BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The No. 11 ranked Cal Poly Pomona volleyball team kicked off their 2025 season with a win on Thursday night, defeating Western Washington three sets to one in their first game of the WWU Invitational. The Broncos controlled the match with a balanced offensive attack and strong defensive effort, securing set scores of 27-25, 25-16, 21-25, and 25-12.
 
Returning All-American junior Sarah Ybarra had a match to remember, posting an incredible triple-double with 17 kills, 20 assists, and 17 digs. Fellow outside hitter Charlotte Koerber added a double-double with 13 kills and a team-high 23 digs, while setter Alexia Zammit logged a double-double of her own with a team-high 23 assists and 10 digs.
 
Junior middle blocker Alexia Athans came up big at the net for the Broncos, logging five blocks and eight kills. Defensively, libero Renee Nachtigall anchored the back row with 18 digs, while also recording two aces, as the Broncos outdug Western Washington 89-69.
 
The Broncos kicked off the match with an impressive come-from-behind win in the first set, taking seven of the final 10 points to sneak out a 27-25 win – including back-to-back kills by Koerber for the last two points. The Green & Gold then cruised to an easy 25-16 win in the second set.
 
The third set proved to be more challenging, as the Vikings and Broncos traded blows with neither gaining more than a four-point lead. WWU would take the third set by a score of 25-21. In the fourth set, the Broncos found their rhythm again, including an impressive 13-2 run to put the game out of reach. Another kill by Koerber would seal the win, the Broncos' first of the season.
 
 
Up Next
The Broncos will take on Central Washington today at 1:30 PM in Bellingham. CPP owns a 2-6 record all-time against the Wildcats since their first meeting in 1990, while CWU was also the Broncos' only loss in their first 23 matches last season.
 
 
Bronco Bits

• The Broncos are now 4-5 all-time against Western Washington, with all but one of those matches taking place in the regular season.
• Traci Dahl is now 103-39 (.725) as head coach of the Broncos.
• Now in its 45th season, CPP Volleyball is 824-547 (.601) all-time with a 251-215 (.539) record in away matches.
• Cal Poly Pomona is an impressive 27-3 (.900) in non-conference regular season matches since the start of the 2021 season.
• The Broncos are 26-16 (.619) all-time in season openers.
• Elle Walker, Sydney May, Renee Nachtigall, Alexia Zammit, Anastacia Garza, and Kaden Young each saw the court for the first time as a Bronco on Thursday night.