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No. 3 seed Cal Poly Pomona defeated No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino, 22-25, 25-14, 25-21, and 25-23, in the semifinals of the 2022 CCAA Volleyball Tournament to earn a trip to Saturday's championship match.
Daisy Duke again led the way for the Broncos with 19 kills and only two errors. She hit .386 in the match and added 12 digs, three aces, and five blocks. Cal Poly Pomona also got a crucial 14 kills from Madison Novak off the bench, and Caitie Mueller had 41 assists. Mackenzie Sullivan added four aces, and Jenna O'Shea chipped in with three more as Cal Poly Pomona posted 13 aces to the Yotes' six.
Ashley Robinson led CSUSB with 15 kills and added 11 digs to post her eighth double-double of the season. Savannah Hoffman added 13 kills and seven digs. Marlee Nunley recorded a double-double of her own with 39 assists and a team-leading 14 digs.
Cal State San Bernardino started the match with an extra bounce in their step as the five-time defending CCAA Tournament Champions. CSUSB won the first set 25-22 while holding CPP with a .054 hitting percentage.
Between sets, everything changed. The Broncos became the aggressors and went right at the Yotes in the second set. CPP did not commit a hitting error as a team while putting down 12 kills for a .522 team hitting percentage en route to a 25-14 win.
Cal Poly Pomona's defense defined the third set. The Yotes could not put down many shots against an improved blocking unit and were limited to a .053 hitting percentage. Trailing 12-9, the Broncos earned six of the next seven points to take the lead and never gave it back. CSUSB tied the match at 20-20, but a kill by Duke, a service ace from Jenna O'Shea, and three hitting errors by the Yotes gave CPP a 25-21 set win.
Another late run was the key to Cal Poly Pomona winning the fourth set and moving on in the CCAA Tournament. The set was tied at 15-15 before CPP rattled five of the next six points to go up 20-15. The Broncos and Yotes then traded points back and forth as CPP went up 24-19. The Yotes would not go down easily and earned four consecutive points as things tightened up on the Broncos' sideline. However, Cal Poly Pomona knew where to turn with their tournament hopes on the line. Caitie Mueller set Daisy Duke, who put the ball down in the back corner of the court for the match-winner.
It was the first loss for CSUSB in the conference tournament since 2015 and snapped the Yotes' streak of five straight conference championships.
Cal Poly Pomona will advance to their second straight CCAA Tournament finals. The Broncos are still looking for their first CCAA Volleyball Tournament Championship. They will face the winner of the Cal State LA/Sonoma State match on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 3 p.m.