By Gavin Claiborne, November 5, 2024
Cal Poly Pomona women’s volleyball became the first team to clinch a spot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship tournament this season and receive the program’s highest ranking in the American Volleyball Association Polls Oct. 28.
The Broncos achieved two victories on the road against Stanislaus State and Chico’s State, improving to 18-1 overall and earning the highest national ranking in program history at No. 4.
“I recognize the fact that we were top four for the first time ever, I think that’s important to recognize,” said head coach Traci Dahl. “But I also think it’s important to know this team has really made it clear they want to be number one, they want to go all the way.”
For the first match of the weekend, the Broncos traveled to Turlock Oct. 25 and overpowered Stanislaus State in three straight sets (25-19, 25-15 and 25-22).
Three student-athletes reached double-digit kills in the victory over the Warriors: outside hitters Charlotte Koerber and Sarah Ybarra each registered a team-leading 13 kills, and Samantha Campion contributed on both ends of the ball with 14 digs and 10 kills on a .370 hitting percentage.
“It’s not just one, singular person that’s always killing the ball, it’s multiple aspects,” Ybarra said. “That’s why we’re such a hard team to beat; it’s the fact that we fire from all cylinders.”
Senior setter Caitie Mueller led both teams in assists for the night with 37, paired with seven digs and two kills of her own.
The second matchup against Chico State Oct. 26 favored the Broncos in dominant fashion, 25-15 and 25-6.
The Wildcats applied pressure early on in the third set, gaining a 7-1 lead over CPP behind three back-to-back attacking errors.
The Broncos slowly fought their way back from a seven-point deficit at the halfway mark by outscoring the Wildcats 18-7 to win the final set 25-20, taking the match 3-0.
CPP recorded its 13th sweep of the season, nearing the program record set last season with 15 total sweeps in a single season.
The Broncos recorded a .375 hitting percentage on the night to the Wildcats’ .057.
Campion had another clutch performance, recording 10 kills and 14 digs on an efficient .429 hitting percentage.
Throughout the last five matches, Campion has reached 10 or more kills each match for a total of eight matches this season in double-digit figures.
Koerber capped off the game with 11 kills at a .267 hitting percentage. She also had eight digs to tie Ybarra and senior libero Avery Percival.
Dahl said her team’s biggest threat to opponents has been their ability to produce a balanced offense.
“Between (Samantha), Charlotte and Sarah, everything is so even — it’s eerily even,” Dahl said. “I think that is our weapon. The fact that all three of our pins are so close in total attempts, kills and high hitting percentages, it’s opening up for everybody.”
The Broncos had a total of 16 serve aces compared to their opponents’ combined three aces on the weekend.
Dahl said this disparity didn’t come out of luck. Instead, it was a result of the team’s emphasis on serving aggressively and practicing several different serving styles.
“Our area serving is super on point right now,” Dahl said. “I’m able to call an area, and there’s been very minimal times where the ball derails from that area… so our tough serving is definitely helping out our blocking and our middles, so it plays a big role.”
After securing both victories and clinching the Broncos’ sixth appearance in the CCAA tournament, Ybarra was enthused by the accomplishment.
“I think it’s just really awesome for us,” Ybarra said. “We’ve been working hard, working our butts off nonstop, so I feel like this was a very well-deserved thing for us.”
The CCAA tournament will be held at Kellogg Arena Nov. 21-23, the first time the Broncos have hosted a postseason tournament since 2015.
Images courtesy of CPP Athletics