BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Coming into Saturday's Western Athletic Conference volleyball match, CSU Bakersfield had played in four straight five-set matches against Utah Valley with the Wolverines winning each of the last three meetings. The Roadrunners fell behind 2-1 after the first three sets today, but battled back to play five sets again and ended UVU's winning streak with a 17-15 win in the final game. The victory also gave CSUB (10-8, 4-0 WAC) its best start to WAC play since joining the league in 2013.
After dropping the second and third sets, CSUB's Director of Volleyball, Giovana Melo, was able to get her team to refocus: "I told them to come out [for the fourth set] the same way that they came out in the first set. I think they had a little bit more guts and grit in the beginning and they just kind of let it go."
Melo went on to comment that her team is young and prone to mistakes. Bakersfield's head coach commended the play of freshman Bailey Smith, who had not played in the last seven matches, but came on to play the final two sets and recorded six of her eight kills in Set 5: "Bailey has been working hard in practice every single day. I think she has been waiting for her opportunity. She got one today and she did an amazing job."
The `Runners got out to a quick, 8-3 lead in Set 1, forcing a UVU timeout. The Wolverines pushed back and CSUB called a timeout with a slim, 18-16 lead. After a tie at 22-22 and 23-23, UVU earned the first of three set point opportunities. Each time, the `Runners pushed back and a kill by redshirt senior Haylee Roberts tied the match at 26-26. Senior Aleksandra Djordjevic's kill gave CSUB a set point and junior Mattison DeGarmo served up an ace to finished off the tight first set, 28-26.
In the second set, UVU went on a run, winning seven of eight points, and CSUB called a timeout down 14-11. Trailing 20-16, the `Runners called another timeout to try to regroup, but the Wolverines took the second game 25-22.
CSUB called a timeout down 9-5 in the third set, but won seven of the next eight points to earn a 12-10 lead and force UVU to take a timeout. Down 23-20, the `Runners pushed back to make the score 24-23, but a bad set gave UVU a 25-23 victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.
From a 12-12 tie in the fourth set, senior setter Fabiana Andrade served seven straight times including a pair of aces to help CSUB pull ahead 18-13. Smith, who had not played in a match since Sept. 9 at Northern Arizona, recorded the final two kills of the set as CSUB won the fourth game 25-16.
In the fifth and final set, UVU jumped out early to a 7-3 advantage. The two teams switched sides at 8-6. Another run and another ace from Andrade helped CSUB tie the fifth set at 10-10, but UVU won the next three points.
The `Runners staved off a pair of match points and tied the set at 15-15 on a kill by Smith. Andrade felt the connection with her freshman outside hitter and went back to Smith two more times. The native of Litchfield Park, Ariz. earned kills on each of the final three points as CSUB edged UVU 17-15 and 3-2 in the match.
Smith tallied six of her eight kills on Saturday in the fifth and final set. CSUB had a well-balanced offense overall with seven `Runners finishing with seven kills or more in the Icardo Center. Roberts led the way with 14 kills while Andrade put together 32 assists and 12 digs for another double-double.
Senior libero Emily Lopes, who entered the week Top 10 in all of NCAA Division I in both total digs and digs per set, was a back-row hero with 35 digs, five assists, and a service ace. Senior Sidney Wicks also recorded 28 assists in CSUB's two-setter system.
Melo and the `Runners are excited about their perfect start to begin conference play, but are focused on finishing the season well: "Right now we feel really good, but we have to take it game by game. You can tell that, in the WAC right now, it's going to be a battle no matter what team we play."
Next week, CSUB will visit Cal State Fullerton on Oct. 3 before closing the week with a home match against WAC foe Grand Canyon on Oct. 6. Friday's match at the Icardo Center is set for a 4:30 p.m. start and will feature a free, post-match volleyball clinic for kids eighth grade and under.
~GoRunners.com~
