Beach Volleyball Ready for Big West Championship

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – After a week off the CSU Bakersfield beach volleyball team will head to Malibu, Calif. for the annual Big West Championship. The Roadrunners have drawn the No. 6 seed and will square off against third-seeded Long Beach State in the opening round on Friday.

CSUB (8-13) beat Concordia University Irvine 5-0 and lost 4-1 to CSUN in Northridge in its last weekend of regular season competition. At the top spot in the lineup, Mattison DeGarmo and Briannah Mariner have the exact same record as the Roadrunners do as a team. Bakersfield's No. 2 pair, Cameron Solberg and Milica Vukobrat, and its No. 3 pair, Hana Makonova and Sidney Wicks, both have nine victories on the season. Individually, Brooke Boiseau leads the team with 10 wins on the year. Boiseau won six matches with Krista Hernandez before pairing with Emily Hansen down the stretch.

The Roadrunners and the 49ers have already met twice this season, with Long Beach State earning 5-0 wins in both contests. They enter the weekend ranked 12^th in the country and sport an overall record of 18-9.

"It's a tough first match, but the last time we played them we did really well and it was actually the best game we've had against them," said CSUB head coach Cesar Benatti. "I think we're in a good position. Moving on, we're in good shape with a good mindset. We've had a lot of ups and downs this season, but we're up right now. It's a good time to have this type of attitude and mindset."
The weekend is set up as a double elimination tournament. The Roadrunners will play either the winner or the loser of the Cal Poly-Sacramento State match, following the result of their opening match.

If CSUB springs the upset, they will likely meet the second-seeded Mustangs. Cal Poly is currently ranked eighth in the country. If Bakersfield falters, the `Runners will likely meet the Hornets, who they beat 4-1 at the Big West Challenge.

Hawaii is the three-time defending champions and the favorite to take home the trophy again this weekend. The top-seeded Rainbow Wahine are ranked fifth in the country and have a 24-7 record on the year.

The `Runners will begin their tournament run on Friday at 11:00 a.m. on Zuma Beach.

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Players Mentioned

#2 Brooke Boiseau: 6' 1"; Sophomore

#15 Mattison DeGarmo: 6' 3"; Senior

#13 Emily Hansen: 5' 10"; Sophomore

#12 Krista Hernandez: 5' 5"; Sophomore

#10 Briannah Mariner: 5' 10"; Senior

#21 Sidney Wicks: 5' 8"; Redshirt Junior

#3 Cameron Solberg: 5' 8"; Freshman

#22 Hana Makonova: 5' 10"; Freshman

#25 Milica Vukobrat: 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#2 Brooke Boiseau
: 6' 1"; Sophomore

#15 Mattison DeGarmo
: 6' 3"; Senior

#13 Emily Hansen
: 5' 10"; Sophomore

#12 Krista Hernandez
: 5' 5"; Sophomore

#10 Briannah Mariner
: 5' 10"; Senior

#21 Sidney Wicks
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Junior

#3 Cameron Solberg
: 5' 8"; Freshman

#22 Hana Makonova
: 5' 10"; Freshman

#25 Milica Vukobrat
: 6' 0"; Freshman