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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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MilicaVukobrat6
Mark Nessia/Mark Nessia Photography
3
Winner CSU Bakersfield CSUB 1-3
1
Fresno State FS 2-2
Winner
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
1-3
3
Final
1
Fresno State FS
2-2
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 17 25 25 25 (3)
Fresno State FS 25 19 20 23 (1)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

`Runners Down Fresno State 3-1 on the Road



FRESNO, Calif. – After shaking off some early struggles on Thursday night, CSU Bakersfield's volleyball team roared back from a one-set deficit to defeat cross-valley rival Fresno State. The Roadrunners earned their first victory of the season, 3-1 (17-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-23), in the opening match of the Fresno State Invitational.  

"I think we had a lot of emotions going into the match," said Giovana Melo, Director of Volleyball at CSUB. "We just needed to channel our energy and execute the game plan. We flipped our matchup and it worked well. I'm very proud of the team!"

Rafa Bonifacio, a senior from Brazil, led the way for CSUB with her second double-double (10 kills, 10 digs) of the season. Sophomore Milica Vukobrat, who hails from Serbia, came up just short of a triple-double with nine kills, 11 digs, and eight blocks. The `Runners also enjoyed a career-high 25 assists from sophomore setter Leisa Elisaia, who added 12 digs for a double-double of her own.

Bakersfield's defense was led by redshirt sophomore Brooke Boiseau, who posted 10 blocks against Fresno State. Boiseau's blocks total is the most by any `Runner in CSUB's Division I history in a four-set match and ties the school record for any length-match. CSUB finished the night with 17.0 blocks, resetting the school's Division I record for a single match.

The Bulldogs (2-2) were led by former `Runner Desireé Sukhov. The junior transferred to Fresno State this summer and posted 11 kills and 12 digs against CSUB on Thursday. Bakersfield and Fresno State still have one scheduled meeting left this season as the Bulldogs are slated to participate in the Roadrunner Classic, Sept. 20-21.

The `Runners came out of the gate a little flat as Fresno State jumped out to a 10-1 lead in the first set. Back-to-back kills from Boiseau followed by a block by Boiseau and Bonifacio helped CSUB put some pressure on the Bulldogs. An ace from Elisaia gave the `Runners four-straight points and forced Fresno State to call a timeout with its lead down to six points, but Fresno State eventually won 25-17.

Set 2 started out close with the two teams trading points to a 6-6 tie. The `Runners forced some Bulldog errors and used a 7-1 run to open up a lead on their host. Later in the game, Fresno State put together an 8-1 spurt to cut Bakersfield's lead to just one point at 18-17. CSUB resumed its strong play and got a clutch kill from Vukobrat followed by a block from Vukobrat and redshirt freshman Hana Makonova as CSUB tied the match at 1-1 with a 25-19 victory.

Bakersfield continued its momentum into the third set as the `Runners sprinted to a 15-8 lead early with Bonifacio tallying five kills in the set to that point. Fresno State fought to stay in the match and pulled within one point at 16-15, but three-straight rallies won by the `Runners quelled any thoughts of a comeback. CSUB went on to win the third set 25-20 as Bonifacio, a senior outside hitter, posted six kills in Set 3 alone. Vukobrat had six kills in the match to the point with a .312 hitting percentage.

The `Runners and Bulldogs found themselves knotted up at 22-22 in the fourth set. Bakersfield native Emily Hansen and Boiseau combined for a block to give the `Runners a slim, one-point lead. A Fresno State attack error gave CSUB its first match point, and the `Runners finished off the match with a 25-23 win on a kill by Vukobrat.

CSUB (1-3) tallied its first win of the season Thursday night while handing the Bulldogs their first home loss of 2019. On Friday, the `Runners will get back to work with matches scheduled against Santa Clara at noon and CSUN at 4:30 p.m. to close out the Fresno State Invitational.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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