Volleyball Set For Home Tournament, Home Slate On ESPN3

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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The wait is finally over as CSU Bakersfield's volleyball team, the defending Western Athletic Conference Tournament Champion, has returned to Bakersfield to begin its home schedule this week with the Roadrunner Classic. For the first time, starting with this week's tournament, all of the Roadrunners' home matches will be streamed live via WatchESPN starting with this week's tournament.

"We are happy to finally play at home," said CSUB Director of Volleyball Giovana Melo. "It will be another tough tournament for us but we are ready to go to battle." After three-straight weekends on the road, the `Runners will finally enjoy the comforts of the Icardo Center for the first time.

The Roadrunner Classic promises to feature four solid volleyball teams with six matches scheduled over three days. The tournament kicks off Thursday, Sept. 13, with CSUB hosting UC Santa Barbara at 6 p.m. On Friday, the `Runners will clash with Montana at 7 p.m. before wrapping up on Saturday at 5 p.m. against South Dakota.

The `Runners are excited for all three home matches this weekend, but Saturday's contest features something special for CSUB. When Bakersfield matches up with South Dakota, `Runner fans will have the option to view the game on WatchESPN or on Facebook Live via the NCAA Volleyball page. This opportunity puts the `Runners in the homes of nearly half a million followers to the NCAA Volleyball page and will help spread CSU Bakersfield throughout the nation.

UC Santa Barbara (6-3) will come to Bakersfield on a four-match winning streak. The Gauchos took a trio of 3-1 victories at their home tournament last week, including a win over Texas Tech. Junior Lindsey Ruddins has averaged an impressive 5.54 kills per set this season, good enough to rank the Gaucho third in the nation.

The Grizzlies will leave Montana and arrive in Bakersfield with a record of 2-7. UM set up an tough non-conference schedule and has suffered losses at the hands of UC Riverside, Cal State Fullerton, Utah, Iowa State, Arizona, and NM State. Second-year head coach Allison Lawrence has nine upperclassmen at her disposal, a good reason not to overlook the Grizzlies.

Like UCSB, South Dakota also brings a 6-3 record to the Roadrunner Classic. The Coyotes had a four-match win streak snapped last week and concluded the Central Arkansas Tournament with a pair of losses. USD has a quartet of strong hitters and looks to setter Madison Jurgens to run the offense with her 9.91 assists per set.

For live updates during this weekend's tournament, follow the CSUB volleyball twitter account (link above). For more information on the Roadrunner Classic like match times, tickets, and more, visit the CSUB volleyball schedule page.

~GoRunners.com~

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