The women’s volleyball team took on the Otters from Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday night at Kellogg Arena.
The Broncos were pumped and ready to redeem themselves after last weekend’s losses.
As both teams started the game with high energy, the Otters ended up taking the first set, 25-20.
The Broncos knew they had to get back in the game and not fall behind.
With their determination, they clinched the second set with an ending score of 25-23.
The Otters didn’t let the Broncos get ahead of themselves and took the third set 25-17.
With the Broncos down 1-2 in sets, they weren’t going to go down without a fight.
The Broncos ended up winning the third set with a score of 25-17.
Tensions were running high from both teams as they approached the final set.
The Broncos’ energy was radiating throughout Kellogg Arena, which reflected the way they played in the last set.
The Broncos got in an unstoppable momentum and took full control of the last set. The Broncos dominated the last set, 15-4.
The Broncos came back in full force from a 2-1 deficit and snatched their first win at home.
The Broncos defeated the Otters 3-2 in sets.
Junior middle blocker Ally Wilder led the Broncos with 18 kills and one block for the night.
Freshman opposite-side hitter Daisy Duke trailed behind Wilder with 17 kills and had three blocks for the Broncos.
Freshman outside hitter Jazminn Parrish had a successful game with 14 kills and two blocks.
As Parrish reflected on the memorable moments of the game, she said her “back row kills and lefty hit” were the highlights of the game because they were “not normal plays.”
Sophomore setter Kira Zimmerman recorded 47 assists during the game against the Otters.
Zimmerman has had successful games but this one was a little different.
Head coach Traci Dahl praised Zimmerman’s offensive plays and her focus on “dumping,” when the setter returns the ball over the net on the second hit, rather than setting up the ball for a spike or attack on the final hit.
With that strategy during Saturday’s game, Zimmerman said, “I didn’t even notice in the beginning and I looked at the board and (the assists were) much higher than other games.”
“Zimmerman had one of her best games all season,” Dahl said.
Dahl was more than happy about the team’s first home win. Reflecting back on the game, Dahl said, “I felt like at the beginning, it was up and down and a little inconsistent.
“After the third set, I thought that we started to put everything together. We were producing more in both … back rows and front rows. But when we were ahead, we stayed ahead.”
As the Broncos’ end to their season approaches, Dahl wants to not only take the fifth set’s success, but the whole match into next weekend in hopes to win at home again.
“We have two really big games ahead of us and a chance to move up the ladder in conference,” Dahl said. “We’ve got a nice schedule toward the end of the season, so I really want to have the team chemistry that we had tonight. I want to take that into the week with a nice last week of practice also.”
The Broncos’ conference record now stands at 5-10, with an overall record of 7-15.
The Broncos end their season this weekend at home court as they play the Warriors from Stanislaus State at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15 and the Chico State Wildcats at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16.