HOUSTON ? The CSUB volleyball team overcame a slow start to take control of Wednesday's match at the University of Houston but let it slip away at the end of a 30?22, 17?30, 20?30, 30?28, 15?13 loss at the UH Alumni Center.

Junior middle blocker Rosemary Stribling (West HS) led CSUB with 17 kills and five blocks. Junior libero Mystie McNaughton (Stockdale HS) led the defense with 25 digs.

Lucy Charuk led all players with 21 kills and seven blocks for Houston.

Bakersfield (3?5 overall) closed out game one by making five consecutive errors before bouncing back to hit .358 while dominating games two and three. Houston (3?2) turned the tables by racing to a 23?11 lead in game four when the Roadrunners responded with an impressive comeback to tie the game at 28?28.

Although they couldn't finish the comeback, the 'Runners carried that momentum into game five, opening an 8?3 lead before Houston used an 8?2 run to pull ahead 11?10.

CSUB regained the lead at 13?12, but a service error by Kerianne Kreger knotted the match at 13?13. The 'Runners had a swing to retake the lead but couldn't convert as an Ashley Calhoun kill in transition brought the Cougars to match point. The 'Runners overpassed Amanda Carson's serve and Charuk put the mistake away for the win.

Bakersfield jumps out of the frying and into the fire as it travels across Texas to play in the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational Thursday and Friday in Austin. The 'Runners will meet No. 6 Texas Thursday evening before squaring off with West Coast Conference power Pepperdine University Friday afternoon.