WICHITA, Kan. ? The CSUB volleyball team nearly pulled off a shocker at the Best Western Shocker Classic Saturday, extending Ohio State in an early morning match before downing Coastal Carolina in the afternoon to earn a third?place finish.
“I thought this was a great weekend for our volleyball team,” said CSUB Head Coach John Price. “Lamar (whom CSUB beat Friday) and Coastal Carolina will do some damage in their conferences, so I feel very good about our performances in those two wins.
“I thought we played an outstanding match against Ohio State as well, but they're a Big 10 school with Big 10 athletes. I was extremely proud of the way our players responded to that challenge.”
Senior middle blocker Rosemary Stribling (West HS) continued the torrid start to her season, pounding out 23 kills with nine blocks Saturday. Senior libero Mystie McNaughton (Stockdale HS) added 35 digs as she inches closer to the Roadrunner record for digs in a career.
Both players earned all?tournament honors for their efforts. For Stribling, it was the second consecutive week she was so honored.
CSUB (3?4 overall) started slow against Ohio State (5?1) in a 25?16, 22?25, 25?23, 25?16 Buckeye win. The Roadrunners fell behind 18?5 to open the match before righting the ship late in game one. CSUB out?scored Ohio State 11?7 to end the game, and carried that momentum into the next game.
The 'Runners led early but Ohio State caught them at 16?16. A quick 4?0 run gave CSUB a 20?16 lead, but the Buckeyes tracked them down again at 21?21 and 22?22 before the 'Runners scored the final three points to tie the match at one game apiece.
CSUB had the Buckeyes on the ropes again in game three, leading as late as 21?19. But a service error and two setting miscues opened the door just wide enough for Ohio State to slip through for the win.
The 'Runners stayed close early in game four, but the Buckeyes' physicality eventually took over as they pulled away to close out the match.
The 'Runners started slowly against Coastal Carolina in their final match before rolling to a 21?25, 25?11, 25?16, 25?19 win. Despite a sluggish start, they managed to eek out a 20?18 lead but didn't record a kill the rest of the game as the Chanticleers scored seven of the final eight points to take the game.
But it was all CSUB from there as the 'Runners hit .280 in game two and .353 in game three to take command. Coastal Carolina threw a bit of a scare into CSUB late in game four, rallying from a five?point deficit to tie the game at 18?18. But Sarah Norman (Stockdale HS) put down three of her six kills after that tie as the 'Runners finished the match on a 7?1 run to seal the win.
CSUB will stay in Kansas over the weekend in preparation for a showdown with No. 20 Kansas State Monday in Manhattan.
