POMONA, Calif. – Cal Poly Pomona volleyball battled ninth-ranked Cal State San Bernardino through four competitive sets Saturday afternoon at Kellogg Arena, but the Broncos fell 3-1 by scores of 25-20, 26-24, 22-25 and 27-25.
Sarah Ybarra led CPP with 24 kills, while
Elle Walker added 13 kills and
Alexia Athans contributed 12.
Paige Bowyer put together an impressive afternoon with a career-high 49 assists, and
Renee Nachtigall finished with 13 digs while helping the Broncos maintain a .958 reception percentage.
CSUSB controlled the opening set after building an early lead, but the Broncos continued to pressure the Coyotes late. Ybarra single-handedly sparked a 5-1 run with four kills and an ace, trimming the deficit to 19-23 before CSUSB closed out the frame.
CPP answered with a strong stretch in the second set. After trailing 17-19, the Broncos rallied to take a 21-20 lead behind kills from Walker and Athans, along with a pair of blocks from
Addi Knight and Ybarra. The set remained tied at 23-23 and 24-24, but CSUSB scored the final two points to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Broncos produced their best offensive set of the afternoon in the third, recording 17 kills while hitting .325. With the score tied at 17-17, CPP created separation through a 6-2 run. Ybarra delivered two kills, while Athans and
Charlotte Koerber each added one as the Broncos moved ahead 23-19. Athans then finished the set with a kill to force a fourth.
CPP carried the momentum into the fourth set, using two service aces from Nachtigall and a successful challenge to take a 5-3 lead. The Broncos later held an 18-16 advantage before CSUSB responded with a 6-2 run. CPP battled back to tie the set at 23-23 and 24-24, but CSUSB scored three of the final four points to secure the match.
With the loss, CPP remains third in the CCAA standings at 7-2 in CCAA play.
Up Next
The Broncos will head on the road for two non-conference matches in San Francisco next weekend.
Bronco Bits
- The Broncos are now 32-51 all-time against Cal State San Bernardino, including 5-5 in their past 10 matches.
- Traci Dahl is now 136-49 (.735) as head coach of the Broncos, including 89-27 (.767) in CCAA matches.
- Now in its 46th season, CPP Volleyball is 857-557 (.606) all-time, with a 436-308 (.586) record in CCAA matches.
- This is the third time in the past four seasons that the Broncos have been 15-4 through their first 19 games of the season.
- Charlotte Koerber is 33 kills away from reaching 1,000 in her collegiate career.
- Charlotte Koerber is 6 digs away from reaching 1,000 in her collegiate career.
- Alexia Zammit remains 28 assists away from reaching 1,000 in her collegiate career.
