The Chico State women’s volleyball team (3-4) faced a tough weekend of opponents after traveling to Turlock Thursday for the 2024 Stan State Invitational. Despite showing flashes of strong play, the Wildcats struggled to maintain momentum, securing their lone victory against Dominican and finishing the tournament 1-3.
In the Wildcats’ tournament opener Thursday, sophomore Kassandra Nall delivered a standout performance, setting a new career high with 19 kills. However, her efforts weren’t enough to push Chico State to victory, as the Wildcats were swept in three tight sets by UC Merced.
“I was really happy because I’ve been wanting to beat that record for so long, especially because it was my freshman year record. I wanted to come in and build myself up a little bit,” Nall continued. “My teammates were super happy for me; I couldn’t have done it without junior Kailie Flores because she was pulling our blockers which allowed me to have success.”
The Wildcats got two different outcomes on day two of Stanislaus State’s Tournament. The Wildcats had to claw their way back from a 2-0 set deficit to force a deciding set, which they lost to NCAA Division II newcomer Menlo, 3-2.
In their second game on Friday, despite starting 83 minutes later than scheduled in the evening matchup against Dominican, the Wildcats swept the Penguins 3-0 to post the second win against them in the last week.
Maria Wahl had an excellent showing on the floor, recording 25 kills including a career-high 17 against Menlo. Nall ended the day totalling 19 kills and 10 digs while Cashe Olswang had 11 kills combined for both games.
On the final day of the tournament, the Wildcats had little time to rest as they had to return to Fitzpatrick Arena for an early Saturday-morning showdown with Jessup.
It was an all around effort from the Wildcats. Nall, Olswang, junior Gwyneth Wentzel and Flores combined for 32 of the Wildcats’ 40 kills on the day. Flores also had an excellent performance defensively, contributing to five blocks.
However, the team effort was not enough, as the Warriors found key rallies in three sets to take the match over the Wildcats to conclude Chico State’s participation in Stan State’s Invitational.
Wildcats’ head coach Tommy Gott shared some insight into his team’s mindset heading into conference play.
“One ball at a time, one play at a time,” Gott continued. “Going into conference play everyone is 0-0, now the games that really matter are at hand.”
The Wildcats’ conference play begins this Friday as they travel to Atherton to take on Cal State East Bay at 6 p.m.
Chico State’s first home game is Friday, Sept. 27, against Cal Poly Humboldt in the Acker Gymnasium. Students can watch the game free by showing their Wildcat ID card.
You can stream these games on PacWest Network and Flosports or follow the live stats on the Chico State Athletics website.
For information about all Chico State athletics, visit the Wildcat home page.
Trevor Lee can be reached at [email protected].
