By Ethan Rubio, November 3, 2026
Cal Poly Pomona’s volleyball team swept Cal State East Bay 3-0 Oct. 23 in San Francisco for its second consecutive win.
The Broncos took all three sets 25-23, 25-19 and 25-22. The Broncos led in most major statistics against the Pioneers, including kills (54), hitting percentage (.250) and service aces (9).
Middle blocker Addi Knight was the anchor for the Broncos throughout the match, hitting .571 with eight kills and one dig. Right-side hitter Sarah Ybarra led the Broncos with 13 digs and 13 kills along while outside hitter Elle Walker led the Broncos with 15 kills, hitting a .355 hitting percentage.
Setter Paige Bowyer led the offense with a 45-assist game, distributing the ball to multiple attacking options as three Broncos recorded double-digit kill totals.
Despite the sweep, the Pioneers posted a .247 hitting percentage, .057 points above their season mark of .190. Outside hitter Lamona Lauhingoa led the Pioneers with 10 kills, with a .192 hitting percentage.
Outside hitters Barakat Adekola added nine kills, hitting .206 and Gianna Navarro recorded five kills, a .188 hitting percentage, one service ace, and only two attack errors.
Knight credited the Pioneers’ tempo for keeping pressure on the Broncos’ defense.
“They have a very fast offense,” Knight said. “I have to determine what they can run on their offense and depending on their passes, we have to focus on serving a tough ball and getting them out of their flow and system.”
The first set started with the Broncos jumping out to a fast start. Kills from Walker and Knight helped the Broncos set the tone early building a 5-1 lead before the Pioneers answered with a 6-2 run fueled by several CPP attack errors by Walker and middle blocker Alexia Athans.
The Pioneers continued to put pressure on the Broncos late into the first set, with kills coming from Navarro, Pi’liani Carvalho and Carys Fouser, but kills from Ybarra, Walker, and Knight helped seal the 25-23 first set.
A 17-assist performance from Bowyer helped the Broncos close out the set highlighted by a setup to Ybarra for the set-winning kill.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with both teams trading points early. Ybarra ignited a 7-0 Broncos run with a kill at the 10-7 mark, though the Pioneers continued to respond and kept the set competitive with kills from Navarro and Lauhingoa.
The Broncos committed several untimely errors, as mistakes by Charlotte Koerber, Sarah Ybarra and Alexia Athans helped the Pioneers remain within striking distance.
With the Broncos leading 17-11 in the second set, a kill by Navarro sparked a late push for the Pioneers. From there, it was the same after that, as kills from Navarro and Lauhingoa continued to pace the offense, combining several key kills that kept the set competitive and helped the Pioneers get back into the match.
The Broncos built a seven-point lead heading into set point and capitalized on a Pioneers attack error by Lauhingoa before a block by Ybarra and Athans sealed the set.
The Broncos opened the third set with kills from Koerber, Ybarra and Athans, helping establish an early advantage.
The Broncos extended their lead with a 5-0 run midway through the set with a kill from Sarah Ybarra, aided by a Pioneers attack error and service aces. The Pioneers also had a team ace giving the broncos momentum in their favor. Ybarra recorded four of her 13 kills in the third set, many coming off assists from Paige Bowyer.
The Pioneers mounted a late push behind several kills from Lauhingoa while Broncos errors by Koerber and Walker helped keep the set close.
The Broncos defense tightened late in the third set, holding the Pioneers to 10 kills, their lowest total of any set in the match. A series of East Bay errors helped keep the momentum on the Broncos’ side as they maintained a three-point lead down the stretch.
“We have great passers. Our senior libero (Renee Nachtigall) did a great job holding it down,” Knight said. “In volleyball, everyone has film on you and we’re always looking to improve each game, our players are consistent and stay calm in what they do.”
Friday’s game finished a non-conference game in San Francisco from Oct. 22-23. The Broncos will look to build on their momentum when they return home to close off the month with two conference games Oct. 29 against Cal State Dominguez Hills and Oct. 31 against Cal Poly Humboldt in the Cal Poly Clash.
The Broncos have not officially clinched a ticket into the California Collegiate Athletic Association or NCAA tournament but hold third in conference standings and No. 14 nationally.
With two matches remaining in the season, the Broncos will look to continue building on that chemistry as they push toward the postseason.
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics
