By Zach Strohecker, Nov. 2, 2021
The Broncos moved up to second place in their 14th game of CCAA play against Cal State LA. A back-and-forth affair with nail-biting clutches saw the CPP team achieve a 3-2 victory, now tied for second place with San Francisco State at an 11-3 record.
The Broncos stepped up with a clean first set 25-11, stringing points together while CSULA failed to establish a rhythm, committing nine attacking errors. However, the roles reversed for the second set as CSULA dominated the match offensively.
According to Head Coach Traci Dahl, the Broncos were working toward fully refining their communication on the court during the first period of the match.
“We just needed to limit our errors,” said Dahl. “We were netting. We had some untimely hits in the net. We weren’t passing a very good ball and had some hitting errors.”
As the score tied at 1-1, the second half of the match featured a hair-raising set with each team vying to take a pivotal lead. Trading points all the way up to a 26-24 score line, CPP gained a competitive edge over CSULA after acing four serves.
The Broncos ended the fourth set with a 15-9 tiebreaker, winning the match overall 3-2.
For setter Kira Zimmerman, the team redeemed itself once its players began to focus on the ball instead of the pressure of the match.
“We got a little quiet and we always love to just play with a lot of fight and being loud, so it’s getting us hyped and back in the game,” Zimmerman said. “I think we just turned it back to focusing on us and not worrying about others.”
Outside hitter Jazminn Parrish, a junior in her second season, believes maintaining confidence is key to succeeding during a high-stakes match.
“When the game is tight, I think like we just need to grind and keep our intensity high and really focus on staying confident the whole time we play because when we don’t have the confidence, we don’t play like we know we can. So, just keeping our mindset really, really strong,” said Parrish.
According to Dahl, the match marks an especially important milestone in the team’s season. She noted the Broncos corrected multiple errors made in previous games against the Golden Eagles.
“I thought the pressure was ebb and flow, but I think, for the most part, we handled the pressure really well,” Dahl said. “I thought tonight we grew as a team.”
As four games remain in the regular season, CPP hits the road to face off against Cal State East Bay on Nov. 4 and Cal State San Marcos on Nov. 6.
The Broncos will return to Kellogg Stadium on Nov. 11 to battle Stanislaus State and Chico State Nov. 12 before heading into the regional CCAA tournament. The tournament will be hosted by Cal State San Bernardino, the currently undefeated leader in the rankings.
For more information on the team visit the CPP Athletics website.
Featured image by Zach Strohecker.