POMONA, Calif. – The Broncos won their NCAA Regional Quarterfinal match against Simon Fraser on Thursday afternoon, defeating the Red Leafs three sets to two with a tight finish in the fifth set. It was the Broncos' second-ever home win in the NCAA Tournament, their only other home victory coming against UC Riverside back in 1984. Thursday's win was also the Broncos' first five-set win in over two years.
 
Just as they have done all season, All-West Region First Team honorees Samantha Campion and Sarah Ybarra anchored the offense, each with 16 or more kills and 18 or more digs. Ybarra nearly tied a career high with 22 digs, just the second time she has collected more than 20 in a match in her career.  Campion had multiple clutch kills for the Green & Gold, highlighted late in the second set when she had four during a seven-point run.
 
The Broncos dropped the first set by a score of 25-20, leading just once after the game was tied at 8-8. Cal Poly Pomona then fell behind early in the second set, seeing themselves down 10-5. However, the Broncos would then go on a 9-4 run to tie the set up at 14-14. Down 19-16, the Broncos then went on the seven point tear in the aforementioned Campion kill streak, ultimately winning 25-20.
 
The third set didn't come any easier, being tied at 18-18. The Broncos and Red Leafs then traded each of the next 10 straight points to bring it back even at 23-23. CPP pulled out the final two points, the latter coming on an ace by Charlotte Koerber, taking a 2-1 advantage in the match. Simon Fraser responded with a strong fourth set, wining 25-15, setting up a decisive fifth set.
 
Middle blocker Helen McMullin showed up big for the Broncos in the fifth set, collecting two kills and two big blocks. With CPP up 13-11, McMullin put away a kill and followed that up with an emphatic block to seal the Broncos' 24^th win of the season. Caitie Mueller picked up her fifth double-double of the season, contributing 42 assists and 13 digs.
 

 
Up Next
The Broncos will take on No. 12 ranked and west region four-seed Point Loma tomorrow, December 6^th, at 4:00 PM in Kellogg Arena. If they win that match, they will advance to the regional finals on Saturday, December 7^th, at 5:00 PM.
 
 
Bronco Bits

• The Broncos are now 6-0 all-time against Simon Fraser, including 2-0 this season.
• CPP is now 10-20 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and 1-0 as the No. 1 seed.
• Traci Dahl is now 101-38 (.727) as head coach of the Broncos with an 8-6 record in the postseason. Dahl is now the winningest postseason coach in CPP volleyball history, passing Rosie Wegrich at seven postseason wins.
• The Broncos were ranked No. 10 in the latest AVCA national rankings.
• This was the Broncos' first five-set win in over two years, last defeating Cal State San Bernardino 3-2 on November 17, 2022. They had been 0-5 in five-set matches since that win.