Bakersfield Downs USF, `Runners Improve to 5-1

Box Score SAN FRANCISCO – Aside from dropping a tight second set, the CSU Bakersfield volleyball team cruised to an otherwise convincing victory in the Bay Area on Saturday afternoon. With a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Dons, the Roadrunners improved to 5-1 on the year and are now guaranteed to close out their non-conference schedule with a winning record.

"We did a great job serving and passing today," said Giovana Melo, Director of Volleyball at CSUB. "All three of our defenders did a great job, which allowed Leisa to run a great offense."

Milica Vukobrat, a native of Novi Sad, Serbia, was an offensive catalyst for the `Runners in San Francisco. CSUB also relied on the standout passing ability of its back-row defenders in Paige Calvin, Caroline Benke, and Anna Unke, the latter of whom celebrated her birthday with a victory on Saturday.

Due to an issue with the USF statistics computer, match statistics were not available at the end of the contest and will be delayed some time. Stay tuned to the CSUB volleyball schedule page for those stats to come in the near future. In the meantime, a summary of the match is described below.

Bakersfield jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first set and never looked back. The Dons made a late surge, but a Vukobrat kill sealed a 25-19 win for the `Runners.

After exchanging leads several times, USF regained the advantage at 23-21. Vukobrat sent her fourth kill of the set to the court and a Bakersfield block tied the score once again. Junior Hayley McCluskey picked up a back-row kill to give CSUB a set point opportunity, but USF tied the score at 24-24 and eventually tied the match with a 26-24 win.

The `Runners sprinted ahead to a 6-2 advantage in the third set, but USF would not let its guests get away quickly. CSUB slowly grew its lead all the way to a 25-15 win behind four kills and a block from redshirt sophomore Hana Makonova.

The Bakersfield momentum rolled right into the fourth set where CSUB built a 14-6 lead early on. Bakersfield extended its advantage to as many as 11 points (19-8) on the way to a 25-16 win, sealing a 3-1 victory over the Dons.

CSUB (5-1) will return to Bakersfield for a few days before hitting the road for its final non-conference matches. The `Runners are scheduled to make an appearance in Cheney, Wash., Sept. 17-18, at the Eastern Washington Tournament before returning to California to prepare for the start of Big West Conference play on Sept. 24.

~GoRunners.com~

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#7 Caroline Benke: L/DS; 5' 7"; Junior

#11 Hana Makonova: MB; 5' 11"; Redshirt Sophomore

#18 Hayley McCluskey: OH; 6' 0"; Junior

#4 Anna Unke: L/DS; 5' 4"; Junior

#19 Milica Vukobrat: RS; 6' 0"; Junior

#3 Paige Calvin: L/DS; 5' 7"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#7 Caroline Benke
: 5' 7"; Junior
: L/DS

#11 Hana Makonova
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Sophomore
: MB

#18 Hayley McCluskey
: 6' 0"; Junior
: OH

#4 Anna Unke
: 5' 4"; Junior
: L/DS

#19 Milica Vukobrat
: 6' 0"; Junior
: RS

#3 Paige Calvin
: 5' 7"; Junior
: L/DS