Broncos’ Season Ends With Close Battle in Regional Semifinals
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – The Cal Poly Pomona volleyball team fell to Cal State San Bernardino by a score of 3-1 in the NCAA West Region Semifinals on Friday night, ending their 2023 campaign with an overall record of 22-8. Their .733 overall win percentage on the season is the 11th highest in program history, and their semifinal finish ties 2018 and 2022 for their deepest postseason run since they last made the regional finals in 2008.
The Yotes are notoriously hard to play on their home court, as the Broncos were just 1-18 in Coussoulis Arena since 2005 entering the game. Friday night proved to be no different, as CSUSB was barely able to hang on in the first, second, and fourth sets to claim the match victory. Since the beginning of the 2015 season, CSUSB is an unfathomable 95-4 on their home court – two of those losses coming this season to Sonoma State and Cal State LA.
The Broncos struggled to find open space on the floor against the Yotes, swinging at a season-low .158 clip. The Yotes collected 81 digs, the second-most by an opponent against the Broncos this season. Conversely, CPP kept plays alive with 76 of their own – their third most in a match this season. More than half of those came from just Avery Percival and Emily Payne, who had 24 and 21 digs, respectively. Friday night was Payne's first 20-dig game as a Bronco, while it was Percival's sixth 20-dig game of the season.
Daisy Duke, Samantha Campion, and Emeline Hudson each collected double-digit kills on attack, while Campion also picked up her 15th double-double of the season with 11 digs. Kaitlan Tucker was not too far behind with six kills of her own, while leading the team with four blocks in the match.
Junior Caitie Mueller and freshman Sarah Ybarra each collected double-digit assists, Ybarra setting a new career-high with 15 in the game. The La Habra native also picked up four kills while swinging at a .571 clip.
With the season coming to a close, the Broncos say goodbye to seniors Daisy Duke and Kaitlan Tucker - two of the most decorated players in program history. Listen to their thoughts on being a Bronco in the interview below.
Cal State San Bernardino went on to face Cal State LA in the NCAA West Region Finals on Saturday night, falling 3-0 to the Golden Eagles in a surprisingly effortless sweep. This sends Cal State LA to the national tournament for the second consecutive season. CSULA finished in the national semifinals last year, and looks to become the first west region school to win the national title since CSUSB went undefeated in 2019 with a 33-0 record.
Bronco Bits
- The Broncos are 28-49 (.364) all-time against Cal State San Bernardino, including three losses in the 2023 season. In their last 20 matches against CSUSB at Coussoulis Arena since 2005, the Broncos are 1-19, the only win coming in 2014.
- CPP is 1-3 all-time against Cal State San Bernardino in the NCAA Tournament. They are now 9-20 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- Traci Dahl concludes her fourth season as head coach with a 77-35 (.688) overall record. She has averaged 23 wins in her past three seasons, and if she continues that pace will reach the 100-win mark sometime next postseason.
- The Broncos are 1-7 all-time in the month of December.
- CPP's 15 sweeps on the season set a new program record. They previously had 14 sweeps in three separate seasons (2005, 2018, 2021).
- The Broncos were nationally ranked for the entirety of the 2023 season.
Latest Women's Volleyball
- CCAA Joins FloSports in Historic Media Rights AgreementFloSports, a leading global sports media company, and the CCAA, the most successful NCAA Division II conference with 156 National Championships, have entered into an exclusive multi-year, seven-figure media rights agreement to begin this Fall.
- 53 Broncos Recognized in CCAA Fall Academic Honor RollCal Poly Pomona saw 53 student-athletes named to the 2023 CCAA Fall Academic Honor Roll on Tuesday, ranking second in the conference behind only Cal State Monterey Bay. A record 551 men and women across the CCAA's 12 member institutions were honored.
- CPP Athletics Launches New WebsiteFor the first time since 2019, the Cal Poly Pomona Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has launched a redesign of BroncoAthletics.com. In partnership with SIDEARM Sports powered by Learfield, the new website went live on Wednesday morning.
- Duke, Campion, and Mueller Named All-AmericansDaisy Duke, Samantha Campion, and Caitie Mueller continued to rack up accolades for the 2023 season, this time earning the most notable individual award of them all: All-American.
- Fall Sports Dominate 2023 Season, Highest Winning Percentage in CPP Athletics HistoryThe five intercollegiate sports that compete during the fall season – men's cross country, women's cross country, men's soccer, women's soccer, and women's volleyball – dominated their respective 2023 seasons, combining for one of the winningest falls in Cal Poly Pomona Athletics history.
- Duke, Campion, and Mueller Earn All-West Region HonorsDaisy Duke, Samantha Campion, and Caitie Mueller each earned Division II All-West Region honors, it was announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Wednesday morning.
