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Sonoma State 3, Chico State 1

• Scores: 10-25, 22-25, 27-25, 21-25
• Kills: Ellie Larronde (17); Lindsay Quigley (12).
• Digs: Shannon Cotton (17)
• Assists: Torey Thompson (39).

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Hoping to salvage a split on their weekend foray to the Bay Area, the Chico State women’s volleyball team came up short against California Collegiate Athletic Association leader Sonoma State. The ‘Cats lost the first two sets, battled back to seize the third, and finally conceded defeat in the fourth by scores of 10-25, 22-25, 27-25, and 21-25.

A night after a four-set loss to the San Francisco State Gators, the ‘Cats had to face a tough Seawolves squad in Rohnert Park. The Wolves were 5-1 at home going into the match and increased their winning streak to seven matches with the victory.

Chico State came out flat in the first set as Sonoma State took immediate control of the match, winning by 15 in only about 20 minutes. The Wolves picked up three blocks in the set to the ‘Cats zero.

The second set was more competitive as the ‘Cats shook off their sluggish start and got acclimated to the raucous home crowd. It was knotted at 17 all before the home team went on a 8-5 burst to nab the set.

Never going down without a fight, the ‘Cats battled back to take the third set 27-25, avoiding the sweep and prolonging the match. The Seawolves proved to be too much to handle at home as the ‘Cats dropped the fourth and final set 21-25. Chico State drops to 5-6 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play while Sonoma State remains in first place at 9-2.

The Seawolves posted a team hitting percentage of .355 for the match while the Wildcats only hit .184. Senior Ellie Larronde led the ‘Cats with 17 kills to go along with nine digs. Lindsay Quigley had 12 kills on a .429 hitting rate. Ashton Kershner pitched in with eight kills and four blocks. Shannon Cotton anchored the defense with 17 digs. Setter Torey Thompson delivered 39 assists as well as picked up nine digs and three blocks.

The Wildcats return home to Acker Gym and begin the second half of CCAA play against UC San Diego on Oct. 17. The ‘Cats then tangle with Cal Poly Pomona the following night in a rematch of the teams’ CCAA opener five set thriller. Both matches begin at 7 pm.

Nick Reddy can be reached at [email protected] or @NickIsReddy on Twitter.