EUGENE, Ore. ? Welcome to Division I, California State University, Bakersfield. The Roadrunner volleyball team did the honors of posting the university's first win of its NCAA Division I era with a sweep of Idaho State University Saturday afternoon at the Oregon Kickoff Classic in Eugene.
CSUB defeated Idaho State 30?28, 30?27, 30?22 to finish tournament play 1?2. The 'Runners fell to 2006 NCAA Tournament qualifier Oregon 30?15, 30?20, 30?28 to open play Saturday morning.
“I've said from the first day of practice that I thought we would compete well but that the level of competition would make wins difficult to come by,” said CSUB Head Coach John Price. “Getting the win against Idaho State was a big step for us because it shows the team that they are capable not only of competing but of winning matches at the NCAA Division I level.”
Junior outside hitter Sarah Norman (Stockdale HS/UC Irvine) continued the blazing start to her season, leading all attackers in both matches Saturday. She hit better than .300 against both Oregon and Idaho State, collecting a match?high 18 kills versus the Ducks and a match?high 16 against ISU. She chipped in a career?high 14 digs in the win over the Bengals, notching her first collegiate double?double.
Norman had plenty of help in the win over ISU. Bakersfield's 57 kills tied for the 10th most in a three?game match in school history and are the most in a sweep since the 2000 season. In addition to Norman, Melissa Myers (Wasco HS) and Rosemary Stribling (West HS) also reached double figures with 13 and 10 kills respectively.
Despite the tight first two games, the 'Runners never trailed against ISU. The Bengals caught CSUB as late as 26?26 in game one, however, aside from 0?0 to start games two and three, the 'Runners led for the balance of the match.
Things didn't go as smoothly against Oregon as the Pac?10 contenders pulled away early in the first two games to take control of the match. Game three was tight throughout, however, and the 'Runners nearly tied the match at 29?29 when Norman brushed the net on what would have been CSUB's third consecutive block to give the Ducks match point.
CSUB returns to the friendly confines of the Icardo Center to host four matches in four days this week. The action begins with a rare Thursday afternoon match when the 'Runners host Stony Brook University from New York on Aug.30 at 3 p.m.
