Cal State San Marcos Athletics

CHICO, Calif. - The Cal State San Marcos volleyball team (11-13, 6-6 CCAA) fought off four match points in an extended fifth set to defeat Chico State (6-14, 2-10 CCAA) in five sets (25-11, 25-17, 15-25, 14-25, 21-19) on Friday night at Art Acker Gym. With the victory, CSUSM clinched a berth in the 2026 CCAA Tournament.

CSUSM 3 - CHICO STATE 2 (25-11, 25-17, 15-25, 14-25, 21-19)

TOP PERFORMERS
Kassie Cooley - 18 kills | 3 blocks
Blayne Seligmiller - 15 kills | .419 hitting | 1 block
Addison Kranz - 12 kills | 1 block
Hazel Livingston-Jones - 11 kills | .360 hitting | 5 blocks
Blair Keith - 54 assists | 4 digs | 1 ace | 1 block
Annika Blas-Cedeno - 22 digs | 3 assists | 1 ace
McKenna Kehoe - 14 digs | 2 aces | 1 assist

HOW IT HAPPENED

• With the first set tied at 8-all, CSUSM scored five consecutive points behind two Shelby Jackson aces to take a 13-8 lead. The Cougars later used a 7-0 run to extend their advantage to 24-10 before Cooley closed the 25-11 win with a kill. CSUSM hit .400 while holding Chico State to a -.045 hitting percentage.
• Trailing 4-2 in the second set, the Cougars used a 5-0 run featuring kills by Livingston-Jones and Kranz along with consecutive Ebony Lewis aces to move ahead 7-4. CSUSM extended its lead to 18-13 before Cooley recorded three consecutive kills to finish the 25-17 victory. The Cougars hit .486 with 18 kills and only one attacking error.
• Chico State broke a 5-5 tie with five consecutive points and later stretched its advantage to 16-7. CSUSM scored four straight points to pull within eight at 19-11, but the Wildcats maintained control and took the third set 25-15.
• The Wildcats scored the first nine points of the fourth set. CSUSM cut the deficit to five at 19-14, but Chico State responded with six consecutive points to win 25-14 and force a deciding fifth set.
• Consecutive Cooley kills and back-to-back Olivia Apelado aces gave CSUSM a 7-4 advantage in the fifth set. Chico State answered with four straight points before the teams exchanged the lead down the stretch. Facing match point at 14-12, Livingston-Jones recorded a kill and Kehoe followed with an ace to tie the set. The Cougars fought off three additional match points before Cooley gave CSUSM a 19-18 lead. After the Wildcats tied the score once more, Seligmiller delivered a kill and a Chico State attack error completed the 21-19 victory.

QUICK HITS

• With the win, CSUSM was able to clinch a CCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2023. 
• This will mark the fifth CCAA Tournament appearance for the Cougars (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023). 
• The Cougars fought off four match points in the deciding set.
• CSUSM finished with advantages in kills (61-57), assists (59-54) and service aces (11-7).
• CSUSM combined for 30 kills and only three attack errors while hitting .444 over the first two sets.
• Livingston-Jones' five blocks were the most by any player in the match.
• The victory was CSUSM's first on the road this season.
• The Cougars defeated Chico State for the first time since 2023 and hold an 11-6 lead in the all-time series with the Wildcats. 

UP NEXT
CSUSM concludes the regular season against Stanislaus State at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena in Turlock. The Cougars will then open the 2026 CCAA Tournament with a quarterfinal match on Tuesday, Nov. 10, with their opponent and location to be determined.