BAKERSFIELD, Calif. ? One of the most beautiful aspects of volleyball is the ability to start at 0-0 after playing poorly the previous set. By that standard, Wednesday night's CSUB win over Big West Conference contender the University of the Pacific looked like a Rembrandt.
UOP hit .417 in cruising to a 25?13 blowout in the first set, but the Roadrunners rallied to an impressive 13-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-18 win at the Icardo Center in Bakersfield.
CSUB (12-10 overall) used a balanced effort with nine different players registering a kill. Senior outside hitter Sarah Norman (Stockdale HS) led the way with 10 kills. Senior middle blocker Rosemary Stribling (West HS) and freshman outside hitter Lindy DeGeare (Stockdale HS) each chipped in seven.
Alexa Anderson and Svenja Engelhardt led all players with 13 kills apiece for Pacific (5-12, 5-3 Big West). Former Bakersfield High School star Mallori Gibson chipped in 11.
“I think the difference was our serving,” said CSUB Head Coach John Price. “After that first set, we got better pace and better movement on our serves and I think that got them out of system a bit more. Then our defense improved and Mystie (Mcnaughton) ran down a lot of balls.”
McNaughton, who was ranked among NCAA Division I players in digs per set at 5.41 entering the week, finished with a match-high 28 digs (7.0 dps). Her effort moved her to within 68 digs of Camille Mitchell's CSUB career record of 1,793.
Pacific came out of the gate on fire. The Tigers led 10-2 before the match was eight minutes old. A pair of Anderson kills and a block got the lead to double digits at 16-5 and CSUB never threatened again.
As it turned out, the set served as a wakeup call for the 'Runners. CSUB and Pacific went toe-to-toe in set two, playing through 12 ties and four lead changes. DeGeare provided the crucial swings in the match, posting consecutive kills to put the 'Runners ahead 21-20.
A Stribling kills and three Pacific errors later, the 'Runners had tied the match at one set apiece.
The match turned during a wild third set in which the teams traded big runs and momentum. Junior setter Barbie Thistle (Bakersfield HS) served eight consecutive points in an 11-1 run to help CSUB explode to a 15-4 lead.
But Bakersfield control was short-lived. Engelhardt put down a kill to end the streak then used her powerful jump serve to spark an 11-0 Pacific march that tied the set at 15-15.
Kills by Sarah Warner (Tehachapi HS) and Stribling stemmed the tied before a pair of Pacific hitting errors gave CSUB tenuous control at 20-16. Service aces by Kayla Williamson (Stockdale HS) and Thistle on set point gave CSUB the win.
The 'Runners kept their momentum to open the third set, racing to an 8-1 lead. Pacific closed to within 12-11, however, kills by Stribling and Norman helped CSUB pull away. The 'Runners scored six of the final seven points to finish the match.
CSUB heads to the Pacific Northwest this weekend for a pair of matches, starting Friday at fellow NCAA Division I independent Seattle University. They will play at the University of Portland Monday before returning home to host undefeated Fresno Pacific University Wednesday night in the Icardo Center.
