BOX SCORE No. 25 Chico State 3, No. 20 Sonoma State 1 -- Box Score

CHICO, Calif. --  In a battle of ranked teams sitting together atop the conference standings, 25th-ranked Chico State would emerge victorious with a 3-1 win over 20th-ranked Sonoma State at Acker Gym in Chico on Friday night.  The Wildcats took the match by scores of 25-22, 27-29, 25-21, 25-22 to improve to 9-1 on the season and 3-0 in CCAA play.  The Seawolves taste defeat for the first time in conference play, falling to 8-3, 2-1 CCAA.

The first set went back and forth all the way.  In fact, no team led by more than two points until the end when the Wildcats pulled away with 6-1 run to end the set. 

Chico State got out to an early 12-8 lead in set two before the Seawolves quickly rallied with four straight to draw even.  Like the first, the second set stayed close, extending beyond the 25-point threshold before back-to-back kills by Madelyn Densberger and Kelsey Hull put a point in the Seawolves' column.

The Seawolves looked good midway through the third set, leading 16-12, before an 8-3 Wildcat spurt put the visitors in a hole.  Sonoma State would tie it up at 20, but another three-point run put the set away for Chico.

Like the third, the fourth set was nip and tuck with Sonoma State having the upper hand early, only to see the Wildcats rally late. 

Ally Sather had a big night in defeat, tallying a match-high 18 kills and just five errors in 45 attacks.  Hull added 13 kills and Nicole Gragnola was tops with 14 digs.  The Seawolves were strong at the net, posting 10 blocks - six coming from Regan Richert.

Alex Shurtz, an all-tournament pick at the Seawolf Spike, carried the Wildcats on offense, pounding down 17 kills.  Sable Villaescusa had a match-high 45 assists.

In all, there were 43 ties and 21 lead changes in the match.  12 of those lead changes came in the second set. 

Chico State's win snapped a five-game winning streak in the series for Sonoma State.  The Wildcats hadn't defeated the Seawolves on their home floor since 2007.

The Seawolves will head south on Highway 99 tomorrow to take on Cal State Stanislaus.