Big West Conference

Beach Volleyball April 29, 2022

CSUB Bows Out of Big West Tourney After Tight Battles

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – A pair of hard-fought battles slipped away from the Roadrunners on Friday at the Big West Beach Volleyball Championship. CSU Bakersfield dropped a tight, 4-1 clash against UC Davis in the opening round before coming up just a few points short of flipping the script on No. 11 Long Beach State in an elimination match.

In their final match of the season, the `Runners attacked LBSU, the tournament's second-seeded team. CSUB saw three pairings push their Beach counterparts to deciding sets, but the `Runners came up a handful of points short, falling by scores of 15-13, 15-12, and 15-11 in those final games. A few balls hitting the sand in CSUB's favor could have turned the tournament on its head.

"We played good volleyball today," said Cesar Benatti, Head Coach of the `Runners. "The final scores don't reflect the actual fight on the courts, but it's ok; we know we did everything we could and left everything on the sand."

CSUB 1, UC Davis 4

1s. Cameron Solberg & Milica Vukobrat (CSUB) def. Colleen McGuire & Chelsea Maeglin (UCD), 21-14, 21-16
2s. Tabitha Mitchell & Lily Justine (UCD) def. Sophia Hladyniuk & Hana Makonova (CSUB), 21-17, 21-13
3s. Megan Luly & Morgan Coolbaugh (UCD) def. Anna Unke & Brooke Boiseau (CSUB), 21-14, 21-17
4s. Rose Holscher & Ashlee Goycoochea (UCD) def. Alaina Gendale & Seleisa Elisaia (CSUB), 21-16, 21-14
5s. Sam Lazenby & Kylie Miller (UCD) def. Caroline Benke & Hayley McCluskey (CSUB), 21-16, 18-21, 15-10

CSUB 0, #11 LBSU 5

1s. Alice Pratesi & Skyler Germann (LBSU) def. Cameron Solberg & Milica Vukobrat (CSUB), 21-17, 14-21, 15-11
2s. Sydney Stevens & Katie Kennedy (LBSU) def. Sophia Hladyniuk & Hana Makonova (CSUB), 19-21, 21-12, 15-12
3s. Jillian Rodriguez & Emily Mattoon (LBSU) def. Anna Unke & Brooke Boiseau (CSUB), 21-13, 21-13
4s. Nicci Reinking & Claire Newlander (LBSU) def. Alaina Gendale & Seleisa Elisaia (CSUB), 21-17, 21-19
5s. Christine DeRoos & Sophie Major (LBSU) def. Caroline Benke & Hayley McCluskey (CSUB), 19-21, 21-15, 15-13

That's a Wrap

With the loss, CSUB's season comes to a close with an 11-17 record with more than half of Bakersfield's losses coming at the hands of nationally-ranked foes. The `Runners reset their program's single-season wins record with 11 victories and have earned valuable momentum heading into the 2023 season. CSUB Athletics continues to invest in its beach volleyball program as more resources are allocated toward recruiting each season.

"This season was very special," Benatti continued. "The environment, the leadership, the new players, the new focus on being beach-only. Everything together helped us have great memories that will last forever. The legacy will be there for the next generations."

~GoRunners.com~

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Players Mentioned

#2 Brooke Boiseau: 6' 1"; Sophomore

#1 Seleisa Elisaia: 5' 11"; Freshman

#3 Cameron Solberg: 5' 8"; Freshman

#22 Hana Makonova: 5' 10"; Freshman

#23 Hayley McCluskey: 6' 0"; Freshman

#25 Milica Vukobrat: 6' 0"; Freshman

#4 Alaina Gendale: 5' 8"; Junior

#12 Anna Unke: 5' 4"; Junior

#7 Caroline Benke: 5' 7"; Redshirt Junior

#11 Sophia Hladyniuk: 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#2 Brooke Boiseau
: 6' 1"; Sophomore

#1 Seleisa Elisaia
: 5' 11"; Freshman

#3 Cameron Solberg
: 5' 8"; Freshman

#22 Hana Makonova
: 5' 10"; Freshman

#23 Hayley McCluskey
: 6' 0"; Freshman

#25 Milica Vukobrat
: 6' 0"; Freshman

#4 Alaina Gendale
: 5' 8"; Junior

#12 Anna Unke
: 5' 4"; Junior

#7 Caroline Benke
: 5' 7"; Redshirt Junior

#11 Sophia Hladyniuk
: 5' 10"; Freshman

California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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CSUB Bows Out of Big West Tourney After Tight Battles

Players Mentioned

#2 Brooke Boiseau

#1 Seleisa Elisaia

#3 Cameron Solberg

#22 Hana Makonova

#23 Hayley McCluskey

#25 Milica Vukobrat

#4 Alaina Gendale

#12 Anna Unke

#7 Caroline Benke

#11 Sophia Hladyniuk

Players Mentioned

#2 Brooke Boiseau

#1 Seleisa Elisaia

#3 Cameron Solberg

#22 Hana Makonova

#23 Hayley McCluskey

#25 Milica Vukobrat

#4 Alaina Gendale

#12 Anna Unke

#7 Caroline Benke

#11 Sophia Hladyniuk