It has been a wacky season already when it comes to volleyball in the CCAA. And the season has barely started. Cal State San Bernardino (7-1, 4-0) sits on top. That is to be expected. It is what has happened with the other teams that has to be a bit puzzling.

Let’s start with UC San Diego. The Tritons are the Coyotes’ long-time rival. They are the team the Coyotes have to beat in the conference and in the West Region. Like Cal State, San Diego seems to have a permanent spot among the top handful of teams in the nation. But the Tritons are just 5-4 overall and 2-3 in CCAA play. The losses are to Cal State East Bay, Monterey Bay and San Francisco State – all middle tier teams last year. They haven’t even played San Bernardino, Cal State Los Angeles or Chico State yet.

San Diego did have a coaching change. Maybe the athletes have not adjusted to a new system or a new coaching style. It doesn’t play the Coyotes till the next to last game of the first round so my guess is they should have their act together by then.

Then there is East Bay(8-2, 3-2) which is only a year into it’s move from Division III to Division II. The Pioneers played an easy nonconference schedule so the jury was still out. Then they beat the Tritons, giving that early run some legitimacy. But then they lost their next match to up-and-coming San Francisco.

Then there is Cal Poly Pomona (3-5, 1-3). The Broncos have had some very good years. Even in harder times, they have been competitive. Then Friday they go out and lose to lowly Cal State Dominguez Hills. To put that in perspective, Dominguez is 1-8 this year, the only win coming over Cal Poly. The Toros were 2-27 overall last season. In the last five years they are 19-117 overall and 11-87 in CCAA play.

That gives new meaning to the words “bad loss.”

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