Volleyball Captures 800th Win in Program History, Defeat Two Top-Ranked Opponents
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – The Cal Poly Pomona volleyball team started off the 2024 campaign with a bang on Thursday afternoon, winning both of their matches against nationally-ranked opponents in the Yotes Classic Showcase. After sweeping No. 10 St. Cloud State in the season opener, the No. 21 ranked Broncos took down No. 12 Chaminade 3-1 in their second game of the day, which also marked the 800th win in program history.
"There is always a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and energy for opening weekend," said head coach Traci Dahl. "We came in very well prepared to battle against nationally-ranked opponents. Our team responded to the pressure our opponents applied and countered impressively."
Match 1: #21 CPP 3, #10 SCSU 0
The No. 21 Broncos started the season strong with a 3-0 sweep over No. 10 St. Cloud State in the opening match of the season. Cal Poly Pomona, who set a program record with 15 sweeps during the 2023 season, picked up right where they left off, winning all three sets in comfortable fashion.
Senior Madison Novak (16) and sophomore Sarah Ybarra (13) led the Broncos on attack, teaming up for 74 percent of the team's 39 kills. The team swung at a .283 clip with just nine attack errors, something they did only five times in 30 matches last season.
Senior setter Caitie Mueller led the team with 29 assists, while libero Avery Percival led with 10 digs. Samantha Campion was close behind with nine digs, while also ranking third on the team with seven kills.
Match 2: #21 CPP 3, #12 Chaminade 1
Sarah Ybarra stole the show against the No. 12 ranked Silverswords, racking up a career-high 21 kills. Through the first day of the season, her 34 kills currently leads the entire CCAA. Ybarra also had an impressive .409 attack percentage in the match, which is the highest of her career when registering at least five kills.
Mueller picked up 38 assists, ending the match with exactly 2,200 in her CPP career - good enough to pass Janna Olsen (1986-87) for ninth on the CPP all-time list. With 10 more, she will pass Amy Sodek (1991-92) for eighth on the all-time list. If Mueller repeats what she has done the past two seasons, she could reach as high as number three in program history come December.
Campion and Novak contributed identical lines, each with nine kills and three attack errors on 33 attempts. Novak gathered a career-high 16 digs, the only Bronco in double-digits other than Percival who led the way with 19. Alexia Athans, Mueller, and Helen McMullin also contributed to the kill total, as the team finished with 55 and swinging at a .295 clip.
The win was the 800th in Cal Poly Pomona volleyball history.
800 Wins
The Bronco volleyball program entered its 44th season in 2024, having started in 1980. In that time, CPP owns an all-time record of 800-543, good for a .596 winning percentage. They are also 309-161 (.657) at home, 242-212 (.533) on the road, and 205-138 (.597) in neutral matches.
All five head coaches in program history have a winning percentage above .550, while legendary head coach Rosie Wegrich holds the record for most program wins at 451 during her 27-year tenure. Wegrich, who is a member of the AVCA Hall of Fame, was a two-time CCAA Coach of the Year and led the Broncos to 10 of their 19 NCAA Tournament appearances. Dahl, who spent two seasons under Wegrich as an associate head coach before taking the helm, has led the Broncos to four NCAA Tournament appearances in her six full seasons at CPP.
"800 program wins is a tremendous accomplishment and a fabulous program achievement!" added Dahl. "This is a milestone that all of our current and former volleyball players at Cal Poly Pomona can celebrate."
Up Next
The Broncos will face No. 19 Seattle Pacific on Friday, September 6th, at 5:00 PM in The Den on the campus of Cal State San Bernardino. They will then face Biola on Saturday, September 7th, also at 5:00 PM in The Den. Both games will be broadcast for FREE on YouTube.
Bronco Bits
- That was the first match between CPP and St. Cloud State, making the Broncos 1-0 all-time against the Huskies.
- The Broncos are now 2-6 all-time against Chaminade, their only other win coming in a 3-0 sweep during the 2008 season.
- Traci Dahl is now 79-35 (.693) as head coach of the Broncos, including 4-1 in season openers.
- That was the Broncos 21st win in program history against a Top-10 ranked team. They are now 21-116 all-time against Top 10 ranked teams.
- Sarah Ybarra's 34 kills on the day nearly reached her entire kill total from the 2023 season at 36.
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