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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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Mike Rasay/ISI Photos
3
Winner CSU Bakersfield CSUB 2-2
2
UC Irvine UCI 1-3
Winner
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
2-2
3
Final
2
UC Irvine UCI
1-3
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 15 25 25 22 15 (3)
UC Irvine UCI 25 16 23 25 13 (2)
3
Winner Texas Tech TTU 5-1
0
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 2-3
Winner
Texas Tech TTU
5-1
3
Final
0
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
2-3
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Texas Tech TTU 25 25 25 (3)
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 16 16 18 (0)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

`Runners Down UCI In 5 Sets, Split On Day 1



IRVINE, Calif. – A gutty, five-set victory over host UC Irvine kicked the UCI Adidas Tournament off with a bang for CSU Bakersfield's volleyball team. The Roadrunners battled for every point against the weekend's host and secured the win with their efforts. To cap a long day of volleyball action, an strong Texas Tech squad defeated the `Runners in straight sets despite a rally from CSUB in Set 3.

"The first game against UC Irvine was fun to watch," said Giovana Melo, CSUB's Director of Volleyball, after her squad's third-straight five-set match. The victory over the Anteaters was CSUB's first after an 0-3 start all-time against UCI. "We played with a lot of fire and passion. We battled to get better throughout the match, especially with serving and passing."

The fire seemed to be smouldering in CSUB's second match of the day. After a marathon against UCI, the `Runners came up short against a Texas Tech squad was the National Invitational Volleyball Championship Runner-up in 2017. Melo said she saw a different team on the court in the evening matchup: "We played timid in all aspects of the game and weren't as aggressive or disciplined as were in the first match."

CSUB 3, UC Irvine 2

In the first set, the `Runners went toe-to-toe with the Anteaters early on. After a 14-9 UCI lead, the host team went on a big run and finished strong for a 25-15 first-set victory. Sophomore Desiree Sukhov led all `Runners with four kills in the first set.

Set 2 fared much better for CSUB as the squad stormed out of the break. The `Runner offense overwhelmed the Anteaters, forcing UCI to call a timeout with CSUB leading 13-5. Irvine's attempt to regroup failed as the `Runners raced to the end, taking a 25-16 victory. Sukhov added another pair of kills in the set while junior transfer Rafa Bonifacio tallied a pair as well.

After the intermission, both teams came out of the locker rooms focused. The third set was tight with five ties through a 9-9 score before CSUB gained a little breathing room at 14-10. From 20-16, UCI clawed back in, cutting the deficit to just one point at 20-19. Redshirt freshman Brooke Boiseau got the `Runners back on track with a big kill through the heart of a triple block and a stuff two points later. CSUB was able to finish out the set, 25-23, and take a 2-1 lead in the match.

UCI jumped out to a 12-5 lead in the Set 4. CSUB trailed by as many as nine points at 15-6, but fought back within just one point at 19-18 to force an Anteater timeout. A late surge by UCI saw the `Runners come up short, 25-22, sending CSUB to the fifth set in its third-straight match.

In the deciding set, the `Runners sprinted to a 6-2 lead, but the Anteaters charged back to keep it close to the end. A solo block by Bonifacio set up match point for CSUB. After UCI scored a point to make the score 14-13, a service error ended the match as CSUB earned the five-set victory over the host team.

A trio of student-athletes who each tallied double-doubles led Bakersfield in Friday's opening match. Sukhov recorded career-highs with 15 kills and 17 digs for her third collegiate double-double. Setters Sidney Wicks (26 assists, 13 digs) and Leisa Elisaia (19 assists, 12 digs) ran the `Runner offense to the victory.

On the backline, sophomore Krista Hernandez raised her career-high in digs to 33 on Friday morning. Behind seven block assists from Boiseau, CSUB's defense out-blocked UCI 12.0-8.0 while the `Runners tallied 91 digs on the match.

Texas Tech 3, CSUB 0

Back on the court on Friday evening, Texas Tech pulled ahead of CSUB at 8-4 and kept a slim lead through most of the first set. A challenge won by the `Runners made the score 18-15, but the Red Raiders opened up the scoring and won the game, 25-16. Senior Briannah Mariner had six kills in the opening set for CSUB.

The second set was a similar story for the `Runners, who were able to hang around with Texas Tech through the middle of the set. Another strong finish by the Red Raiders gave Bakersfield's opponent a 25-16 victory and a 2-0 lead heading to the break.

After a slow start to Set 3, the `Runners climbed back into the game with a one-point deficit at 17-16. The spark at the end of the match was not enough as CSUB fell to the Red Raiders 25-18 in the set and 3-0 on the match.

Mariner, a native of Salt Lak City, Utah, posted a career-high of 13 kills with a .387 hitting percentage against Texas Tech. Wicks and Elisaia both recorded 12 assists in CSUB's second match of the day while Hernandez tacked on another 20 digs.

Tomorrow

The `Runners (2-3) are set to wrap up the UC Irvine Invitational on Saturday will one final match. Bakersfield will face another tough foe in the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia, just like UC Irvine, made it to the third round of the NIVC a year ago.

First serve of the final match is set for 3 p.m. and the match will again be live streamed via BigWest.TV.

~GoRunners.com~
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