescusa also received some regional recognition – Heydorff was selected to the NCAA/Daktronics All-West Region Second Team, while Villaescusa earned an AVCA Honorable Mention.

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11.19.09 | Women's Volleyball

Snyder, Heydorff earn All-CCAA First Team honors

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – They teamed up for nearly 1,000 kills, 760 digs and 78 service aces, so it was only appropriate that Makenzie Snyder and Gillian Heydorff were acknowledged together for their exceptional efforts. Thursday the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) included Snyder and Heydorff among 13 players selected to the All-CCAA First Team for the 2009 season.

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