CSUB fends off furious Cal Poly rally for 4-set win

The Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners could feel the game slipping out of their grasp.

After two dominant sets to begin Tuesday night’s matchup against Cal Poly, the Roadrunners were blown out 25-12 in the third set and trailed 17-12 in the fourth. Something needed to change, or they’d risk get reverse-swept by the Mustangs — the same outcome they faced Saturday night against UC Davis.

CSUB didn’t even let it get to a fifth set. Led by three late kills from Brooke Boiseau (who had 13 total), and aided by five attack errors from the erratic Mustangs offense, CSUB went on a 13-5 run to lock up its victory at 3-1 (25-14, 25-21, 12-25, 25-22).

“I think it had a lot to do with what happened on Saturday,” CSUB coach Giovana Melo said. “We were able to do something different, we were able to make changes mentally by just learning from what we did before.”

CSUB’s (17-8, 10-7) momentum had been stymied by the hard-hitting attacking play of outside hitter Tommi Stockham, who led all players with 19 kills, as the Mustangs’ offense gave the Roadrunners all they could handle down the stretch.

Cal Poly (13-15, 11-6) certainly didn’t challenge the CSUB defense early, posting a .000 attacking percentage with seven errors in the first set. But the Mustangs still kept it close up until an attack error by Hayley McCluskey made it 16-14.

At that point, CSUB scored nine straight points to end the set. With Paige Calvin serving, the Roadrunners got three kills from Boiseau and one from Seleisa Elisaia (seven kills, 33 assists), one of the most prolific attackers among setters in the nation. She kept Cal Poly guessing all night with her turnaround spikes.

“She’s good at it,” Melo said, “she practices every day to do it, and we’re lucky to have her doing what she does.”

The second set featured another long run by CSUB, taking the game from 9-9 to 16-9 behind the ferocious attacking play of Hana Makonova, who had seven of her 10 kills in that set. But this time the Mustangs were able to keep it close, using a pair of timeouts to stem the tide and eventually narrowing their deficit to 22-20 on an ace by Avalon DeNecochea. That was as close as Cal Poly would get, though, and Makonova closed the set.

The third set provided what Boiseau called an uncomfortable “trip down memory lane” as the Roadrunners watched their chances at a sweep slip away.

The Mustangs were on fire to open the set, leading 12-1 on an error by Makonova, then 19-6 thanks to a pair of kills by Kate Slack. CSUB never really had a chance and lost 25-12 on back-to-back aces from Lea Ungar.

The fourth set provided a chance to halt the Mustangs’ momentum.

“We were all super motivated to get it in four,” Boiseau said. “We had played so well in the first and second set so we knew that we could do it. It was just a matter of putting the focus on.”

This time the two teams went blow for blow. CSUB’s 6-1 run to take a 9-6 lead was countered by an 11-3 streak from Cal Poly that forced Melo to use two timeouts.

With the Mustangs threatening to pull away, CSUB got some good luck on a pair of attack errors and an ace from Paige Calvin that barely deflected over the net. The Mustangs brought their lead back to three points at 20-17, but as in the first set, the Roadrunners were at their best late. They scored eight of the next ten points, highlighted by Boiseau’s meticulously aimed shot to the back right corner, and claimed their 3-1 victory.

It was a reversal of Saturday’s fortunes, and a contrast with the Mustangs’ sweep in San Luis Obispo on Oct. 12.

“Every team we play is going to be amazing,” Boiseau said, “so (it’s just about) being able to focus from the first point instead of letting the game happen and we join it halfway through.”

The Roadrunners will face an even tougher test Friday as they host conference leaders Hawaii for their final home game of the year.