By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

POMONA, Calif. – Samantha Campion, the 2024 D2CCA West Region Player of the Year, had a 16-kill, 18-dig double-double to lift top-seeded No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona to a five-set victory over eighth-seeded Simon Fraser on Thursday at Kellogg Arena in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA West Region Volleyball Championships.
 
Campion, who added four total blocks, a pair of aces and four assists to her impressive stat line, helped her team rally from a 1-0 deficit and hold off a spirited comeback effort by the Red Leafs. The Broncos (24-3) advance to the regional semifinals where they’ll square off against fourth-seeded No. 12 Point Loma (26-1) which beat Central Washington earlier on Thursday.
 
Simon Fraser’s season came to an end with a record of 17-9 with the 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 23-25, 25-15, 11-15) loss. The Red Leafs had their highest-ever finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings going 13-5 in league play to tie for second.
 
GNAC Player of the Year Brooke Dexter pounded down 14 kills while adding 13 digs, six total blocks, three aces and an assist in her final collegiate match. The GNAC’s active career leader in kills finished at No. 15 on the all-time GNAC list with 1,304 in her four seasons at SFU.
 
Fellow first-team all-conference selection Davida Hill also had 14 kills on Thursday, while adding 15 digs. Megan Hawkins was the third Red Leaf with a double-double in the match, recording 12 kills and 10 digs. GNAC Setter of the Year Eva Person had 36 assists, and honorable mention all-conference libero Macyn Unger led the team with 17 digs. Nina Kovacevic finished with eight kills on a .429 attack percentage, while adding a team-high seven total blocks.
 
CPP’s Sarah Ybarra led all players with 17 kills in the match, while adding 22 digs to aid in the victory. No other Bronco besides Campion reached double figures in kills, as CPP won despite being out-hit .206-.178 in the match. It was just the second time this season that CPP was held below .200 in attack percentage, and the Broncos’ 28 attack errors marked their second-highest total of the campaign. Caitie Mueller totaled 42 assists and 13 digs and libero Avery Percival chipped in 14 digs to help CPP to the win.
 
Dexter, who led the GNAC with 3.90 kills per set this season, punched home six kills in the opening set to spot her team to a 1-0 advantage. The Red Leafs committed just three errors on their 32 swings, posting a .243 attack percentage in the 25-20 victory.
 
 
Ezawa Malish was a strong presence at the net in the early going, producing a pair of big block assists to help keep the CPP offense at bay. Kovacevic had a pair of kills early in the second set, helping SFU out to an 8-5 advantage. The Broncos put together a rally midway through the second set, pulling themselves within a single point down 10-9 before tying the match at 13-13. The Red Leafs managed to keep control up to a 19-16 lead, but momentum then shifted towards the hosts. Campion, who was also voted the CCAA Player of the Year, led an 8-0 run with four kills, turning the tables to put CPP ahead 24-19.
 
A resounding block by Kovacevic and Hill followed by an ace from Dexter gave the Red Leafs a three-point cushion at 7-4 early on in the third set. The Red Leafs parlayed that advantage into a 14-10 lead, before a 4-0 run by the Broncos prompted SFU to use a time out. Things stayed even the rest of the set, with a block by the Broncos’ Helen McMullin and Caitie Mueller, and an ace by Charlotte Korber proving to be the difference for the final points of CPP’s 25-23 win.
 
The Red Leafs overcame a 4-0 deficit at the outset of the fourth set, responding with an 8-1 run to push the Broncos to take a timeout. SFU kept its foot on the gas, producing an efficient attack to pull ahead 19-10. CPP found some late life, but the deficit proved too large to overcome as the match extended to a decisive fifth frame after a runaway 25-15 triumph for SFU.
 
After taking the first point of the fifth set, the Red Leafs dropped the next four points and fell into an early 6-2 hole. Dexter and Kovacevic elevated for a crucial block to help keep SFU in it, as it brought the deficit to 7-4. The Broncos held the upper hand and moved within two points of the victory, leaving SFU with a final chance for a comeback. With their backs against the wall, the same duo once again came up with a block on a strong swing to move within two points down 13-11. After a kill by McMullin, Dexter fittingly had the final swing of the match but her attack was met with a block by Campion to close the door.
 
MATCH NOTES: Thursday was the second meeting of the season between the teams, with the Broncos winning in straight sets on Sept. 13 in Ellensburg, Wash…SFU competed in its third NCAA regional tournament since becoming a full-time NCAA member in 2010…the Red Leafs lost to Western Washington in the opening round of the 2021 event and lost to Northwest Nazarene in the opening round of the 2016 event in their previous two appearances…SFU went 0-2 in five-set matches this season while CPP improved to 1-1 in five-set matches…Dexter’s double-double was her eighth of the season…the consensus first-team all-region pick reached double digits in kills in all but two matches during her senior season…Hawkins, a redshirt freshman, completed her fifth double-double of the year…Hill’s double-double was her seventh of the year.