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Women's Volleyball

CSUB Volleyball Ready to Open 2019 Season



BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A new season approaches for the CSU Bakersfield volleyball team with the 2019 schedule officially set to kick off this weekend. The Roadrunners have been furiously preparing for opening weekend and will head into their final season in the Western Athletic Conference with the CSUB Athletics "Make Your Mark" mindset.

The `Runners only have a couple weeks of practice under their belts, so they will get their first true test this weekend when the squad starts the season with the Sacramento State Hornet Invitational. CSUB's Director of Volleyball, Giovana Melo, has been working day and night to ensure the team will be ready, despite some hiccups along the way.

"The team is slowly getting better," Melo said of her squad. "Right now, we are just trying to stay healthy. We had a couple injuries that slowed us down a bit this preseason."

With a mixture of nearly half newcomers and half returners, Melo is looking forward to her team growing together as the season progresses: "Right now we are focusing on learning the system, but mostly being competitive each day. Of course, the goal is always to win games, but that is a byproduct of the work we put in. Our goal during non-conference play is to go out there and be competitive while learning a little bit more about the game."

Bakersfield's squad took a couple of big hits last spring with the graduation of its two seniors, Briannah Mariner and Mattison DeGarmo. The pair accounted for over 35% of CSUB's kills in 2018 and over 75% of the team's blocks. Despite the losses, the `Runners return a savvy group of veterans including both setters in Melo's 6-2 system, redshirt senior Sidney Wicks and sophomore Leisa Elisaia.

CSUB also returns redshirt sophomore Brooke Boiseau, who reset the program's Division I record for single-season blocks a year ago. Adding in junior Emily Hansen, senior Rafa Bonifacio, sophomore Milica Vukobrat, and three more veterans, Bakersfield maintained a strong core to build around in 2019.

"The team has been working hard," Melo said of the squad's preseason efforts. "I think we are resilient and our practices have been very competitive."

The `Runners also welcomed three freshmen and two junior transfers to the roster this summer. Along with returning redshirts Jazleigh Ortiz, Ericka Snopko, and Hana Makonova, a total of eight `Runners are set to make their CSUB debuts this season. A pair of newcomers who will be fun to watch are transfers Jojo Ishida and Mapuhola Sekona. A former duo during their high school careers in Hawai'i, Ishida and Sekona went their separate ways for the first two years of college, but have been reunited on CSUB's Kern Schools Court.

With one final year remaining in the WAC, Bakersfield is looking to make its mark before heading to the Big West Conference. The `Runner volleyball team has already won two WAC Tournament titles (2014, 2017) and will look to win its third in just seven years spent in the conference.

The quest towards another WAC crown begins on Friday, Aug. 30, with the Hornet Invitational. The `Runners will open up against Nevada at 10 a.m. before closing out the first day of the season against host Sacramento State at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, CSUB will finish off the tournament with an 11 a.m. matchup against Canisius.

Links to live stats and live video steams for all three matches are available on the CSUB volleyball schedule page. For live match updates, follow along with @CSUB_Volleyball on Twitter (link above).

~GoRunners.com~
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Players Mentioned

Mattison DeGarmo

#15 Mattison DeGarmo

RS/MB
6' 3"
Senior
Briannah Mariner

#10 Briannah Mariner

OH
5' 10"
Senior
Brooke Boiseau

#2 Brooke Boiseau

MB/RS
6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
Rafa Bonifacio

#7 Rafa Bonifacio

OH
5' 11"
Senior
Seleisa Elisaia

#1 Seleisa Elisaia

S
5' 10"
Sophomore
Emily Hansen

#13 Emily Hansen

RS/S
5' 8"
Junior
Hana Makonova

#11 Hana Makonova

MB
5' 11"
Redshirt Freshman
Jazleigh Ortiz

#3 Jazleigh Ortiz

L
5' 8"
Redshirt Junior
Ericka Snopko

#14 Ericka Snopko

MB
6' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
Milica Vukobrat

#19 Milica Vukobrat

RS
6' 0"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Mattison DeGarmo

#15 Mattison DeGarmo

6' 3"
Senior
RS/MB
Briannah Mariner

#10 Briannah Mariner

5' 10"
Senior
OH
Brooke Boiseau

#2 Brooke Boiseau

6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
MB/RS
Rafa Bonifacio

#7 Rafa Bonifacio

5' 11"
Senior
OH
Seleisa Elisaia

#1 Seleisa Elisaia

5' 10"
Sophomore
S
Emily Hansen

#13 Emily Hansen

5' 8"
Junior
RS/S
Hana Makonova

#11 Hana Makonova

5' 11"
Redshirt Freshman
MB
Jazleigh Ortiz

#3 Jazleigh Ortiz

5' 8"
Redshirt Junior
L
Ericka Snopko

#14 Ericka Snopko

6' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
MB
Milica Vukobrat

#19 Milica Vukobrat

6' 0"
Sophomore
RS
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