Broncos Upset No. 13 Cal Poly, Then Beat Utah for 20th Win

Saturday, April 23

Salt Lake City, Utah

9 a.m. MT

Boise State

Cal Poly

Broncos Upset No. 13 Cal Poly, Then Beat Utah for 20th Win

4/23/2022 9:24:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball

Boise State beat the highest-ranked team in school history, then recorded the first-ever 20-win season.

By: Courtesy: Boise State Athletics

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Boise State's beach volleyball team closed out the regular season, upsetting the 13th-ranked Cal Poly Mustangs 4-1, then beat Utah 5 0 to claim the program's first-ever 20-win season.

It was an all-around team effort on Saturday as the Broncos made program history. Cal Poly is the highest-ranked team that Boise State has beaten in history and the second versus a top-20 program; the last was a 3-2 victory over No. 20 Arizona State on March 6, 2021. The win over Utah extended Boise State's school record for wins in a season to 20, the first-ever 20-win campaign.

The two victories improved Boise State to 20-9 overall and gave the Broncos 10 wins in its final 11 contests. Now it is a wait-and-see situation to see if they can get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in May.

In the morning match, Boise State stormed out to a 3-0 lead to clinch the win over Cal Poly before the Mustangs recorded their lone point of the contest. Sharli O'Neil and Kaylee Mejia started the ball rolling on court four, where they defeated Julia Soeller and Vanessa Roscoe in straight sets, 21-16, 21-17.

Rorianna Chartier and Sierra Land made it 2-0 with a three-set victory at No. 2 pair over Piper Ferch and Jayelin Lombard. The Bronco duo rallied from a set down to take it in extra points during set three 16-21, 21-18, 17-15.

Danielle Boss and Madison Nichols clinched the win for the Blue and Orange after rallying from a set one defeat to win it in three 19-21, 21-19, 15-9 over Mariah Whalen and Addison Hermstad on court three.

Joey Benson and Emilia Guerra-Acuna recorded the final Boise State win over Cal Poly. They came back from a set down to take an extra-point set two victory, then won the contest in the third 13-21, 30-28, 15-12.

It was the second meeting between the Broncos and Mustangs, with then-12th-ranked Cal Poly beating Boise State 5-0 on March 21 in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

The Broncos closed the regular season against their host, the Utah Utes. They cruised past Utah taking three contests in straight sets in convincing fashion.

Chartier and Land recorded the first win for the Broncos against Utah, defeating Grace Andrews and Bella Vezzani 21-16, 21-15 on court two. They conclude the season at 18-11 overall and are winners of their last eight contests.

The second win was by Mejia and O'Neil in three sets at the No. 4 pair. The tandem claimed their 14th win of the year over Lauren Sayre and Sommer Daniel 22-24, 21-16, 16-14. They finish the regular season at 14-7 overall.

Benson and Guerra-Acuna brought home the clinching victory on court five, where they beat Kylie Pitzak and Sydney Jacinto in straight sets, 21-16, 21-17. They turned in a final record of 18-9 overall, including 12-5 at the No. 5 pair.

Boss and Nichols pushed the team score to 4-0 Broncos with a dominating straight-set win at No. 3. They cruised to a 21-13, 21-11 win to claim their 11th-consecutive victory and finish the campaign with a team-best 20-9 overall record, the first pair in program history to record 20 wins in a season.

The last match decided was at the No. 1 pair, where seniors Erin Martin and Yasmin Tan rallied after dropping the opening set by four. They came back to defeat the Utes' Grace Andrews and Bella Vezzani decisively in the second and third sets to take it 17-21, 21-10, 15-11 to complete the sweep for Boise State. Martin and Tan finished the regular season at 13-13, playing all but one match at the top position.

MATCH BOX SCORES
4/23/2022, at Salt Lake City, Utah (Sand Bar)

Boise State (19-9) def. No. 13 Cal Poly (17-16)
1. Tia Miric/Ella Connor (CP) def. Erin Martin/Yasmin Tan (BSU) 21-16, 23-21
2. Rorianna Chartier/Sierra Land (BSU) def. Piper Ferch/Jayelin Lombard (CP) 16-21, 21-18, 17-15
3. Danielle Boss/Madison Nichols (BSU) def. Mariah Whalen/Addison Hermstad (CP) 19-21, 21-19, 15-9
4. Sharli O'Neil/Kaylee Mejia (BSU) def. Julia Soeller/Vanessa Roscoe (CP) 21-16, 21-17
5. Joey Benson/Emilia Guerra-Acuna (BSU) def. Delaney Peranich/Piper Naess (CP) 13-21, 30-28, 15-12
Order of finish: 4,2,3*,1,5

Boise State (20-9) def. Utah (9-17) 5-0
1. Erin Martin/Yasmin Tan (BSU) def. Sam Patchell/Amaya Messier (UTAH) 17-21, 21-10, 15-11
2. Rorianna Chartier/Sierra Land (BSU) def. Grace Andrews/Bella Vezzani (UTAH) 21-16, 21-15
3. Danielle Boss/Madison Nichols (BSU) def. Marissa Koch/Samantha Leight (UTAH) 21-13, 21-11
4. Sharli O'Neil/Kaylee Mejia (BSU) def. Lauren Sayre/Sommer Daniel (UTAH) 22-24, 21-16, 16-14
5. Joey Benson/Emilia Guerra-Acuna (BSU) def. Kylie Pitzak/Sydney Jacinto (UTAH) 21-16, 21-17
Order of finish: 2,4,5*,3,1