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HayleyMcCluskeyHW03
Hannah Walker

Women's Volleyball

`Runners Go Unbeaten in Illinois to Open Season

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 DEKALB, Ill. – What could have been a slow start after 650 days between competitive matches turned into a 2-0 sweep of the day as the CSU Bakersfield volleyball team earned a pair of victories at the Huskie Invitational on Friday. The Roadrunners came from behind to defeat Air Force 3-2 before knocking off tournament host Northern Illinois 3-1 to close their first day of the season with an unblemished record.

"When we do a good job with our serve-receive and we pass well, we're a fun team to watch," said Giovana Melo, CSUB's Director of Volleyball. "We have different players putting balls away from all different directions and it's an exciting team to have when we can pass. When we are inconsistent and get caught up with other things in our game, then we have a little bit of a hard time, but when we focus on passing and run our system, I think we are a good team."

After falling in a 2-1 hole to Air Force, Melo said she encouraged her team to shake off the nerves: "We talked about not being tentative. They did a very good job blocking us and I think we got a little tentative. We weren't doing what we have been practicing and we were not being aggressive."

Rolling Friday morning's momentum right into the evening match on ESPN+, Melo said she felt the team did a good job of staying assertive against NIU: "Once we are aggressive and controlling the game, without being afraid of making mistakes, we are a really good team. That was the focus for the second match. Everybody just started getting going and gaining confidence and we were getting kills from every part of the court. It was fun to see the team get kills from different hitters all day long."

Bakersfield's offense did indeed come from a wide spread of `Runners, but senior Hayley McCluskey led the way, posting 15-kill efforts in both matches in DeKalb. The outside hitter also added 27 digs over the two matches, including a career-high 19 against NIU.

Senior setter Seleisa Elisaia ran the floor like the experienced veteran she is, averaging 39 assists and 8.5 digs per match. Freshman outside hitter Samia Bhakta earned her first two collegiate starts and made an immediate impact for the `Runners, averaging 8.5 kills per match on Friday.

CSUB 3, Air Force 2

The `Runners sprinted out to a big lead in the first set and cruised to a convincing, 25-15 win.  Elisaia did a little bit of everything, tallying seven assists, three kills, one ace, and a block.

Air Force pulled away from a tight set to even the match, 1-1, with a 25-18 win in Set 2. The `Runners hit -.125 in the game after hitting .200 as a team in the first set.

The Falcons raced out to a 12-6 advantage in the third set, but Bakersfield pulled within two points at 17-15. CSUB rebounded with its best hitting set of the match (.269), but the `Runners fell by a score of 25-21.

The `Runners led the whole fourth set, but Air Force pulled within three points at 21-18. The two teams tied at 23 and again at 24, but back-to-back kills from senior Milica Vukobrat followed by an ace from redshirt junior Hana Makonova sealed a 26-24 win and sent the match to the deciding set.

Bakersfield dominated the final set, leading Air Force at 4-0, 7-2, and 12-6 while hitting .400. Almost like déjà vu, a Vukobrat kill and a Makonova ace closed out a comeback victory for the `Runners with a 15-8 Set 5 win.

Elisaia came up just two passes shy of her career high when she posted 44 assists on Friday morning. The senior also chipped in two aces, four kills, and six digs. A first-year `Runner who transferred in from Sacramento State, Paige Calvin made her mark on the back row. Bakersfield's libero reset her career-high with 24 digs against the Falcons in her `Runner debut.

McCluskey led the `Runner attackers with 15 kills while adding four aces and eight digs in DeKalb. CSUB also enjoyed 12 kills out of fellow senior Vukobrat while redshirt senior Brooke Boiseau chipped in nine kills on .429 hitting. In another CSUB debut, Bhakta tallied eight kills against Air Force.

CSUB 3, Northern Illinois 1

The two teams traded the lead a few times in the first set, but Bakersfield used a late surge to take a 22-18 advantage and finish off the win, 25-21. CSUB out-blocked the Huskies 4-0 in the opening game, making a difference at the net. Bhakta led all `Runners in Set 1 with four kills on .500 hitting.

NIU maintained a slim lead all the way through the second set and polished off a 25-20 victory to tie the match at one set apiece. The third set remained tight with the two teams tied at 13-13. CSUB closed the game on a 12-5 run with Makonova's kill finishing off the Huskies for a 25-18 win and a 2-1 advantage.

After trailing 7-6 early on in the fourth and final set, CSUB surged ahead to a 15-7 lead, exhausting both of NIU's timeouts in the process. The `Runners continued cruising and punctuated their second victory of the day with a 25-15 win over the home team.

McCluskey more than doubled her career high in digs with 19 in the second match of the day while adding another 15 kills. Bhakta called her first-match total of eight kills and raised it by one while hitting .333 against the Huskies. Vukobrat found her way all over the court, tallying seven kills, three assists, and 12 digs. Elisaia got aggressive and finished with a career-high seven kills to go with 34 assists, 13 digs, and four blocks.

Tomorrow

CSUB (2-0) will return Saturday morning to close out the Huskie Invitational with one final match. The `Runners will face off against Western Illinois at 10 a.m. (PT) and fans can follow along via live stats with a link available at GoRunners.com/Live.

~GoRunners.com~
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Players Mentioned

Brooke Boiseau

#2 Brooke Boiseau

MB
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
Seleisa Elisaia

#1 Seleisa Elisaia

S
5' 10"
Junior
Hana Makonova

#11 Hana Makonova

MB
5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
Hayley McCluskey

#18 Hayley McCluskey

OH
6' 0"
Junior
Milica Vukobrat

#19 Milica Vukobrat

RS
6' 0"
Junior
Paige Calvin

#3 Paige Calvin

L/DS
5' 7"
Junior
Samia Bhakta

#16 Samia Bhakta

MB/RS
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Brooke Boiseau

#2 Brooke Boiseau

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
MB
Seleisa Elisaia

#1 Seleisa Elisaia

5' 10"
Junior
S
Hana Makonova

#11 Hana Makonova

5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
MB
Hayley McCluskey

#18 Hayley McCluskey

6' 0"
Junior
OH
Milica Vukobrat

#19 Milica Vukobrat

6' 0"
Junior
RS
Paige Calvin

#3 Paige Calvin

5' 7"
Junior
L/DS
Samia Bhakta

#16 Samia Bhakta

6' 0"
Freshman
MB/RS
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