FRESNO, Calif. – Cal Poly Pomona volleyball closed the regular season with its biggest win of the season on Saturday, defeating Fresno Pacific, 3-1 (26-24, 25-19, 16-25, 25-23), at the Special Events Center.
The Broncos handed the No. 3 ranked Sunbirds their first loss of the season, snapping Fresno Pacific's perfect 24-0 regular-season start. CPP improved to 21-4 overall, while the Sunbirds fell to 24-1 overall and 12-1 in conference competition. FPU and Cal State San Bernardino finish as co-champions of the regular season, while the Broncos finish just one game behind at 11-2.
Sarah Ybarra led the Broncos with 22 kills, hitting .349, while adding 18 digs and two blocks for a match-high 23 points.
Elle Walker followed with 19 kills and 20 points, and
Charlotte Koerber contributed nine kills, 10 digs, three service aces, and four assists.
Freshman setter
Paige Bowyer had another strong performance with 49 assists and added nine digs, while
Renee Nachtigall matched Ybarra with 18 digs. As a team, CPP finished with 63 kills, four aces, 65 digs, and 59 assists.
The opening set featured 15 ties and seven lead changes. After Fresno Pacific moved ahead, 12-10, the Broncos answered with a 5-0 run to take a 15-12 lead. The set was later tied at 23-23, but back-to-back kills by Ybarra and
Alexia Athans along with an attack error by FPU gave the Broncos set one by a score of 26-24.
CPP carried the momentum into the second set, racing to a 7-2 advantage and extending the lead to 11-4. Fresno Pacific trimmed the deficit to two points late, but the Broncos finished the set with a 6-1 run to claim a 25-19 win and take a 2-0 match lead.
The Sunbirds responded in the third set, using a 8-1 run to build a 14-7 advantage before winning, 25-16. Fresno Pacific then opened the fourth set with a 6-2 lead, but the Broncos steadily battled back, tying the set at 9-9 and later taking a 14-12 lead.
The teams traded points throughout the closing stretch, with CPP holding a 24-23 advantage. Walker ended the match with her 19th kill, securing the four-set victory and ending Fresno Pacific's historic unbeaten start.
Up Next
Having finished third in the conference standings, the Broncos will host the CCAA Tournament Quarterfinal game on Tuesday, November 10
th, at 5:00 PM in Kellogg Arena against, appropriately, San Francisco State.
The Gators ended the Broncos' 2025 postseason run in the CCAA Tournament Semifinals, as well as their 2024 postseason run in the NCAA Tournament Regional Final. The Broncos will look to exact revenge in Tuesday's postseason contest.
Bronco Bits
- The Broncos are now 2-3 all-time against Fresno Pacific, with Saturday being their first meeting since 2021.
- Traci Dahl is now 142-49 (.743) as head coach of the Broncos, including 93-27 (.775) in CCAA matches.
- Since the start of the 2024 season, the Broncos are an incredible 45-4 in conference matches.
- Now in its 46th season, CPP Volleyball is 863-557 (.608) all-time.
- This is the first time since 2018 that the Broncos have been 21-4 through the first 25 games.
- The last time the Broncos beat a team ranked as high as No. 3 Fresno Pacific was on October 12, 2018, when they defeated No. 1 ranked Cal State San Bernardino 3-1 at home.
- Sarah Ybarra is now just 93 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 remains 22 assists away from reaching 1,000 in her collegiate career.
