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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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HayleyMcCluskeyMN06
Mark Nessia/Mark Nessia Photography
3
Winner CSU Bakersfield CSUB 6-8,1-1 WAC
1
Chicago St. CSU 4-12,0-2 WAC
Winner
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
6-8,1-1 WAC
3
Final
1
Chicago St. CSU
4-12,0-2 WAC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 27 17 25 25 (3)
Chicago St. CSU 25 25 14 23 (1)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Sophomores Lead Bakersfield to WAC Road Victory



CHICAGO – A quartet of sophomores guided CSU Bakersfield's volleyball team to a hard-fought road victory in Saturday's Western Athletic Conference match against Chicago State. Outside hitter Hayley McCluskey led the way, tying her career high and CSUB's season high with 20 kills as the Roadrunners downed the Cougars, 3-1, in the Windy City.

"We were much more disciplined today and we had a much better match hitting," said Giovana Melo, CSUB's Director of Volleyball. "We had some key players step up and it made a difference for us. We will enjoy the win and the day off, but we have to get back to work on Monday to get better for two tough WAC matches at home next week."

The `Runners jumped out to an early, 11-3 lead on the host Cougars in the first set. Chicago State climbed back into the game with a 14-4 run, but the `Runners answered with back-to-back points to tie the set at 17-17. CSUB fought off a set point to tie the game at 24-24, then went on to win the first set, 27-25. McCluskey and fellow sophomore Brooke Boiseau led the way with five kills each in the opening game.

Several early errors helped the Cougars take a 12-6 lead on the `Runners early in Set 2. CSUB used a 3-0 run to pull within four points at 12-16, but Chicago State continued surging and tied the match at 1-1 with a 25-17 win. McCluskey added six more kills for the `Runners to lead all student-athletes at 11 kills to that point.

CSUB used a 5-1 run, fueled by a pair of Boiseau service aces, to gain a 15-10 lead on Chicago State in the third set. Later in the game, a 5-0 spurt helped the `Runners pull away and Bakersfield regained a lead on the match with a 25-14 win.

Set 4 started out tight with both teams trading points early on. Chicago State gained some breathing room at 19-13 with a 6-0 run, but Bakersfield rallied with a 10-2 run to take the lead, 23-21. The `Runners finished off the match with a 25-23 win as McCluskey recorded the final two kills of the match.

A native of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., McCluskey tied her career high and CSUB's season high with 20 kills on a .362 clip. Boiseau, a middle blocker, tallied 10 kills, two aces, three blocks, and five digs while Milica Vukobrat, a sophomore right side, recorded 12 kills and two digs.

Sophomore setter Leisa Elisaia posted her team-high sixth double-double of the season with 16 assists and 13 digs. Redshirt senior Sidney Wicks added 21 assists and seven digs in Bakersfield's win over Chicago State.

With the victory over the Cougars, CSUB (6-8, 1-1 WAC) moved to .500 in WAC play and will head home to defend the Icardo Center in a pair of conference matches next week. Bakersfield has enjoyed a distinct home-court advantage with a .778 win percentage over the past 2+ seasons. The `Runners encourage fans to come out on Thursday night to watch CSUB's clash against Utah Valley and then return Saturday afternoon for the match against Seattle U.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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