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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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VBTeamHW03
Hannah Walker
1
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 7-2,0-1 Big West
3
Winner Cal St. Fullerton CSF 4-4,1-0 Big West
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
7-2,0-1 Big West
1
Final
3
Cal St. Fullerton CSF
4-4,1-0 Big West
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 22 23 25 22 (1)
Cal St. Fullerton CSF 25 25 17 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

CSUB Comeback Falls Short in Big West Debut

FULLERTON, Calif. – The CSU Bakersfield comeback fell short on Friday night as the Roadrunners dropped a 3-1 decision in their Big West Conference debut. After trailing two sets to none on the road against Cal State Fullerton, CSUB started to charge and nearly pushed the match to the fifth set, but the host Titans came out on top on their home court (25-22, 25-23, 17-25, 25-22).

"We were a bit tense today," said Giovana Melo, who led her `Runners into their first-ever Big West match on Friday. "We need to go back to playing the volleyball we know how to play."

Melo's team put together a 7-1 record during non-conference play, but the `Runners started out slow against Fullerton and could not recover. CSUB's offense outhit CSUF's on the night, posting a clip of .180 compared to .165 for the Titans, but it was Bakersfield's back row that really shined. Four `Runners tallied 15 digs or more including Seleisa Elisaia (29), Paige Calvin (27), Milica Vukobrat (20), and Anna Unke (15) with all four posting career highs in the category.

Despite being a setter, Elisaia was able to contribute on both sides of the system, posting career highs of 47 assists and 29 digs. The junior's effort was the biggest two-way performance by a `Runner setter since Luiza Martins tallied 64 assists and 24 digs in a 2015 win over Grand Canyon.

Vukobrat recorded her second double-double of the season, adding a team-high 13 kills against Fullerton. Fellow CSUB veterans Hayley McCluskey and Hana Makonova each chipped in 12 kills while freshman Samia Bhakta tallied a season-high 11 kills to go with four blocks.

CSUB jumped out to a quick, 10-4 lead in the first set and held Fullerton at a distance for the entire game. From a 21-16 CSUB advantage, the Titans closed the set with a 10-1 surge to steal the opening frame, 25-22. Bakersfield was led by Vukobrat's four kills while Elisaia nearly tallied a double-double (11 assists, nine digs) in Set 1 alone.

The second set was very tight with the teams reaching a score of 15-15 and their ninth tie of the set. The Titans gained a 21-17 lead, but the `Runners used a 5-1 run to tie the score before knotting the game up at 23-23. Once again, Fullerton held off CSUB's advances and took a 2-0 lead on the match with a 25-22 victory.

Another tight battled raged early on in Set 3 with Bakersfield clinging to a 15-14 advantage on its quest to force a fourth set. CSUB exploded for an 8-0 run and surged to a 25-17 win to accomplish its mission. Vukobrat led the `Runners with 10 kills to that point while two `Runners, Elisaia and Calvin, both had 20+ digs from the back row.

Trying to send the match to the fifth set, CSUB found itself trailing CSUF 16-11. Bakersfield went on a 10-3 run to go ahead 21-19, but Fullerton regained the lead at 22-21. The `Runners tied the score once more, but the Titans won the final three points to take Set 4, 25-22, and to seal the match, 3-1.

CSUB (7-2) will stay in Southern California and prepare for a quick turnaround ahead of a Saturday afternoon Big West matchup with Long Beach State. The `Runners and the Beach will clash at 4 p.m. (PT) inside the Walter Pyramid. Saturday's match will be broadcasted live on ESPN+.

~GoRunners.com~
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