CHICO, Calif.--- Stan State closed its season-opening 10-match road trip with its first CCAA victory of the season Saturday evening, defeating Chico State in four sets, 25-12, 22-25, 25-20, 25-20, at Art Acker Gymnasium.
The Warriors improved to 4-6 overall and 1-2 in the CCAA, while Chico State fell to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in conference play. Saturday's victory concluded a season-opening road trip that took Stan State through Fresno and Arcata, Calif., Denton, Texas, Carson, Calif., and Chico.
Emily Meyer led Stan State with a career-high 16 kills while hitting .316. The Warriors hit .227 as a team with 47 kills and held Chico State to a .119 hitting percentage. Stan State also recorded a season-high 10 service aces and finished with 12 total blocks.
Rylee Szyszka finished with 13 digs and a season-high four service aces.
Lauren Gonzales added six kills, nine digs and three aces.
Reagan Wilkerson had a team-high 18 assists, while
Bailey Morrison added 17.
Irene London contributed five kills without an error on 14 attempts for a .357 hitting percentage and finished with six total blocks.
Maggie Olson had seven kills, while
Fallon Freeman finished with six kills and four blocks.
First Set
Stan State took control immediately, scoring the first four points behind the serving of Gonzales, who recorded three aces during the opening run. The Warriors later extended their advantage to 11-2 and never allowed Chico State to get back into the set. Stan State held Chico State to seven kills and forced 11 attack errors as the Wildcats hit -.121. Szyszka closed the set from the service line, recording an ace at 24-12 before Meyer finished the 25-12 victory with a kill.
Second Set
Chico State responded in the second, building an 18-13 advantage before Stan State rallied. The Warriors scored eight of the next 11 points, with Meyer recording three kills during the run, to pull even at 21-21. The teams were tied again at 22 before Chico State scored the final three points for a 25-22 victory. The Wildcats hit .343 with 15 kills in the set, while Stan State recorded 14 kills and hit .281.
Third Set
Stan State regained the match lead with a 25-20 victory in the third. The Warriors led 9-5 before Chico State pulled within two at 12-10. Stan State maintained the advantage and eventually pushed its lead to 20-15. Chico State cut the margin to 20-17, but the Warriors answered and reached set point at 24-19 before Olson finished the frame with a kill. Stan State recorded 14 kills and hit .256 in the set.
Fourth Set
The fourth set featured 14 ties and five lead changes before Stan State took control late. Neither team led by more than two points before Chico State took a 20-18 advantage. The Warriors answered with seven consecutive points to close the match. After Stan State tied the score at 20, Szyszka took over from the service line. She recorded three aces during the final five points as the Warriors turned a 20-20 tie into a 25-20 victory to secure the match.
WARRIOR NOTABLES
- Meyer recorded a career-high 16 kills while hitting .316.
- Stan State recorded a season-high 10 service aces.
- Szyszka recorded a season-high four service aces and added 13 digs.
- London finished with five kills without an error, hit .357 and recorded six total blocks.
- Stan State hit .227 while holding Chico State to .119.
- The Warriors finished with 12 total blocks.
- Head coach Lauren Flowers improved to 67-55 (.549) in her fifth season at Stan State. She ranks third on the program's career victories list and holds the highest career winning percentage in program history.
- Stan State earned its first CCAA victory of the season.
- The Warriors have won nine of their last 11 meetings with Chico State.
- The victory was Stan State's first in Chico since 2023.
- Saturday's victory concluded the Warriors' season-opening 10-match road trip.
Up Next
After playing its first 10 matches away from Turlock, Stan State will make its 2026 home debut Thursday, Sept. 24, when the Warriors host San Francisco State at 5 p.m. at Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena. The match will be Alopecia Awareness Night, with Levi Flores and Michelle Stucker on the call.
San Francisco State enters the week 3-7 overall and 1-3 in the CCAA after defeating Cal State LA in four sets Saturday to snap a three-match losing streak.
The match begins a CCAA Pod Weekend at Fitzpatrick Arena. Cal State East Bay will face San Francisco State on Friday, Sept. 25, at 5 p.m. The Pioneers enter the week 3-7 overall and 2-2 in the CCAA after falling in four sets to No. 15 Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday.
Stan State concludes the weekend against Cal State East Bay on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 3 p.m. Saturday's match will also be the Warriors' Camper Reunion.
All three matches during the CCAA Pod Weekend can be seen on FloCollege.
