POMONA, Calif. - Cal Poly Pomona rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat No. 9 ranked Cal State San Bernardino, 25-20, 19-25, 17-25, 25-18, 15-13, in a thrilling CCAA matchup Saturday night at Kellogg Arena.
With the victory, the Broncos improved to 12-1 overall and remain 4-0 in conference play, while CSUSB dropped to 11-2 and 3-1.
Elle Walker led all players with 22 kills, hitting .304, while
Sarah Ybarra added 19 kills and 15 digs.
Charlotte Koerber contributed 10 kills and 17 digs, and
Alexia Athans added five kills and two blocks. Setter
Alexia Zammit guided the offense with 42 assists, while
Renee Nachtigall matched Koerber with 17 digs and added two service aces.
Cal Poly Pomona controlled the opening set, using a late 4-0 run to turn a 21-20 lead into a 25-20 victory. CSUSB responded by winning the next two sets, taking advantage of a strong attack and building momentum with a 9-0 run in the third set that helped the Coyotes take a 14-9 lead. The Coyotes as a team hit .270 in the match to CPP's .172, having exactly half as many errors as the Broncos.
The Broncos answered with their most efficient offensive performance of the night. CPP hit .316 in the fourth set and erased a 14-11 deficit with a decisive 12-3 run. With the Broncos ahead 23-18, a kill by Athans and a bad set from CSUSB helped force a fifth set.
The deciding set featured 12 tie scores and four lead changes before Cal Poly Pomona created separation. Ybarra's kill and service ace helped the Broncos take an 8-6 lead, and another Ybarra kill helped push the advantage to 10-7. After the Coyotes pulled within 14-13, Ybarra delivered the match-clinching kill to complete the comeback and earn a hard-fought win over a Top 10 nationally-ranked rival.
Up Next
Broncos will head on the road for four straight matches, starting with No. 18 Point Loma this Thursday, October 1
st, at 6:00 PM in San Diego.
Bronco Bits
- The Broncos are now 32-50 all-time against Cal State San Bernardino, including 6-4 in their past 10 matches.
- Traci Dahl is now 133-46 (.743) as head coach of the Broncos, including 62-18 (.775) at home.
- Now in its 46th season, CPP Volleyball is 854-554 (.607) all-time with a 336-164 (.672) in home matches.
- The last time the team started with a 12-1 record was 2024. The team has remarkably held an 12-1 record through their first 13 games in six of the past eight seasons.
- Charlotte Koerber (77 to go) and Sarah Ybarra (17 to go) are closing in on 1,000 kills in their collegiate career.
- Charlotte Koerber (90 to go) and Renee Nachtigall (37 to go) are closing in on 1,000 digs in their collegiate career.
- Alexia Zammit (90 to go) is closing in on 1,000 assists in her collegiate career.
