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Mike Rasay/ISI Photos
0
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 2-4
3
Winner Georgia UG 6-0
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
2-4
0
Final
3
Georgia UG
6-0
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 18 18 23 (0)
Georgia UG 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

`Runner Rally Falls Short Against Undefeated Georgia



IRVINE, Calif. – Facing off against its toughest opponent to this point in the season, the CSU Bakersfield volleyball team did not back down against an undefeated Georgia squad on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs took a 3-0 victory (18-25, 18-25, 23-25) over the Roadrunners, but not before a late rally helped Bakersfield score the most points in a single set against Georgia all weekend.

"I felt that we did some really good things today," said Giovana Melo, Director of Volleyball at CSUB. "Georgia was a very physical team, so, it is hard to maintain that same type of play throughout the match. I believe we got two percent better today. I was happy with the way we stayed composed even in hard moments and continued to play aggressive."

The `Runners jumped out to an early, 8-4 lead on the undefeated Bulldogs in the first set, but UGA pushed back and regained the lead. CSUB called a timeout trailing 16-9, but Georgia continued to pressure and took the first-set win, 25-18. Senior Briannah Mariner had four kills, two digs, and a block in the opening set for CSUB.

Early success continued into the second set for CSUB as Bakersfield enjoyed a 10-5 lead over Georgia. The `Runners held on to their lead until the Bulldogs tied the set at 16-16. Later, an overturned call went in favor of Georgia and swung momentum to the Bulldogs, who took an 18-16 lead. CSUB was unable to get the momentum back and eventually fell 25-18 again.

The third set started out evenly as neither team was able to take more than a three-point advantage up until the point that Georgia took a 12-8 lead. The `Runners did not allow the Bulldogs to run away with the set, pulling within two points at 16-14. Georgia went on a 6-0 run to build a 22-14 lead, but the `Runners responded with an 8-0 run of their own to tie the score. From 23-23, UGA finished off the match with a pair of kills. CSUB's rally gave Bakersfield 23 points, the most any team scored against Georgia in a single set during the weekend tournament.

Mariner, a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, led the `Runners on the match with 11 kills, two digs, and four blocks. Her net play was crucial to the CSUB defense, which out-blocked Georgia 7.0-3.5 on Saturday.

Redshirt senior Mattison DeGarmo chipped in four blocks of her own while freshman setter Leisa Elisaia ran the `Runner offense efficiently to the tune of 17 assists. Fellow freshman Hayley McCluskey and sophomore Emily Hansen each had six kills for the `Runners. Libero Krista Hernandez added another 15 digs against Georgia.

For their efforts, Mariner and Hernandez took home UCI Adidas Invitational All-Tournament Team honors. The nod is Hernandez's second of the season as the sophomore earned the honor last weekend in San Diego, Calif.

The `Runners (2-4) will return to Bakersfield and begin to prepare for next weekend's tournament. CSUB will head to Air Force's Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic, Sept. 6-8, in USAFA, Colo. Bakersfield will go up against host Air Force on Thursday, take on Presbyterian on Friday, and wrap up against Valparaiso on Saturday.

~GoRunners.com~
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