`Runners Head to Honolulu for Big West Championship

HONOLULU – Every team works all season long to be prepared for postseason play and the Cal State Bakersfield beach volleyball team has reached that apex. On the heels of posting the best record in program history, the Roadrunners will tackle the 2023 Big West Beach Volleyball Championship, Apr. 21-22 in Honolulu, with their eyes locked on a league title.

Quotes from Head Coach Cesar Benatti

"The season gave us a really good base for this tournament. I feel that the level that we competed and the teams that we played have given us a good amount of experience and taught us some good lessons that we can definitely apply here in Hawai'i."
"The most important thing for this tournament is to have urgency and play extremely hard every single point. Any little distraction can be detrimental for our performance, and this environment in Hawai'i definitely can bring some extra distractions. Our team is very locked in though, so I think we have a good chance of performing well."

This Week's Schedule

Bakersfield earned the No. 4 seed in the double elimination bracket
Friday, Apr. 21
- vs. 5-seed Cal Poly, 11 a.m. (PT) / 8 a.m. (HT)
- (if win) vs. 1-seed #8 Hawai'i, 2:45 p.m. (PT)
- (if lose) vs. TBD, 6:30 p.m. (PT) – elimination match
Saturday, Mar. 25
- vs. TBD
- First match at 12 p.m. (PT) or 1:30 p.m. (PT) depending on results from previous day

Notables

CSUB's record this year against Big West foes:
- Cal Poly: 1-1
- CSUN: 3-0
- Hawai'i: 0-1
- Long Beach State: 0-1
- Sacramento State: 1-0
- UC Davis: 0-1
The `Runners finished the 2023 regular season with a 16-8 record, blitzing the program's previous record of 11 wins.
Bakersfield's No. 3 (Isabella Almeida & Hayley McCluskey) and No. 4 (Emma Bubelis & Alanna Shields) pairings have posted the most consistent results this season, with both duos owning a 17-7 record on the year. This mark ties them with Cameron Solberg and Milica Vukobrat for the program's single-season wins record for individuals and pairs.
Senior Hana Makonova earned her 44th career victory this past Friday, making her the all-time winningest student-athlete in CSUB's beach volleyball history.

~GoRunners.com~

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Players Mentioned

#3 Cameron Solberg: 5' 8"; Junior

#25 Milica Vukobrat: 6' 0"; Junior

#2 Emma Bubelis: 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman

#22 Hana Makonova: 5' 10"; Senior

#14 Hayley McCluskey: 6' 0"; Senior

#8 Isabella Almeida: 5' 9"; Freshman

#1 Alanna Shields: 5' 10"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#3 Cameron Solberg
: 5' 8"; Junior

#25 Milica Vukobrat
: 6' 0"; Junior

#2 Emma Bubelis
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman

#22 Hana Makonova
: 5' 10"; Senior

#14 Hayley McCluskey
: 6' 0"; Senior

#8 Isabella Almeida
: 5' 9"; Freshman

#1 Alanna Shields
: 5' 10"; Sophomore