POMONA, Calif. – After postseason heartbreak against San Francisco State in each of the last two years, Cal Poly Pomona finally broke through Tuesday night.
The No. 11 ranked and three-seeded Broncos defeated the six seed Gators, 3-1, by scores of 25-16, 18-25, 26-24, and 25-16 at Kellogg Arena. CPP had previously been eliminated by San Francisco State in both the 2024 NCAA West Regional final and the 2025 CCAA Tournament semifinal.
Cal Poly Pomona improved to 22-4 on the season with the victory, while also winning their first CCAA Tournament game since 2023.
Elle Walker led all players with 21 kills while hitting .450, committing just three errors on 40 attacks.
Sarah Ybarra added 15 kills, three service aces, and 19 points, while
Alexia Athans contributed seven kills and a match-high five blocks.
Charlotte Koerber finished with eight points, six kills, nine digs, and two blocks.
The Broncos' defense was anchored by
Renee Nachtigall, who collected a match-high 20 digs and added three aces.
Keira Limbrick totaled seven digs, and
Alexia Zammit and
Paige Bowyer shared duties at the setter position with 15 and 25 assists, respectively, while CPP finished with 46 assists as a team.
CPP set the tone early, hitting .429 in the opening set while building a 12-5 advantage. Walker delivered three kills during a Broncos' 5-1 run, and Cal Poly Pomona closed the frame with four consecutive points, including back-to-back kills from Walker to end it.
San Francisco State responded in the second set, opening with a 14-9 lead and eventually evening the match.
The pivotal third frame featured nine ties and four lead changes. San Francisco State appeared in control after reaching a 23-17 lead and sitting just two points away from claiming the set. However, the Broncos responded with a spectacular 9-1 run fueled by five kills and an ace from Ybarra, along with three assists from Zammit. After San Francisco State pulled even at 24-24, an attack error gave the Broncos a 25-24 lead. Ybarra then finished the set with a service ace, giving CPP a 2-1 match advantage.
Cal Poly Pomona carried that momentum into the fourth set, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead before taking control with a 5-0 run that turned a 7-7 tie into a 12-7 advantage. Walker added six kills in the set, while Athans and Ybarra helped the Broncos maintain separation. Ybarra delivered the final point with another service ace to complete the victory.
As a team, CPP hit .306 compared to San Francisco State's .135. The Broncos also held advantages in kills, 53-44, and blocks, 9-6, while forcing 25 Gator attack errors.
Up Next
The Broncos will face No. 7 ranked and two seeded Cal State San Bernardino this Friday, November 13
th, at 5:30 PM in the CCAA Tournament Semifinals in Hayward. The Broncos are 1-1 against the Coyotes this season and 1-3 all-time against them in the CCAA Tournament.
Bronco Bits
- The Broncos are now 51-12 all-time against San Francisco State, including 3-1 in the CCAA Tournament.
- Traci Dahl is now 143-49 (.745) as head coach of the Broncos. Her teams have a 10-8 record in the postseason, which is the most postseason wins of any coach in program history.
- Now in its 46th season, CPP Volleyball is 864-557 (.608) all-time, and 20-27 (.426) in the postseason.
- This is the first time since 2021 that the Broncos have defeated San Francisco State in the postseason.
- Sarah Ybarra is now just 87 digs away from 1,000 in her career. She would become the first player in school history to record both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs entirely as a Bronco.
- Alexia Zammit is now seven assists away from reaching 1,000 in her collegiate career.
