David Dennis/All-Star Sports Photography

Box Score

CSU Bakersfield CSUB 8-2,1-1 Big West

Long Beach St. LBSU 6-7,0-2 Big West

CSU Bakersfield CSUB

8-2,1-1 Big West

Final

Sep. 25, 2021

Long Beach St. LBSU

6-7,0-2 Big West

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	F
CSU Bakersfield CSUB	25	23	25	25	(3)
Long Beach St. LBSU	22	25	16	22	(1)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | September 25, 2021

CSUB Volleyball Earns First Big West Victory

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10/1/2021 | 5:00 P.M.

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LONG BEACH, Calif. – After years of waiting to get into the Big West Conference, it only took the CSU Bakersfield volleyball team two matches to notch their first league victory. The Roadrunners earned a 3-1 road win over Long Beach State Saturday evening behind balanced offense and another stout defensive performance. With the victory, CSUB improved to 8-2 on the season and 1-1 in league play.

"I couldn't be more proud of the team," said Giovana Melo, Director of Volleyball at CSUB. "They executed the game plan perfectly."

Saturday's game came on the same day CSUB's Director of Athletics Dr. Kenneth "Ziggy" Siegfried was celebrating his birthday and Melo gave a shoutout to him after the win: "Happy Birthday to Ziggy! What a cool moment to get our first Big West win on his birthday."

Bakersfield put together a complete team performance against Long Beach State. The `Runners outhit the Beach .180 to .119 and the CSUB front row tallied 15 blocks, second-most in Bakersfield's Division I history in a four-set match.

Individually, CSUB enjoyed a well-balanced attack, guided by the standout play of setter Seleisa Elisaia. A native of South Jordan, Utah, Elisaia nearly recorded a quadruple-double against the Beach, tallying seven kills, 28 assists, 17 digs, and eight blocks in the four-set match.

Bakersfield looked to Serbian Milica Vukobrat's 10 kills to lead the way while the right side hitter added six digs and four blocks. Hana Makonova, a middle blocker from the Czech Republic, registered seven kills and a career-high nine blocks. CSUB's back row saw strong digging efforts from Paige Calvin (12), Anna Unke (11), and Caroline Benke (9).

The opening set was tightly contested, but Bakersfield used a 7-2 run midway through the game to take a 14-11 lead. CSUB maintained its slim lead, including at 19-16, but LBSU used a 5-0 run to make the score 21-19. The `Runners answered right back, ending the set on a 6-1 run to take the opening game, 25-22.

Set 2 was another close game but CSUB used a 7-2 run in the middle to gain some breathing room at 18-14. Later, a 6-1 run put LBSU ahead, 20-19. CSUB pulled within one point at 24-23, but the host team finished off the set, 25-23, to tie the match at one game apiece. Vukobrat led all student-athletes with nine kills to that point.

Bakersfield jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the third set and the `Runners used a 7-2 run to take a 20-13 lead over their host. CSUB dominated the Beach, posting a 25-16 victory and regaining the lead on the match, 2-1. Makonova was stellar in the game and boasted five kills and seven blocks against LBSU through three sets.

In the final set of the match, Long Beach State trailed CSUB almost the whole way, but the Beach never let its guest get out of reach. Bakersfield earned a 21-18 advantage, but LBSU pulled within two points at 23-21. Hayley McCluskey, CSUB's leading hitter coming into the match, scored the final two points for Bakersfield with a pair of kills to earn a 25-22 win.

CSUB (8-2, 1-1 BWC) will return to Bakersfield and prepare for an exciting pair of matches next weekend. The `Runners will host their first-ever Big West matches in the Icardo Center, Oct. 1 and 2, with CSUN and UC Santa Barbara scheduled for visits.

Tickets to CSUB volleyball matches are available online and fans can find more information about season tickets, single-match tickets, and more at GoRunners.com/tickets. Fans who cannot attend matches in the Icardo Center can watch live on ESPN+ all season long.

~GoRunners.com~

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