Volleyball team finds success early

The+Chico+State+womens+volleyball+team+prepares+for+a+serve+during+their+home+game.+Photo+credit%3A+Jordan+Jarrell

The Chico State women’s volleyball team prepares for a serve during their home game. Photo credit: Jordan Jarrell

The Chico State women’s volleyball team opened up their season with an impressive 6-3 record and has expanded upon it by going 2-0 in the CCAA.

The ‘Cats owe their success primarily to the lethal combination of their junior outside hitter Olivia Mediano, and their senior setter Torey Thompson. Mediano leads the team in kills this season with 124 and averages 3.44 kills per set.

Thompson leads the team in assists this season with 387 and averages 10.75 assists per set. The duo of Mediano and Thompson lead the team to the CCAA Championship tournament last season and has shown their intent to return this season.

Along with Mediano, first-year outside hitter Camryn Rocha has assisted in leading the team’s offense with 110 kills this season. Rocha averages 3.14 kills per set and is fourth in blocking with 11.

Chico State started off last season with an eight-game win streak, but still ended up on the losing side of their conference. During the season, the team faced a six-game losing streak and ended their season with a pair of losses, to give them a 9-11 record for their conference.

The ‘Cats have played at a high volume so far this season and have improved their game by relying on more than one scorer as oppose to last year. While they’ve succeeded in increasing their offense, the ‘Cats remain with only one reliable setter to bolster their teamwork.

The Wildcats outpaced their opponents in errors last year by 100 by the end of the season, which lead to their losing streak and defeat in the CCAA Championship. Chico State has improved in that area this year, by capitalizing on their opponents errors while minimizing their own.

The ‘Cats have a chance to make it to the CCAA Championship tournament again this year and avenge their performance. To prevent undergoing a losing streak and record, Chico State will need to continue to rely on their key players and minimize their errors this year.

Gabriel Moreno can be reached at [email protected] or @GabeSports3 on Twitter.