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Nick Ellis

Beach Volleyball Written by James Tsitakis-Cecil

`Runners Round Out Historic Regular Season at USC

LOS ANGELES – The Cal State Bakersfield beach volleyball team faced by far its greatest challenge of the season thus far during a road contest at No. 2 USC. Although the Roadrunners were defeated 5-0 on the day, given the Women of Troy's stature in the game and their incredible record against ranked opponents in 2023, CSUB put up a valiant fight, with the No. 3 pairing of Isabella Almeida and Hayley McCluskey pushing their USC counterparts to the brink in both sets.
 
Quotes from Head Coach Cesar Benatti
  • "Overall the season was excellent. Best regular season of the history of the program, beating some important opponents and making great games against great teams. It definitely shows that we are heading in a great direction."
  • "They [Alemida/McCluskey] were the ones who actually played the most aggressive among our pairs. They were serving tough and consistent on the side out. I was pretty satisfied to see their performance."
  • "We are definitely very excited for the Big West Tournament. If we analyze historically, this year is the year that we have, in theory, the best chance of getting far. I want to end the season with the feeling of leaving everything on the courts. Where this will take us, I don't know, but we can compete head-to-head with all the teams out there. The girls are definitely prepared. We have gone through some great experiences this year and have learned a lot. We need to play free and aggressive, stay together, and have fun.
Notables
  • The `Runners finish the 2023 regular season with a 16-8 record, blitzing the program's previous record of 11 wins and setting a new standard for excellence in Cesar Benatti's squad going forward.
  • CSUB's No. 3 pairing of Almeida/McCluskey put up the best result on the day, coming within just a few points of their Trojan opponents, 21-17 and 21-18.
  • The No. 4 pairing of Emma Bubelis and Alanna Shields ended the regular season with a 17-6 record, tied with Almeida/McCluskey for the team lead.
  • The team will now look forward to the Big West Championship in Honolulu later this week. Cesar Benatti's squad will certainly be happy with this season's effort after finishing with the second-best win percentage in the conference.
CSUB 0, USC 5
1. Megan Kraft and Laynie Maple (USC) def. Sophia Brandstetter and Hana Makonova (CSUB) 21-10 21-11
2. Audrey Nourse and Nicole Nourse (USC) def. Emma Erteltova and Sophia Hladyniuk (CSUB) 21-10 21-14
3. Madison White and Gabby Walker (USC) def. Isabella Almeida and Hayley McCluskey (CSUB) 21-17 21-18
4. Olivia Bakos and Bailey Showalter (USC) def. Alanna Shields and Emma Bubelis (CSUB) 21-15 21-8
5. Jenna Johnson and Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (USC) def. Megan Gilbert and Pearl Moore (CSUB) 21-12 21-8

Up Next on the Schedule 
  • CSUB gears up for the Big West Championship.
  • Friday, Apr. 21
  • Honolulu, Hawai'i
~GoRunners.com~
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Players Mentioned

Emma Bubelis

#2 Emma Bubelis

5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
Megan Gilbert

#11 Megan Gilbert

5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
Sophia Hladyniuk

#13 Sophia Hladyniuk

5' 10"
Sophomore
Hana Makonova

#22 Hana Makonova

5' 10"
Senior
Hayley McCluskey

#14 Hayley McCluskey

6' 0"
Senior
Isabella Almeida

#8 Isabella Almeida

5' 9"
Freshman
Sophia Brandstetter

#10 Sophia Brandstetter

5' 11"
Graduate Student
Pearl Moore

#21 Pearl Moore

5' 8"
Junior
Alanna Shields

#1 Alanna Shields

5' 10"
Sophomore
Emma Erteltova

#7 Emma Erteltova

6' 3"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Emma Bubelis

#2 Emma Bubelis

5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
Megan Gilbert

#11 Megan Gilbert

5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
Sophia Hladyniuk

#13 Sophia Hladyniuk

5' 10"
Sophomore
Hana Makonova

#22 Hana Makonova

5' 10"
Senior
Hayley McCluskey

#14 Hayley McCluskey

6' 0"
Senior
Isabella Almeida

#8 Isabella Almeida

5' 9"
Freshman
Sophia Brandstetter

#10 Sophia Brandstetter

5' 11"
Graduate Student
Pearl Moore

#21 Pearl Moore

5' 8"
Junior
Alanna Shields

#1 Alanna Shields

5' 10"
Sophomore
Emma Erteltova

#7 Emma Erteltova

6' 3"
Senior
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