'Cats keep postseason hopes alive with four set victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills

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'Cats keep postseason hopes alive with four set victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills

Gillian Heydorff recorded her 57th career double-digit kill and 46th double-digit dig match in Friday's four-set win over Cal State Dominguez Hills.

11/13/2009 10:25:27 PM

CARSON, Calif. – Gillian Heydorff has the chance to become the first player in Chico State volleyball history to make four trips to the NCAA Championship Tournament…but to do it, she and the Wildcats entered the weekend having to beat both their final two conference opponents, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A. Thanks to Heydorff’s 20-kill, 22-dig performance, the front end of the much-needed road sweep is officially in the books, as No. 25 Chico State downed Cal State Dominuez Hills in four sets Friday at the Torodome, by scores of 25-17, 25-19, 23-25 and 25-19.

The win improves the Wildcats’ overall record to 23-8 and 14-7 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), and sets up a must-win season finale against Cal State L.A. Chico State came into Friday’s match No. 10 in the West Region rankings, and for any chance to be among the top eight schools and earn a postseason berth, the Wildcats have to go into the Eagles Nest Saturday and defeat the 20-8 Golden Eagles, who rank 20th in the nation and No. 6 in the West Region. Friday’s loss ended the season for Cal State Dominguez Hills, which finished 2-27 on the year and 2-20 in the CCAA.

Jessica Leek had 13 kills in Friday's win over Cal State Dominguez Hills.

The host Toros staked themselves to a 9-6 lead early in Friday’s first set, but three kills apiece by Heydorff and Makenzie Snyder, plus two by Kayla Baumgardner keyed a 13-6 run to give Chico State a 19-15 advantage. Cal State Dominguez Hills pulled to within three at 20-17, but the Wildcats reeled off the next five points (two on Heydorff kills) to seal the 25-17 victory.

Cal State Dominguez Hills went up early in the second set as well, and still led 12-10 when Chico State tallied 10 of the next 14 points to go up 20-16 – Heydorff blasting three kills during that stretch. With the score 22-19, the Wildcats posted three straight points to triumph again – Snyder providing a set-ending service ace to give the ’Cats the 25-19 win.

The Toros came out blazing after intermission, streaking to an 11-2 lead in the third set, but Chico State – with four kills by Heydorff and solo kills by Snyder, Jessica Leek and Jordan Bambas – went of a 13-3 run to go out in front 15-14. The Wildcats were still ahead 21-20 when Cal State Dominguez Hills got hot, scoring five of the last seven points to steal the 25-23 victory and sending the match to a fourth set.

In what turned out to be the finale, it was Chico State that grabbed the early lead, using a Leek service ace, two Baumgrder kills and five Toros miscues to go up 8-3. Cal State Dominguez Hills got as close as 14-10, but the Wildcats closed out the contest with a flurry of offense – Heydorff notching another four kills, with Jacqueline Johnson adding two and Snyder, Leek and Baumgardner adding one kill apiece – to give the ’Cats the 25-19 victory and the match.

In addition to her 20 kills and 22 digs, Heydorff posted a .340 attack percentage Friday, and her single service ace was enough to move Gillian past former teammate (and current Chico State assistant coach Jamie Houle) into the top spot in the Wildcat record books with 137 career aces. Leek finished Friday’s match with 13 kills and a .344 attack percentage, while Snyder chipped in with a dozen kills and 10 digs on the night. Sable Villaescusa piled up 54 assists, while Jessica Simms racked up 25 digs in the win over the Toros.

BOX SCORE

Saturday’s regular season finale against Cal State L.A. begins at 7:00 p.m. – you can follow the action via Live Stats through the Golden Eagles’ Athletics website (www.csulaathletics.com/custompages/livestats/gel.htm). Sunday the NCAA will announce the Championship Tournament participants from all eight regions beginning at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time at www.ncaa.com.

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Wildcats of the Week

Caressa Williams

Women's Basketball

For much of the season, redshirt freshman Caressa Williams has been sitting at the end of the Chico State women’s basketball team bench, seeing very little on-court action. But the former Paradise High School star continued to work hard on her game, and the extra effort has paid off in recent weeks with significantly more playing time. After a string of short but impressive relief roles, Williams delivered a breakout performance Saturday against Humboldt State, posting career highs in scoring and rebounding in the Wildcats’ 90-67 thumping of Humboldt State. Her strongest effort to date makes Williams the latest Wildcat of the Week.

Williams shot over 58 percent (7-of-12), averaging just under 10 points and five rebounds in Chico State’s two weekend contests. She began the weekend with a solid outing Friday against Sonoma State, contributing five points, two rebounds, one assist and two steals in 16 minutes of action. Saturday, though, she was a major part of the Wildcat reserves combining to score 51 in the team’s convincing 23-point win over Humboldt. Williams played 24 minutes, scoring 14 points and hauling in seven rebounds – both career highs – connecting on five of her seven field goal attempts. She also chipped in with an assist and a steal in addition to shining on the defensive end.

