POMONA, Calif. – A four-set victory for the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos volleyball teams was what fans at Kellogg Arena witnessed on Saturday night. The Broncos secured the first, second, and fourth set of the evening, topping the visiting San Francisco State Gators.
 
The evening marked Cal Poly Pomona Athletics annual Special Olympics Recognition Night where the Broncos were able to share the win with some of the athletes and participants of the recent 2015 Los Angeles Special Olympics. Debi Anderson, a Special Olympics Southern California representative and athlete spoke to the crowd on behalf of SOSC.
 
Prior to the match, the Broncos and Gators were even in conference play, both sporting an 8-5 record. The win improved the Green and Gold to an overall tally of 13-9, complete with a 9-5 tally in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The loss for the Gators dropped them below the .500 mark on the season as they now hold a 10-11 record, complete with eight wins and six losses in the CCAA.
 
CPP had three squad members in double-digits in the kills category in the match. Leading the way for the Broncos was Deanna Blaine who posted a match-leading 18 kills. Second to Blaine was Kristen Hamlin who provided the home team with 12 kills, and right on her heels was Nicoletta Stork with 11. Alexa Hasen, while not reaching double-digit kills, did tally eight with a match-leading .429 attack percentage.
 
Defensively the Green and Gold were no slouches either. Five members of the Broncos' team recorded double-digit digs. At the helm of the team was Samantha Figueroa with 23 digs, behind her was Zoe Herrera with 21, Stork and Blaine each posted 14, and Alina Smith registered 12. Blaine also led the match with three service aces.
 
The match was a true embodiment of 'neck-and-neck'. The first set had the two CCAA competitors with 20 ties. The longest run that either team was able to go on was a three-point spree where the Broncos had kills by Blaine and Hamlin sandwich a Gator attack error. CPP ended up winning the first set in extra points by a score of 28-26.
 
In the second set, the Broncos jumped to an early lead, posting three immediate points that forced a Gator timeout. After play resumed, the CPP squad continued to pile on until they led 13-3. With a nod to the determination of all teams in the CCAA, the visiting SFSU team bounced back and decreased the Green and Gold lead to just four with a 15-11 score. From there the two teams traded points for pretty much the remainder of the set, but then CPP received a kill from Figueroa and a Gator error ended the set 25-19.
 
Set number three proved to be the lone set that the visitors would secure in the match. SFSU nearly doubled the Broncos' early point production pulling to a 13-7 lead. Look ahead a few points and the Green and Gold would even it up at 19-19. The Gators then finished off the set with a 6-3 run and earned the 25-23 victory in set three.
 
The fourth and final set of the match started off much like the first set as they scoreboard saw five lead ties in the first six points. The two teams started to go on runs from there and increase the gaps between them. The Broncos posted the biggest run of the match however as an eight-point spree left them leading the Gators 15-12. In true CCAA fashion, the SFSU team pushed back and tied it at 15-15. Three more lead ties came, but the Broncos were on the advantageous side of the final lead change and won the set and match 25-22.
 
CPP will take to the road for a four-game road trip in which they will challenge UC San Diego, Cal State San Bernardino, San Francisco State, and Cal State East Bay all on their home courts. The Broncos and Tritons will meet on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at RIMAC Arena in La Jolla. The Broncos will return to Kellogg Arena on Nov. 11 for their final regular season home game of 2015. The contest will have two purposes. It will be both Senior Night, where Bronco Athletics honors the five seniors on the 2015 team, and the night will also honor Heroes in our community as Military, Firefighters, Police, and Lifeguards will receive free admission into Kellogg Arena.