The Chico State women’s volleyball team defeated UC Merced in a sweep, 25-19, 25-25 and 25-19 after the ‘Cats had lost a five-set heartbreaker to the Bobcats earlier in season, but evened the score with the convincing win on Thursday.
“We had a lot of fire today because previously in the season they beat us in five,” senior opposite hitter Cashe Olswang said. “We came in just super intense, really wanting to show them who we are and prove ourselves in our home gym.”
With an explosive offense led by sophomore setter Claire Nordeen, the ‘Cats outkilled the Bobcats 49-33. Nordeen collected 31 assists in the effort, setting up the offense for success play after play. Olswang collected 13 kills, one short of her season high.
“We passed really well tonight,” Nordeen said. “I had a lot of options and a lot of great opportunities given to me by my teammates, so I executed the best I could.”
The ‘Cats execution was outstanding, with a hitting percentage of .308, the ‘Cats showed off their power while still staying in control.
Defensively, the ‘Cats shut down their opponent, tallying five blocks and 57 digs, 21 coming from senior defensive specialist Jesse Camarillo. They flawlessly executed their game plan, shutting down their opponents’ biggest hitters.
“We had a couple key players that we wanted to really limit their ability to score points,” Nordeen said. “I think we did a really good job. They definitely scored below their average, which is a big reason why we won.”
Despite their success, the ‘Cats had 12 errors in the match, most of which came on missed serves and miscommunication.
“If we eliminate our errors, I think our scores are going to get a lot better in the future,” Olswang said. “It’s way less stressful in games when we can both score and control our errors.”
The only pressure against the ‘Cats came in the third set, when they started a little slower than the first two.
After falling behind 9-4, Interim Head Coach Ricci Luyties called a timeout to calm the ‘Cats down and get them back on track.
“He brought us in and had us take a deep breath, recollect ourselves and get into the mindset that this is our game,” Olswang said. “We just had to get back into control. The timeout helped us ground ourselves and play our game the way we know how.”
When the ‘Cats took the court again, they immediately took back the momentum. After getting back within three points, the ‘Cats went on a 6-0 run, taking the lead 17-14.
The ‘Cats never looked back, going on to win the third and final set, successfully defeating their conference rivals.
Nordeen touched on the improvements the ‘Cats need to make for their next match, including what they can learn from this one.
“Trust for sure, it’s important to trust your teammates and that only gets better with time,” Nordeen said. “We have everything ahead of us and we’re gonna do great.”
The ‘Cats play again in Acker Gym on Saturday at 5 p.m against Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Acker Gym grants free entry for students who present an ID card or Canvas home page.
For information about all Chico State athletics or to keep up with the game live, visit the Wildcat home page, or watch through FloSports.
Aiyana Curry can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
