CHICO – The sophomore duo of Jazminn Parrish and Jazmyn Wheeler combined for 29 kills, leading the 25th-ranked Cal Poly Pomona volleyball team to a 25-21, 27-25, 25-16 victory over host Chico State on Saturday night at Art Acker Gym.
 
The Broncos extended their season-opening win streak to nine matches, matching the 2005 Cal Poly Pomona squad with the best start in school history.
 
Parrish rebounded from her lowest kill total of the 2021 season with 15 kills and a .448 hitting percentage, marking the third time this year with 15 or more kills. She had just three kills in Friday's sweep of Stanislaus State in Turlock.
 
Wheeler, meanwhile, posted her fifth straight double-digit kill total with 14 in Saturday's win over the Wildcats.
 
Both Cal Poly Pomona and Chico State had torrid offensive starts to the match, as each team had 14 kills and hitting percentages of .400 or better (.400 and .478, respectively). It was a 7-3 run, started by a pair of service aces from senior Kira Zimmerman, the helped the visiting Broncos break an 18-all tie and take a 25-21 victory.
 
The second set was the most closely contested of the season for Cal Poly Pomona, as the Broncos emerged after 13 ties and five lead changes. A kill by Parrish – her sixth of the set – broke a 25-25 tie to give Cal Poly Pomona its third set point, and Parrish then teamed with Helen McMullin on a block to clinch the set and a 2-0 match lead.
 
The Broncos then cruised to victory in the third set, never trailing in the frame while firing up their offense with 18 kills and a .395 percentage en route to a nine-point victory. Wheeler took charge offensively with eight kills in the set, and Zimmerman handed out 15 assists.
 
Cal Poly Pomona edged Chico State in the kill department with a 44-43 advantage, and the Broncos fired 10 service aces to the Wildcats' three. Chico State nudged past CPP in digs (45-43) and blocks (4-3).
 
Kelley Jacome (13 kills) and Makaela Keeve (12 kills, three aces) paced the Chico State offense.
 
Cal Poly Pomona will look to run its win streak to double figures when it returns home to Kellogg Arena next weekend. The Broncos host Cal State San Marcos on Friday (Sept. 24) and Cal State East Bay on Saturday (Sept. 25) at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.