POMONA, Calif.--- Stan State closed out the regular season in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon, rallying from two sets down to upset No. 21 Cal Poly Pomona (19–6, 17–1 CCAA), 13–25, 20–25, 25–21, 25–18, 15–7, inside Kellogg Arena.
The Warriors (13–12, 11–7 CCAA) capped their season with back-to-back reverse sweeps and secured back-to-back double-digit CCAA win seasons for the first time since 2015–16. The victory snapped Cal Poly Pomona's 17-match winning streak and marked Stan State's first win over the Broncos in nine meetings, ending a series skid that dated back to 2018.
First set
Cal Poly Pomona controlled the opening frame from the start, using an early 7–2 run and a .333 attack percentage to take a 25–13 win. The Warriors struggled to find rhythm offensively but responded with stronger defense late in the set to build momentum.
Second set
The Broncos again started fast in set two, pulling ahead 11–7 before Stan State clawed back behind back-to-back kills from
Emily Meyer. Despite late points from
Sydney Hoffman and
Malia Tanksley, Pomona held on 25–20 to take a 2–0 match lead.
Third set
Facing elimination for the second straight night, the Warriors came alive. Meyer and Tanksley combined for eight kills, and senior setter
Shaelyn Pruiett spread the offense efficiently as Stan State hit .233 while holding Pomona to .091. The Warriors closed the set 25–21 on a Tate kill to cut the deficit in half.
Fourth set
Stan State carried the momentum into the fourth.
Reagan Wilkerson served a pair of early aces and Meyer continued to dominate at the net with four kills and two blocks.
Teagan Irish added an ace and Tanksley put down the final point as the Warriors evened the match with a 25–18 victory.
Fifth set
The Warriors' confidence showed early in the decisive frame, jumping ahead 5–2 and never looking back. Irish and Tanksley teamed up for key blocks, Meyer added two more kills, and Pruiett ran a balanced offense that hit .500 in the fifth. Stan State closed the match on a 5–0 run to complete the comeback 15–7 and hand Pomona its first conference loss of the season.
Team leaders
Meyer finished with 14 kills and hit .400 to lead the offense, while Tanksley added 12 kills and six blocks. Hoffman hit .444 with eight kills and six blocks, and Irish contributed four kills, four blocks, and two aces. Pruiett recorded a career-high 40 assists along with nine digs, while
Leah Mendoza anchored the defense with 19 digs. Stan State out-blocked Pomona 13–11 and held the Broncos to .160 hitting.
2025 CCAA Volleyball Standings (as of Nov. 15-4:30pm)
- Cal Poly Pomona (17–1) – y, z, $
- Cal State San Bernardino (14–3) – y
- Cal State LA (13–4) – y
- Stan State (11–7) – y
- San Francisco State (10–7) – y
- Cal State East Bay (10–8) – y
(y – Clinched CCAA Tournament berth; z – Clinched first-round bye; $ – CCAA regular-season champion)
Final tournament seeding will be determined after the completion of Saturday's remaining CCAA matches, including San Francisco State at Chico State and Cal State LA at Cal State San Bernardino (5 p.m.). Stan State will face San Francisco State in the CCAA Tournament quarterfinals as either the No. 4 or No. 5 seed.
Warrior Notables
• Stan State's win snapped Cal Poly Pomona's 17-match winning streak and handed the Broncos their first CCAA loss of the year.
• The victory was Stan State's first over Cal Poly Pomona in nine matches, ending a nine-match series skid dating back to 2018.
• The Warriors posted back-to-back reverse sweeps to close the regular season, also rallying from two sets down in Friday's win at Cal State LA.
• The win was Stan State's first over a nationally ranked opponent this season. The Warriors defeated three nationally ranked teams last year, including No. 20 San Francisco State in the 2024 CCAA Tournament semifinals.
• Senior setter
Shaelyn Pruiett's 40 assists marked a new career high.
•
Emily Meyer hit .400 with 14 kills — her second-highest total of the season.
• The Warriors recorded 13 team blocks, their 11th match with 10 or more this year.
• Stan State finished 11–7 in conference play — the program's first back-to-back 10-win CCAA seasons since 2015 (10–10) and 2016 (10–8).
• Stan State will host the CCAA Volleyball Tournament for the first time since 2017 at Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena.
Up next
Stanislaus State returns to Turlock to host the 2025 CCAA Volleyball Tournament presented by Under Armour, November 20–22 at Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena. The Warriors will open quarterfinal play Thursday, November 20, against San Francisco State. Tournament seeding and match times will be finalized following the completion of Saturday's remaining conference matches. The tournament champion earns the CCAA's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Championship. The NCAA Selection Show is scheduled for Sunday, November 24, at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) on ncaa.com.
