SAN BERNARDINO – The 19th-ranked Cal Poly Pomona volleyball team nearly handed second-ranked Cal State San Bernardino a rare home defeat, but the Broncos were unable to finish of a 2-1 lead in falling to the Coyotes, 25-17, 13-25, 25-27, 25-19, 15-10, in the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship match on Saturday night at Coussoulis Arena.
 
The Broncos fell to 23-4 overall on the season, with three of their losses coming at the hands of CSUSB (25-4). Entering the week ranked fifth in the NCAA Division II West Region rankings, Cal Poly Pomona will now await its postseason fate, hoping for one of five at-large berths to the regional tournament when the field is announced on Monday, Nov. 22, at 4:30 p.m. PST.

CLICK HERE to watch the postgame press conference with head coach Traci Dahl, senior Kira Zimmerman and sophomore Kaitlan Tucker.
 
Two of the Broncos' usual offensive suspects – sophomores Daisy Duke and Jazmyn Wheeler – were among the team's leaders again on Saturday, with fellow soph Kylie Brandt joining that duo in double figures in kills. Duke collected a team-high 16 kills, with Brandt adding 12 and Wheeler 11 in the title-match defeat.
 
Cal Poly Pomona, the conference tournament's second seed after finishing three matches behind Cal State San Bernardino in the regular-season standings, kept the score close in the first set on Saturday before emerging with consecutive set wins in the second and third frames to take a 2-1 match lead. The Broncos cruised past the Coyotes in impressive fashion in the second, winning 25-13 to hand CSUSB its second-most lopsided set defeat this season – behind only a 25-12 set-two win by Cal Poly Pomona in the teams' second meeting on Oct. 16.
 
As has been the case throughout the 2021 season for the Broncos, it was an efficient offensive performance that carried the team to victory in the second and third sets. Cal Poly Pomona, among the NCAA Division II national leaders in hitting percentage, finished with clips of .351 in the second and .311 in the third, while holding the Coyotes below .200 in both frames. The third set win by the Broncos was especially impressive, with Cal Poly Pomona overcoming 14 total ties and a set-point deficit at 25-24 with three straight tallies to win the set. Brandt had a kill to tie things up at 25 apiece, followed by a block from sophomore Kaitlan Tucker and another attack error by CSUSB.
 
Cal Poly Pomona led as late as 7-6 in the fourth set before Cal State San Bernardino forged ahead and too the lead with a 5-0 scoring run. That spurt was part of a 10-3 streak for the Coyotes, who flipped the offensive script on the Broncos by hitting .324 while Cal Poly Pomona managed just a .184 efficiency.
 
In the decisive fifth set, the Broncos never led, forcing just a single tie at 3-3, before the host Coyotes reeled off four straight points to take a 7-3 advantage and never look back. Cal Poly Pomona closed to within three on multiple occasions, including as late as 13-10, but a kill and a service ace by CSUSB enabled the Coyotes to complete the comeback and claim the conference tournament title.
 
In a very even match on the scoreboard, the Broncos and Coyotes posted nearly identical numbers in most statistical categories as well. Cal State San Bernardino had two more kills (59-57) and three more aces (9-6) than Cal Poly Pomona, but the Broncos finished with an 11-9 edge in blocks and a 13-point advantage in hitting percentage (.222 to .209). CSUSB had 71 digs to Cal Poly Pomona's 70, despite a 25-dig performance from Bronco senior and all-tournament team selection Brynn Sherbert.
 
Joining Sherbert on the all-tournament team for the Broncos were Duke and senior setter Kira Zimmerman. Zimmerman had five kills, 49 assists, four aces, and 11 digs in Saturday's tournament finale. Tucker totaled eight kills and six blocks for Cal Poly Pomona, and Wheeler finished with a double-double as she added 11 digs to her 11 kills.
 
Tournament Most Valuable Player Alexis Cardoza led all players with 19 kills for Cal State San Bernardino, adding 10 digs. Jalyn Hayes was the only other Coyote player with 10 or more kills, finishing with 12.
 
Cal Poly Pomona will hope to hear its name called on Monday afternoon, for what could be the program's 17th all-time NCAA tournament appearance but only its second since 2008. The selection announcement will be made on NCAA.com.