It’s a season of new beginnings for the Chico State women’s volleyball team as they look to flip last year’s script.

The Wildcats finished last year’s California Collegiate Athletic Association campaign with a 6-16 (3-15 CCAA) record. However, with 12 newcomers and seven returning student-athletes, the team aims to prove their doubters wrong.  

Per the 2024 California Collegiate Athletic Association volleyball coaches preseason poll release, Chico State was ranked at the bottom of the league. The Wildcats tallied only 17 points, with the next closest opponent, Cal State Dominguez Hills, having 44 points in the rankings.

Head Coach Tommy Gott is entering his fifth season at the helm of the Wildcats volleyball program and is very optimistic about the direction of his program.

“I think we have the makeup and caliber of a team where we are going to surprise a lot of people,” Gott said. “I don’t think we’re going to finish where we were ranked at the beginning of the year.”

With two of last season’s top performers, Brooke Ono and Zoe DiNardo, now graduated, the Wildcats are looking to fill those shoes. Gott and the coaching staff will lean on sophomore Kassandra Nall and junior Gwenyth Wetzel, two key returners, to take on that challenge. 

The Wildcats’ season begins this Friday as they travel to Fresno for the 2024 Fresno Pacific Classic. They will play two games on Friday, the first being against the Academy of Art at 9 p.m. and the second at 2 p.m. versus Fresno Pacific University, who are hosting the tournament. 

You can stream these games on the PacWest Network or follow the live stats on the Chico State Athletics website. 

Chico State’s first home game is Friday, September 27, against Cal Poly Humboldt in the Acker Gymnasium. Their first conference game is on September 20, when they travel to Atherton to take on Cal State East Bay.

For information about all Chico State athletics, visit the Wildcat home page.

Lukas Mann can be reached at [email protected].

To read the article in Spanish, go here.