Editor-in-Chief
After losing the first set, the CSU Bakersfield volleyball team won the next three sets to beat Seattle University 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 25-17 and 25-19) in a Western Athletic Conference match on Thursday in the Icardo Center.
CSUB also won its fourth straight match.
The Roadrunners (8-12, 7-2 WAC) were up 18-13 in the first set, but Seattle rallied back and took the set 25-21 to take a 1-0 lead.
CSUB’s Director of Volleyball Giovana Melo said that in the first set the Redhawks (14-9, 6-4 WAC) started to put some pressure and the Roadrunners just backed down.
“I don’t know why because that is not characteristic of our team,” Melo said. “We have been putting a lot of pressure against every team and that’s what I talked to them about, ‘that’s not who we are, so let’s go back out, focus and put a little bit more pressure.’ I actually thought that after that we just maintained and continued to play as we have been playing.”
Senior outside hitter Kelsee Sawyer, who finished with 15 kills and a team-leading three aces, said that they lost focus in the first set.
“We kind of just had a brain fart and shut down,” Sawyer said. “That cost like the last five points to go wrong.”
In the second set, CSUB responded by taking an early 6-1 lead, and the Roadrunners didn’t look back controlling the set and taking it 25-20.
The third set was a lot more competitive as it saw 13 ties and five lead changes. The set was tied at 15 when the Roadrunners went on a 10-2 run against the Redhawks to take the third set, 25-17.
The fourth set was once again controlled by CSUB as it took it 25-19 thanks to Sawyer having eight of her 15 kills in the final set.
“I think we picked up our energy and our focus,” Sawyer said about the last three sets. “It was a huge game of serve and pass, and we picked up our passing tremendously so that helped a lot. We put a lot of pressure in our serves.”
With this win, CSUB was able to stay in sole possession of third place for the conference.
Melo said the key to the team’s success was the little things every player was doing, but added that they need to work on serving a bit more.
Senior setter Luiza Martins led the team in assists with 43. Senior outside hitter Edithza Urias finished with 15 kills and redshirt-junior defensive specialist Sophie Flemion added 18 digs.
CSUB will host Utah Valley University (13-10, 8-2 WAC), who is in second place in the WAC, tomorrow at 1 p.m.
“We lost against [Utah Valley] there,” Melo said. “I think we need to continue grow, continue to get better and get a little bit of confidence with this game and do a better job with serving and passing.”
