SAN BERNARDINO – Saturday was a case of déjà vu for the 21st-ranked Cal Poly Pomona volleyball team, as the Broncos lost in four sets to 11th-ranked Cal State San Bernardino at Coussoulis Arena. The host Coyotes won 25-13, 12-25, 25-17, 25-16.
The Broncos suffered their second four-set loss in four days to the Coyotes, dropping to 14-3 overall and 7-3 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play. CSUSB improved to 15-3 overall and 10-0 in the conference.
All four of the sets played Saturday had lopsided scores, with the eight-point margin in the third set being the closest of the sets.
Cal Poly Pomona led the first set just once – at 7-6 – before Cal State San Bernardino reeled off 19 of the final 25 points to take a 25-13 win. The Broncos' offense, which entered the week ranked among the NCAA Division II national leaders in hitting percentage, committed more errors (eight) than kills (six) in the set en route to their first negative hitting percentage in a set this season.
The Broncos bounced back in a commanding way in the second set, never trailing and racing out to a 15-4 lead. Their eventual 25-12 win, the most lopsided of the set scores on the evening, was keyed by a .278 hitting percentage while they held Cal State San Bernardino to a .059 clip.
Cal Poly Pomona opened the third set poised to take a 2-1 lead over the reigning D-II national champions, scoring the first five points of the frame. However, the Coyotes responded after a 13-8 deficit, scoring eight consecutive tallies to move in front by a 16-13 score, ultimately closing the third set with a 17-4 spurt.
CSUSB then led from start-to-finish in the fourth set, although the visiting Broncos did close to within 10-9. However, a seven-point scoring run pushed the margin to 17-9 and the Coyotes closed out the match victory with a 25-16 win in the fourth.
Cal Poly Pomona finished the match hitting just .127, its lowest percentage of the season and just the second time below .200 in 17 matches this year. The Broncos' 39 kills were also a season-low total.
Sophomore
Jazminn Parrish led the Broncos with 12 kills, while
Daisy Duke and
Jazmyn Wheeler added eight kills apiece. Seniors
Kira Zimmerman and
Brynn Sherbert totaled 14 digs each for Cal Poly Pomona, while Wheeler added 11 digs, and Sherbert and freshman
Jenna O'Shea recorded four service aces apiece.
Cal State San Bernardino, which has now won 32 consecutive CCAA matches, had four players with double digits in kills including a match-high 17 kills (and 18 digs) from Alexis Cardoza. Asia Clarke also had a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs for the Coyotes.
Cal Poly Pomona remains on the road for its next two matches, visiting Humboldt State on Thursday, Oct. 21, and Sonoma State on Saturday, Oct. 23. The Broncos' next home match inside Kellogg Arena is Oct. 29 against Cal State Dominguez Hills.
