BAKERSFIELD, Calif.--Carol Grasso nearly turned in a triple-double as she helped lead CSU Bakersfield overcome a 2-1 deficit and defeat Seattle U for the 10th consecutive time 3-2 Saturday afternoon.

The Roadrunners sped to a 6-3 lead in the first set before the Redhawks went on an 8-1 run that would keep SU ahead for the remainder of the set. CSUB would get as close as one, 18-17, before Seattle U closed out the frame on an 8-2 spurt to win the opener 25-19.

CSU Bakersfield again jumped out to an early lead in the second set. CSUB led 8-4 from the start before SU called timeout and scored three straight. The 'Runners steadied themselves and rattled off the next three before increasing their lead to 17-12. Trailing 17-13, SU's Katarina Marinkovic recorded three consecutive aces to cut it to two. A final 6-2 run from CSUB allowed the 'Runners to tie the match 25-19. Seattle U struggled with their serve in the second, committing seven errors.

The third set featured 17 ties including at 28 and 29 before Seattle U would come away with a 31-29 victory to take a 2-1 match lead. Down 3-1 to start the fourth, CSUB scored 10 of the next 11 points for a seven-point lead. Seattle U took both of its timeouts during the stretch to try and slow the 'Runners.  CSU Bakersfield led 15-7 before the Redhawks clawed back in with three straight points. CSUB scored four of the next six and would get out to a 20-13 advantage. SU battled back, scoring three in a row once again. The 'Runners called timeout and came back with four consecutive points. After a side out, Seattle U committed its 21st service error to send the match to set five 25-17 in favor of the 'Runners.

With the fifth set tied at two, Marina Sanches and Aleksandra Djordjevic combined for a block on a Maja Stojanovic attack to give CSUB the lead. Katarina Glavinic's kill tied it at three before back-to-back kills from Sanches put the 'Runners up by two. A pair of Stojanovic errors (one blocking, one hitting) created a 6-3 set. Marinkovic returned the ball to SU with a kill.

A Grasso kill earned CSUB its eighth point as the teams reached the media timeout. Stojanovic's hitting error resulted in a Seattle U timeout. Marinkovic's kill gave the Redhawks a side out. The 'Runners called Grasso's number again. The 5-6 outside hitter recorded two straight kills prior to a CSUB serving error. At 10-6, Sydney Haynes' kill kept the momentum up for the Roadrunners. With Grasso on the serve, she tallied back-to-back aces to put CSUB up by eight. A Grasso service error would prove to be the final Seattle U point as Haynes and Katie Dunbar-Lowe blocked Marinkovic for the game winning point 15-7.

“I thought we played better than we did on Thursday,” said CSUB director of volleyball Giovana Melo. “We were able to keep the pressure on Seattle throughout the match and did the little things that we were supposed to do.”

Grasso nearly turned in a triple-double. She led all players with 20 kills and earned her 10th double-double of the year (in 17 matches played) with 14 digs. She tied her career high with seven service aces. Grasso's total also tied the CSUB Division I record for most aces in a five-set match which was established by Sarah Norman on Sept. 5, 2007 at Houston.

Haynes had 14 kills while both Roadrunner setters; Fabiana Andrade and Emily Lopes, each posted 22 assists. Seattle U was led by Matea Mamic who charted 14 kills. Glavinic and Marinkovic each registered 12 kills.

The CSUB 10-match winning streak against the Redhawks (10-10, 3-4 WAC) dates back to Nov. 4, 2011 when SU defeated CSUB 3-1 in Seattle. The Roadrunners (7-13, 4-3 WAC) travel to Grand Canyon Friday night for a 6 p.m. start.

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