POMONA, Calif. - #9 California State University San Bernardino women's volleyball took a 2-1 lead before falling to #14 Cal Poly Pomona in five sets Saturday evening in a non-conference contest at Kellogg Arena. Set scores were 20-25, 25-19, 25-17, 18-25, and 13-15.
With the loss, the Coyotes moved to 11-2 overall.
The opening set featured nine ties and six lead changes. Cal Poly Pomona broke an 11-11 tie with three straight points and later led 18-14. CSUSB pulled within one at 19-18 following consecutive kills by junior Sarai Ross, but the Broncos scored six of the final eight points.
The Coyotes recorded 13 kills without an attack error in the first set, hitting .464. Ross led CSUSB with seven kills on nine attempts, while Cal Poly Pomona hit .290 and recorded five service aces.
CSUSB broke a 4-4 tie in set two with a 5-0 run served by junior Kisa Sagiao. Senior Kacie Pedersen had consecutive kills during the stretch, while senior Allison Legates and Pedersen combined for a block.
The Coyotes later extended the lead to 15-9 with three straight points, including a service ace by junior McKenna Edwards. Cal Poly Pomona pulled within three at 15-12, but CSUSB answered with a 5-1 run and maintained control the rest of the set.
Pedersen accounted for six of CSUSB's 13 kills in the second set. The Coyotes also totaled three blocks and held the Broncos to nine kills and nine attack errors for a .000 hitting percentage.
CSUSB led 6-2 early in set three and later turned a 9-9 score into a 14-9 advantage. The 5-0 run included three consecutive blocks, with senior M'Kera Drake contributing to all three.
The Broncos got within three at 15-12, but CSUSB scored six of the next nine points to move ahead 21-15. The Coyotes totaled six blocks in the set and held Cal Poly Pomona to .044 hitting.
Set four included 13 ties before the Broncos broke a 17-17 score with six consecutive points. Cal Poly Pomona recorded 16 kills and hit .316 while forcing the deciding set.
CSUSB led 5-3 early in the fifth before the Broncos used a 7-2 run to take a 10-7 advantage. The Coyotes pulled within one three times, including at 14-13 following a Pedersen kill, but Cal Poly Pomona converted the next point to finish the match.
The Coyotes hit .389 in the fifth set with nine kills and two errors, while the Broncos posted 10 kills on .368 hitting.
CSUSB outhit Cal Poly Pomona .270 to .172 for the match and held a 15-7 advantage in total blocks. The Broncos finished with a 60-56 edge in kills and a 10-4 advantage in service aces.
Pedersen and Ross led the Coyotes with 15 kills apiece. Pedersen added 17 digs, while Ross hit .267. Sagiao finished with 12 kills and four blocks. Drake recorded six kills on .312 hitting and a match-high seven blocks, while Legates hit .417 with five kills and five blocks.
Edwards distributed 42 assists and added 10 digs. Sophomore libero Saniyah Sobers led CSUSB with 23 digs.
The Coyotes return home Friday for a 5 p.m. CCAA match against Cal Poly Humboldt at Kim Cherniss Court at Coussoulis Arena.
