POMONA – The Cal Poly Pomona Broncos volleyball team made a triumphant return to the court on Thursday night, earning a 3-0 victory over visiting Western New Mexico University in the Broncos Fall Classic at Kellogg Arena. Set scores were 25-17, 25-14, 25-15.
 
Sophomore Daisy Duke and freshman Helen McMullin shared team-high honors with 10 kills each for the Broncos (1-0).
 
Cal Poly Pomona, who, like the rest of the California Collegiate Athletic Association members, did not play during the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last took the court on Nov. 16, 2019, when they defeated Chico State in five sets inside Kellogg Arena.
 
The Broncos won the opening set on Thursday by a 25-17 count, led by four kills from McMullin and four service aces and nine assists from senior setter Kira Zimmerman in the frame.
 
Western New Mexico (0-1), which competes as a member of the Lone Star Conference and is visiting Pomona for the first time since the Cal Poly Pomona Labor Day Tournament in 2011, held brief leads early in each set before the host Broncos responded each time. The visiting Mustangs tied the score again midway through the second set at 13-13 before CPP scored eight straight points and 12 of the next 13 to break the deadlock and cruise to the 11-point set victory at 25-14.
 
Cal Poly Pomona sizzled offensively, hitting .341 as a team including .500 with 15 kills and just two errors in the third set. Duke, a second-year starter, had seven of her kills in the match in the final frame, doing so on eight total attempts (.875 hitting percentage). Sophomore Jazminn Parrish added four of her six kills in the third, while McMullin rounded out a consistent night with three kills in the set, which was a 25-15 decision.
 
Parrish and senior Ruki Kennedy totaled six kills each to complement Duke and McMullin on the attack. McMullin and Kennedy sparked the efficient hitting effort for Cal Poly Pomona, hitting .692 and .556, respectively. Zimmerman accumulated five total aces, 29 assists, and 10 digs, while senior Brynn Sherbert also had 10 digs, as that duo combined for half of the Broncos' total of 40 in that department.
 
Maggie Roe led all players with 11 kills for Western New Mexico, while setter Hailey Hertzog had a double-double of 26 assists and 12 digs for the Mustangs.
 
The Broncos Fall Classic continues Friday with a full slate of four matches starting at 10 a.m. Cal Poly Pomona plays its lone match of the day in the finale against Western Oregon University at 7 p.m.
 
NOTABLE

• Cal Poly Pomona won its third straight season opener, including its second in as many debuts under head coach Traci Dahl
• The Broncos opened the season at home for the first time since 2011, when they hosted the Cal Poly Pomona Labor Day Tournament
• Cal Poly Pomona improved to 5-3 all-time against Western New Mexico

 
BRONCOS FALL CLASSIC
Thursday, Sept. 2
Concordia Irvine def. Western Oregon 25-14, 25-15, 21-25, 16-25, 15-11
Cal Poly Pomona def. Western New Mexico 25-17, 25-14, 25-15
 
Friday, Sept. 3
Western Oregon vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills, 10 a.m.
Western New Mexico vs. Concordia Irvine, 1 p.m.
Western New Mexico vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills, 4:30 p.m.
Western Oregon at Cal Poly Pomona, 7 p.m.