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Mark Nessia/Mark Nessia Photography
2
Presbyterian PC 1-6
3
Winner CSU Bakersfield CSUB 3-5
Presbyterian PC
1-6
2
Final
3
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
3-5
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Presbyterian PC 17 16 28 28 10 (2)
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 25 25 26 26 15 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

13 Aces Help CSUB Outlast Presbyterian In 5 Sets



USAFA, Colo. – Through the first eight matches of the season, the Roadrunner volleyball team has now competed in four matches that required all five sets. CSU Bakersfield again went the distance on Friday night and came out on top of Presbyterian at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic.
 
The `Runners started the match out strong with 25-17 and 25-16 wins in the first two sets. In Sets 3 and 4, Presbyterian battled back to win by identical scores of 28-26 and send the match to the fifth set. The `Runners prevailed in the end, outlasting the Blue Hose 15-10 in Set 5. Giovana Melo, Director of Volleyball at CSUB, chalked up the lapse in the middle of the match to complacency and loss of focus.
 
Melo went on to applaud her team's service game on Friday night: "We played around with the players we were serving and changed it up a bit throughout the game and it worked for us. We have been putting a lot of stress on our serve and pass this past week." Bakersfield recorded 13 service aces against Presbyterian, the third-most aces in a five-set match in CSUB's Division I history.

Presbyterian jumped out to a 6-2 lead early in the first set, but CSUB battled back and eventually tied the score at 10-10. At the media timeout, the `Runners held a 15-12 lead, but the Blue Hose would not let CSUB run away with the set. Trailing 17-16, the `Runners went on a tear and won the final nine points to take the first set, 25-17. Desiree Sukhov, Emily Hansen, and Briannah Mariner had three kills each in a well-balanced offense while Leisa Elisaia dished out six assists.
 
The `Runners raced out of the gate in Set 2 and gained a 12-7 lead. CSUB extended that advantage to eight points at 19-11 before closing out the game with a 25-16 victory. In the second set, Mariner added three more sets for the `Runners while senior Mattison DeGarmo chipped in three kills of her own as well.
 
A rocky start by the `Runners turned into an early lead for the Blue Hose in Set 3. CSUB rallied back from as many as six points down to tie the score. From 20-20, Presbyterian surged to a two-point lead, but the `Runners responded to tie the score again at 22-22. The two teams traded points all the way to 26-26 before the Blue Hose earned a 28-26 win and forced a fourth set.
 
Set 4 proved to be another tight game with neither team being able to pull away. The two teams saw the score tied a total of 20 times. CSUB fended off a trio of set points to make the score 26-26, but the Blue Hose pulled off another 28-26 victory to send the match to the deciding set.
 
From 4-4 in the fifth set, CSUB rode a pair of big blocks from DeGarmo and Hansen followed by two kills from Hansen to gain an 11-4 advantage. Leading 13-10, the `Runners called a timeout to draw up a game plan for the final two points. Junior transfer Rafa Bonifacio got the final kill as CSUB took a 15-10 set victory to go with a 3-2 match win.
 
DeGarmo was everywhere for the `Runners on Friday night. Playing less than an hour away from her hometown, the native of Castle Rock, Colo. recorded 13 kills on a .367 clip. CSUB's middle blocker also added four aces, four digs, three block solos, and four block assists.
 
Sukhov, a sophomore outside hitter, recorded her second double-double of the season with 10 kills and 13 digs. Mariner, a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, tied DeGarmo with a team-high 13 kills against the Blue Hose. Hansen, who hails from Bakersfield, also recorded 10 kills. Sidney Wicks had 27 assists with Leisa Elisaia close behind at 24 and the pair of `Runner setters had nine digs each.

CSUB (3-5) has one match remaining in Colorado before returning home to enjoy the comforts of the Icardo Center for the first time this season. On Saturday, the `Runners will face off against a strong Valparaiso squad (7-2) with first serve set for 9 a.m. (PT).

~GoRunners.com~
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