BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A dominant performance from start to finish helped the CSU Bakersfield volleyball team get back in the win column on Thursday night. The Roadrunners rode a well-balanced offense en route to a 3-0 sweep over Kansas City in the Icardo Center.

"I thought we did a good job on offense," said Giovana Melo, Director of Volleyball at CSUB. "I thought we did a little bit better with our serve and pass, so, we're back to being the team that we normally are." Melo's offense was a well-oiled machine on Thursday. The `Runners posted a team attack percentage of .423, third-best in CSUB's Division I history for a three-set match.

The `Runners started out strong in the first set and extended an 8-3 lead to a 16-8 advantage, forcing UMKC to call both of its timeouts. The Kangaroos pushed back, but CSUB finished strong for a 25-18 win. Junior Briannah Mariner went 4-for-5 (.800) to lead the offense while redshirt sophomore Sidney Wicks had seven assists.

The second set started out tight, but from the 10-6 mark, it was all `Runners. An eight-serve run by senior Aleksandra Djordjevic helped CSUB push the score to 18-8. Meanwhile, Bakersfield won 15 of the final 18 points to take a 25-9 victory. The `Runners combined for five total blocks in Set 2 alone to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

After a blowout in the second set Melo was pleased with her team's discipline: "I think they were focused and did a good job serving and siding out. That's something we have been working on and it keeps getting better and better."

Bakersfield jumped out to another quick lead, taking a 14-7 advantage before UMKC called the first timeout of Set 3. The 'Roos fought their way back into the third and final set, making the score as close as 21-18, CSUB finished off the job to take the three-set sweep. Djordjevic came up big for CSUB, posting seven of her nine kills in the third and final set.

With the victory, the `Runners (13-10, 6-2 WAC) trail Western Athletic Conference-leading UTRGV by just half a game. CSUB round out the weekend against Chicago State on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m. in the Icardo Center. The match will be CSUB's Pink Game, raising awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

~GoRunners.com~