CSUB Volleyball To Host WAC Tournament Starting Thursday

Follow @CSUB_Volleyball

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The most important time of the season has arrived as CSU Bakersfield's volleyball team is preparing to begin postseason play with an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line. For the first time since 2014, the Roadrunners will host the Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament, Nov. 22-24, looking to repeat as the defending Tournament Champion after winning the title in Texas last season.

The `Runners wrapped up the 2018 regular season with a 7-9 record in WAC play and just one game below .500 (14-15) on the year. The result placed CSUB as the fifth seed in this week's tournament, which starts on Thanksgiving Day. Bakersfield will kick off the tournament Thursday with a match against the No. 4 seed, Utah Valley (17-12, 9-7 WAC). The Wolverines welcomed CSUB to Orem, Utah last week and defeated the `Runners 3-1 on their home court. CSUB will be looking to exact revenge for the recent loss and sweep the season series after taking a 3-2 home victory over UVU back in October.

If the `Runners are able to best Utah Valley, the next challenge standing in the way will be a semifinal matchup with the WAC regular-season Champion, UTRGV. Just as the Wolverines did in Utah, the Vaqueros defeated the `Runners in Texas last month, but Bakersfield's hot start to WAC play gave CSUB a victory in Bakersfield in September.

Despite the team's struggles on the road, CSUB has been a force in the Icardo Center. This season, the `Runners are 10-2 on the 'Kern Schools Court', resetting the school's Division I single-season record for most home wins. Dating back to Oct. 15, 2016, CSUB has won 19 of its last 23 home matches (.826). When CSUB hosted the WAC Tournament in 2014, the `Runners used the home-court advantage to race to their first title and NCAA Tournament berth. Bakersfield will be looking to recreate that magic again in 2018.

The `Runners and Wolverines play the first match of the WAC Tournament on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. There will be matches at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. each of the first two days of competition while the WAC Tournament final will be held Saturday at 7 p.m. CSUB will play the first match of the day with each round the team advances.

All of the matches at the WAC Tournament will be streamed live via ESPN+. For viewers outside of the United States, the matches can be watched on the WAC Digital Network, but that will be blacked out for US residents. Live stats will be available for all five matches.

For information on tickets to the matches, visit this page. For information on the tourney as a whole, visit the WAC Tournament Central (link above).

~GoRunners.com~

Print Friendly Version