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Cal State San Bernardino's fifth consecutive CCAA Tournament Championship did not come easy. The No. 2 seed, Cal Poly Pomona, gave the No. 1 seeded Yotes all they could handle in the championship match, going up 2-1, but with their backs against the wall, Cal State San Bernardino stepped up the defense to earn the win, 25-17, 13-25, 25-27, 25-19 and 15-10. (Nov. 20)
In the beginning, it looked like Cal State San Bernardino (25-3, 18-0 CCAA) might roll to another easy win as its defense held Cal Poly Pomona to a .029 hitting percentage in the first set to take the early lead. The Yotes quickly discovered they would be in for a battle if they wanted to call themselves the 2021 Tournament Champions.
Cal Poly Pomona (23-4, 15-3 CCAA) bounced back with a dominant second set. The Broncos held the Yotes to just 13 points, their second-lowest in any set this season. Cal State San Bernardino was also forced into eight errors, and it hit .057. Meanwhile, Cal Poly Pomona made just one hitting error in the set, and it posted its best hitting percentage for any set in the tournament (.351).
They carried that momentum into the third set as both teams battled to take the lead. The score changed hands six times, and there were 14 ties in the match, including at 22-22. Kaitlan Tucker and Kylie Brandt rattled off back-to-back kills to put CPP up 24-22. The Yotes answered with three straight points to go up 25-24. It was then Cal Poly Pomona's turn to put together its own three-point run. Brandt started it with a kill before the defense forced two hitting errors from the Yotes to earn the 27-25 win.
Facing a 1-2 deficit in CCAA play for the first time since the 2019 Tournament Championship, Cal State San Bernardino turned to its defense. In the fourth set, the Yotes limited the Broncos to a .184 hitting percentage, their lowest since the opening set. The defense also forced CPP to match its set-high with seven hitting errors. Jenna Patton stepped up for the Yotes in the set with four of her eight kills.
The match then turned to the decisive fifth set with the 2021 Tournament Championship and the CCAA's automatic qualifier to the NCAA West Regional all on the line. Cal State San Bernardino seemed to be re-energized by their fourth-set victory, and it opened the set by scoring the first three points. The Broncos answered with a three-point spurt of their own to tie the set. However, this would be the last time they would even hold a share of the lead as the Yotes rattled off the next four points to gain an advantage it would never relinquish. Leilia To'omalatai secured Cal State San Bernardino's fifth consecutive championship with an ace.
Alexis Cardoza was named the Most Outstanding Player in the tournament. She led all student-athletes with 19 kills while adding 10 digs, two blocks, and an ace. Jalyn Hayes joined Cardoza on the all-tournament team. The junior middle blocker had 12 kills without an error in just 27 swings for a .444 hitting percentage. The Yotes also received nine kills from Melissa Garciglia and eight apiece from Jenna Patton and Asia Clarke. Marlee Nunley had 43 assists and four service aces. Makena Overbey led the team with 21 digs, and Patton added seven blocks, including two solos.
Daisy Duke powered the Broncos' offense with 16 kills and a .325 hitting percentage. Kylie Brandt added 12 kills, and Jazmyn Wheeler chipped in with 11. Kira Zimmerman had 49 assists and four aces. Brynn Sherbert joined Zimmerman and Duke on the all-tournament team after recording 25 digs.
Cal State San Bernardino, which came into the weekend ranked No. 2 in the country, earns the CCAA's automatic bid to the NCAA West Regional, scheduled for Dec. 2-4. The Yotes are expected to be announced as the host for the regional.
Cal Poly Pomona is also expected to be in the regional as an at-large selection. The Broncos were No. 5 in the latest regional poll.
All-Tournament Team
Most Outstanding Player: Alexis Cardoza, Cal State San Bernardino
Kassy Doering, Cal State San Marcos
Izzy Issak, San Francisco State
Karla Santos, Cal State LA
Alejandra Negron, Cal State LA
Kira Zimmerman, Cal Poly Pomona
Brynn Sherbert, Cal Poly Pomona
Daisy Duke, Cal Poly Pomona
Makena Overbey, Cal State San Bernardino
Marlee Nunley, Cal State San Bernardino
Jenna Patton, Cal State San Bernardino
Jalyn Hayes. Cal State San Bernardino