The Warriors vs. The Wildcats
The Stanislaus State Warriors faced the Chico State Wildcats for the second meeting of the season on Saturday, November 3, 2018. Chico took the win in the first match-up, but Stan State arose victorious this time around. The match lasted for five sets. The Warriors won sets 1, 2, and 5 while the Wildcats won sets 3 and 4. 
Coach Mallori Gibson-Rossi said, “There was a lot of anticipation building up to the match. We knew our girls would be excited for the match since there was a lot at stake: the winner would advance to the CCAA Tournament, it was senior night for us, the rivalry between us and Chico is always a strong one, and we had been talking about winning this match ever since we lost to them earlier in the season.”
She knew her team was serious about taking this win. “I walked into the locker room prior to the match warm ups, and each one of the players was studying their scout so I knew at that point they meant business.”
The team had a strong start and put away two sets. Then, things took a turn in sets three and four. It looked like the result of the game could take a 180° turn. However, no matter how close the Wildcats got to taking the lead, Coach Mallori never lost her composure.
Alana Wilson-Reid (senior, Criminal Justice) noticed this sense of levelheadedness from her coach. She said, “She is always calm which makes it easier for us to fix our mistakes and get back on track. It definitely makes a difference to have a calm coach rather than one who screams at us.”
Wilson-Reid’s teammate, Chelsey Berry (sophomore, Communication Studies), said, “It really made a huge difference. Her being calm and motivating us made us feel like she has faith in us to pull through this game which really helped. I know for me; I don’t take yelling in a good way so I thought she handled that extremely well.”
“I have high standards for my team when it comes to work ethic, character and attitude. There have been times where one of these three areas were not up to par so I had to yell at the team to get them to flip the switch. However, on Saturday it was not a lack of work ethic, character or attitude so it was much easier for me to keep my composure after Chico won sets 3 and 4,” Coach Mallori said. 
The stands were full at this match because there was so much on the line. This match was the deciding factor on whether or not Stan State’s 2018 Volleyball Season would come to an end or not. Because the Warriors came out victorious, their season lived on and they proceeded to the CCAA Championship Tournament.
The CCAA Tournament was a major factor but this match was also Senior Night. So while this match could have been the last of the season, it could also have been the last match for the seniors of the team. 
Coach Mallori was extremely proud of her seniors and their performances. “The transformations they have made over the last year have made a huge impact on our program. One of the things I enjoy most about coaching is seeing the development of these young ladies. Not only have they improved their volleyball skills, they have matured into leaders who I am confident will have bright futures,” she said. 
Yisel Perez (sophomore, Kinesiology) said, “Knowing that Saturday could have been the last game for the seniors, is another reason why we played like we did. Each senior has a big role to our team, so it is important that we take advantage of having them for these last games. I’m going to miss all three of these amazing personalities. Alana, Ramey, and Dani are so special and they will definitely be missed by me and everyone else on the team.”
Mya Marshall (sophomore, Criminal Justice) sees her team as a family. “They are like my sisters that I never had. I could trust them with anything,” she said.
The chance that this could have been the last game of her college career, Wilson-Reid had a lot going through her head. “It was a mixture of both, being my last game and so much on the line. Being a leader on and off the court I felt that I needed to leave everything on the court because it could’ve potentially have been my last game.”
She also had something she wanted to say to her beloved coach.
“Knowing it possibly could’ve been my last match playing under Coach Mallori is bittersweet. I say bittersweet because I am going to miss her coaching and all the fun times we’ve had. Something I would like to say is thank you for helping create the player I am. I have learned so much in just the two years I have been a part of this program. I will continue to progress forward from here in life. Thank you for creating life lessons through this journey,” she said. 
CCAA Tournament
In an unfortunate turn of events, the Warriors’ volleyball season came to an end today, November 8, 2018 at the CCAA Championship Tournament. The team faced Cal Poly Pomona. They had lost to the Broncos once this season before, and came into this match with high hopes and ready for a fight.
The first set of the match was a battle for the books. It ran past the typical 25 point set and into a 28-26 point set. The level of volleyball in this first set of the match was entertaining and engaging.
The next two sets took a downhill shift. However, the Warriors fought hard to stay in the match. They still came up short, thus ending the 2018 season. The Warriors Volleyball Team will be back in action for the 2019 season in August.
Here is the post-game interview with Coach Mallori Gibson-Rossi, Chelsey Berry, Sierra Adams, and Ramey Gardner.