`Runner Beach Volleyball to Open Season at Home

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The smell of sunscreen, sandy toes, and resting under the shade of pop-up tents are once again prevalent at CSU Bakersfield's Barnes Beach Volleyball Complex at the Student Rec Center. After a short preseason, the Roadrunner beach volleyball team is ready to dive head first into the 2021 season by hosting a tri-dual on Saturday, Mar. 13, against The Master's University and Cal Poly.

The `Runners will square off against Master's (3-3) at 10 a.m. Saturday morning before CSUB takes on Cal Poly (3-3) at 2 p.m. The two visiting teams will play a neutral-site match in between. Until further notice, CSU Bakersfield's facilities will remain closed to fan attendance, but live updates can be found throughout the day @CSUB_Volleyball on Twitter.

Heading into his fifth season as Head Coach of CSUB's beach squad, Cesar Benatti utilized the few weeks he had with his team to prepare their minds as much as their bodies: "The main things we worked on were getting them used to the training routine again and focusing on the basics of the game. We had great training sessions where we really reinforced the importance of passing and setting, and we're still in this process, which in our vision is the most important thing right now. Mental stability is also something that we really value and the positive mindset has been one of our biggest strengths."

Bakersfield kicks off its 2021 schedule with a tough test against fellow Big West Conference member Cal Poly. The Mustangs entered the week ranked No. 6 in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Coaches Poll and this match against Cal Poly is just one of six Benatti has lined up against currently-ranked foes.

"Cal Poly is a very solid squad," Benatti said. "Their lineup 1 through 5 is very consistent and we are working towards the same thing. Our teams have been training super strong and we often have great competition among all matchups. That gives us confidence that we can compete head to head with Cal Poly, which is one of the best teams in the country."

While the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted the 2020 season, Benatti's returning squad does feature a fair bit of familiarity and experience together: "Three of these pairs played together since last season, and even though it was a short season, they work really well together…It made sense for us to put them together, since they have been building a great connection. That's a great advantage for us because they know each other really well and have experience in the conference. We're really excited to be back to competition and we look forward to feeling the jitters of an official game again."

~GoRunners.com~

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