Williams’ productive weekend saw her season scoring average more than double, rising from 1.6 to 3.6 points per game. Overall, she is shooting 50 percent from the field and is averaging two rebounds a contest.

Chico State is back in action this weekend, hosting Cal Poly Pomona Friday and San Francisco State Saturday at Acker Gym. Both games are scheduled to tipoff at 5:30 p.m.

Amir Carraway

Men's Basketball

Amir Carraway capped a strong weekend with team highs of 16 points and seven rebounds in the Wildcats’ huge win against Humboldt State Saturday night to earn Wildcat of the Week honors for the second time this season.

The sophomore from Vallejo made two game-sealing free throws with 21 seconds left to finish the night 6-of-7 from the free throw line and pulled down key rebounds on two of the Lumberjacks’ last three possessions. He also set the screen on Jay Flores’ dagger 3-pointer with 40 seconds left.

Carraway finished with 10 points and four rebounds despite playing just 18 minutes due to foul trouble during the Wildcats’ loss to Sonoma State the night before.

The 6-foot-5 forward leads the team in rebounding at 5.5 per game and ranks second in scoring at 10.6 points per game a season after averaging just 1.4 points and one rebound in only 5.4 minutes a night. He’s now led the team in scoring five times and rebounding six this season.

Carraway and the Wildcats, among four teams tied for second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings, trail conference co-leaders Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Dominguez Hills by just one game. They’ll welcome Cal Poly Pomona to town Friday night and San Francisco State Saturday.

1.19.12 | Women's Volleyball

Wildcats host volleyball tryout for junior college players Jan. 27

CHICO – Head Coach Cody Hein, continuing to seek out talent for the Chico State volleyball team’s 2012 roster, has announced an open tryout for junior college players on Friday, Jan. 27 from 3:30-6 p.m. in Shurmer Gym. The tryout is open to all former and current JC players with college eligibility; all prospective athletes must bring proof of a physical issued by a physician within the last six months to participate.

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12.8.11 | General

Rising in the fall

While the leaves have been falling in the City of Trees, the citiy's University, Chico State, has been rising toward the top of the list of the nation’s best NCAA Division II athletic programs. The Wildcats finished the fall ranked second in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup fall standings, released Thursday.

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11.28.11 | Women's Volleyball

All-America honor the capper to Leek’s standout season

CHICO – The postseason has been nearly as productive for Chico State volleyball player Jessica Leek as the season itself. After an outstanding 2011 campaign, Leek has been hauling in the hardware ever since – a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) First Team award, All-West Region honors, and a spot on the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District Volleyball Team. Monday Leek received yet another esteemed honor, earning All-America Honorable Mention from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).

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11.22.11 | Women's Volleyball

Leek named to 2011 AVCA All-West Region Team

CHICO – Jessica Leek’s best year yet as a Chico State Wildcat received more postseason recognition Tuesday – after winning All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) First Team honors, the junior opposite hitter was among 14 players named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-West Region team.

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11.16.11 | Women's Volleyball

All-CCAA status for Leek, Villaescusa

WALNUT CREEK – Jessica Leek was the Chico State volleyball team’s most consistent offensive weapon in 2011, thanks in large part to the sets provided by teammate Sable Villaescusa. So it only made sense that the two Wildcat standouts would both be honored Wednesday by the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) – Leek was named to the All-CCAA First Team, while Villaescusa was an All-CCAA Second Team selection.

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11.14.11 | Women's Volleyball

The Sound - and Sight - of Music on the court earns senior Wildcat of the Week honors

Playing backup to an all-conference and all-West Region athlete usually doesn’t allow for a whole lot of playing time. That’s exactly what Kristan Music has endured in her two years with the Chico State volleyball team – with Sable Villaescusa establishing herself as one of the top setters in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), Music has had precious little court time to show off her skills. But Saturday against Cal State Dominguez Hills, Music finally got her chance to shine, and she did not disappoint – in what turned out to be her final collegiate match, she played the final two sets and guided the ’Cats to a sweep of the visiting Toros. Music’s performance earned the Marysville native Wildcat of the Week honors.

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11.13.11 | Women's Volleyball

Sooooo close – Wildcats fall short of earning NCAA Tournament bid

CHICO – The Chico State volleyball team knew it had to finish the 2011 season strong and be the beneficiaries of some good old-fashioned Lady Luck to nab a berth in the NCAA Championship Tournament. The Wildcats, ranked No. 9 in the West Region, got both over the weekend with wins over Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills, and with No. 8 Alaska-Anchorage falling Saturday to Western Oregon, the ’Cats’ chances of extending their season increased dramatically. But despite the tide seemingly turning in Chico State’s favor, it still wasn’t enough to earn a trip to the postseason, as the ’Cats learned Sunday night they were not among the field of 64 teams vying for the Division II national championship.

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