The rise is real for the top-ranked Cal Poly Pomona women’s volleyball team.

Senior Samantha Campion is the California Collegiate Athletic Association player of the year, coach Traci Dahl is the coach of the year, and sophomore Charlotte Koerber is the newcomer of the year in a postseason awards boon for the Broncos.

Topping it off, Cal Poly Pomona (23-2 overall) hosts this weekend’s California Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament at Kellogg Arena for the first time, with the championship match set for Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

The Broncos begin their tournament against the Cal State L.A.-Cal State San Bernardino winner in the semifinals on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

Campion has done a little bit of everything this season for the Broncos and shows up in the top 10 in nearly every CCAA statistical category. She was 10th in kills per set (3.22), fourth in digs (3.65), third in aces (0.51) and eighth in points (4.09), with 13 double-doubles and two conference player of the week awards.

The 5-foot-11 outside hitter joins Mitsue Tomoyasu (1992) and Daisy Duke (2022) as the only CCAA players of the year in Cal Poly Pomona’s history.

Dahl earned her 100th victory as Cal Poly Pomona coach with the win over San Francisco State to end the regular season, and has guided the Broncos to the NCAA Division II Tournament each of the last three years.

Now in her fifth season, Dahl’s team has broken numerous CCAA records including most wins (17) and most 3-0 sweeps (12) on the way to the Broncos’ first outright regular-season title.

Koerber, an international transfer from Daemen University in Munich, Germany, has stepped in and been a big piece on the front line, ranking 10th in the CCAA in hitting percentage (.257) while averaging 2.66 kills per set and 2.29 digs.

The 6-foot outside hitter has recorded 10 or more kills in seven of her last 10 matches, and helped seal the win over San Francisco State with 17 kills and 10 digs for her second collegiate double-double.

Caitie Mueller and Sarah Ybarra joined Campion in receiving all-CCAA first-team honors. Avery Percival (King High) joined Koerber on the second team.

San Francisco State senior Kimberly DeBoer (Murrieta Valley HS) was named CCAA setter of the year for the third consecutive time, while Stanislaus State senior Gabby Rawson (Etiwanda HS) earned her second libero of the year award.

Stanislaus State plays Cal State East Bay to open the tournament today at 3 p.m., with the winner advancing to play No. 2-seeded San Francisco State in the other semifinal.

SCHMIDT SHINES IN CBU HOME OPENER

Sophomore forward Grace Schmidt had a return to remember.

Schmidt, who missed last season because of a knee injury, scored a career-high 34 points in the California Baptist University women’s basketball home opener at the Fowler Events Center on Saturday.

The 2023 Westerm Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, Schmidt scored the first 10 points of the game for Cal Baptist (0-3 overall) in the 75-64 defeat to Pepperdine.

She was 13 for 19 from the field and 8 of 11 from the free-throw line, with a team-high eight rebounds and two steals.

REDLANDS HOSTS SCIAC SEMIFINAL

The University of Redlands men’s water polo team is seeking its third consecutive berth in the USA Division III collegiate championship tournament and its second national title.

The Bulldogs, who claimed a share of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title for the second consecutive year, are the No. 1 seed for the SCIAC tournament and host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Thompson Aquatics Center on Thursday at 7 p.m.

It is the 10th conference title for Redlands (14-12 overall, 10-2 SCIAC), which earned the postseason tournament top seed over Pomona-Pitzer (17-9, 10-2) via goal differential.

Senior attacker Max Wagener ranks fifth in the SCIAC with 63 goals this season.

MUSTANGS ROMP INTO POSTSEASON

The Norco College men’s soccer team is three wins from advancing to the California Community College Athletic Association state tournament for the first time.

Currently ranked No. 5 in the state, Norco (14-2-5 overall) had a bye in Wednesday’s first round of the SoCal Regional playoffs and will host the winner of the L.A. Mission-Chaffey match in the second round on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Sophomore midfielder Jose Garcia (Cajon HS) was selected the Inland Empire Athletic Conference offensive player of the year, and was among four Mustangs named to the all-state team.

Garcia leads all Southern California junior college players with 12 assists for the back-to-back IEAC champions, who are unbeaten over their last 10 matches.