Assistant Sports Editor
The CSU Bakersfield women’s beach volleyball team took to the sand against CSU Sacramento and CSU Los Angeles on Saturday, April 7 at the Barnes Beach Volleyball Complex.
It was windy and rainy, but it didn’t slow down the Roadrunners as they defeated Sacramento State, 4-1 and Cal State LA, 5-0.
Game 1 vs. Sacramento State
“We played very consistent and its something we’ve been training to be as a team,” said Head Coach Cesar Benatti. “Solid action, solid communication and being really aggressive is what we are striving as a team.”
Just a week ago CSUB lost to the Hornets 3-2 at the Big West Challenge in Folsom, California. The Roadrunners made sure early that the result would not be the same.
The first two games went the way of CSUB. No. 2 duo sophomore Sarah Garrow and freshman Desiree Sukhov had a close first set but prevailed and won 21-19. The duo ran away with it in the second set winning 21-12 and taking the match, 2-0.
The No. 4 duo of senior Emily Lopes and junior Mattison Degarmo made easy work of the Hornets No.4 duo winning two straight sets, 21-12 and 21-16.
The Roadrunners added two more victories with their No. 1 and No. 3 duos.
The No. 3 duo of senior Aleksandra Djordjevic and junior Briannah Mariner sealed the deal for the Roadrunners with a straight set win, 21-12 and 21-16.
Freshman Emily Hansen and senior Sydney Haynes, the No.1 duo for CSUB, had two very close sets. The first winning 21-17 and taking the second one after a Haynes block 21-19.
“We made all of changes we needed to make and it was a great day, it was awesome,” said Haynes on the win after the tough 2-3 loss against the University of New Mexico on Friday, April 6.
Game 2 vs. Cal State LA
The Roadrunners consistent play and the aggressiveness of the first game carried over to their second game of the double-header. It was a clean sweep for CSUB defeating the Golden Eagles, 5-0.
CSUB dominated all 5 matches and winning each match in two straight sets. The No. 3 and No. 5 duo held its opponent to single digits in the first sets.
Freshman Krista Hernandez and junior Ally Barber, the No. 5 duo won 21-5 and 21-16 while Djordjevic and Mariner won 21-4 and 21-12.
No. 4 and No.1 duos for CSUB had close first sets but prevailed 21-18, the closest scores that the Golden Eagles would lose by.
Hansen and Haynes won in straight sets, 21-18 and 21-11.
Garrow and Sukhov, winners in straight sets also, easily handled Cal State LA No.2 duo, 21-10 and 21-16.
Lopes and Degarmo won in straight sets, 21-18 and 21-14.
The two wins for the Roadrunners improve their overall record to 5-11.
“We just have to go and practice tough, we are going to go and grind it out next weekend,” said Garrow on preparation for CSUB’s next road trip.
CSUB will travel to Northridge, California and take on CSU Northridge and Loyola Marymount University on Thursday, April 12 with the first game against CSUN starting at 11 a.m.
Photo by Simer Khurana /The Runner
