Box Score SEATTLE – After being swept in its first two matches of the season, the Chico State volleyball team was determined to be on the other end of the broom during the final day of the Seattle Pacific Tournament. It was the Wildcats that applied the sweeping and notched their first victory of the season Saturday, utilizing an array of offensive weapons to down Western Oregon 25-10, 27-25, 25-18 at Royal Brougham Pavilion.
Saturday's win leaves the Wildcats 1-2 overall, while Western Oregeon dropped to 0-3 on the young season.
Shannon Boling led the Chico State attack with a career-high 17 kills, posting an impressive .433 attack percentage. Ellie Larronde came through with nine kills and 10 digs on the day, with Lindsay Quigley and Natalie Nordahl adding seven and five kills, respectively. Torey Thompson handed out 34 assists to go along with eight digs and three service aces, while Emily Duran led all Wildcats with 15 digs.
Quigley got the opening set off to a positive start for the Wildcats, posting a pair of kills to give Chico State the early lead. With the score 5-3, the 'Cats went on a 12-3 run – fueled by two Thompson service aces and kills by Quigley, Larronde, Boling and Ashton Kershner – to extend their advantage to 17-6. Chico State finished off the set by scoring seven of the final eight points – the last two coming on Quigley aces – giving the Wildcats an easy 25-10 win.
Western Oregon jumped out to an 8-5 lead in the second set, but Chico State battled back to knot up the contest at 11-all on the strength of an Emily Duran ace and kills by Boling, Larronde and Nordahl. The two teams traded leads until, with the score tied at 21, the Wolves scored three straight points to seemingly take command of the contest. The Wildcats dug deep, using kills by Quigley, Boling and Thompson to survive three set points and tie things up at 24-apiece. Western Oregon quickly went back on top 25-24, but Chico State prevailed on a set-point kill by Quigley, a Boling kill and a Wolves error to come from behind and take a 27-25 decision.
The two teams split the first 22 points of the third set before a Larronde ace and kills by Larronde, Nordahl, Quigley and Boling keyed a 6-2 run to give Chico State a 17-13 lead. Western Oregon posted three straight points to trim the deficit to one, but the Wildcats refused to let the Wolves back into the contest. Kills by Boling and Kershner, a Thompson ace and a combo block by Nordahl/Kershner highlighted an 8-2 run down the stretch to give Chico State the 25-20 victory and the match sweep.
The Wildcats are back in action next weekend, heading to southern California to kick off California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play against Cal Poly Pomona Friday and UC San Diego on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.
