CSUN Caps Regular Season With a Pair of Wins in Bakersfield

Saturday, April 21

Bakersfield, Calif.

2:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

CSU Bakersfield

Photo by: Braden Villanueva

CSUN Caps Regular Season With a Pair of Wins in Bakersfield

4/21/2018 6:12:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

CSUN-Vanguard Box Score // CSUN-CSU Bakersfield Box Score

BAKERSFIELD, Calif - The CSUN beach volleyball team capped the 2018 regular season with a pair of tri-dual wins Saturday, sweeping Vanguard (5-0) before topping CSU Bakersfield (3-2) at the Barnes Beach Volleyball Complex.

With Saturday's pair of wins, the Matadors will take a 17-6 overall record into the Big West Tournament which gets underway Apr. 27 in Honolulu.

CSUN did not drop a single set to the Lions in the morning session, winning all five pairs. Katie Sato and Aeryn Owens defeated Kayla Tinker and Gabby Morrison for the third time this season, winning 21-14, 21-16 at No. 1.

Kristey Markle and Nickeisha Williams won 21-12, 21-12 over Kelli Dowell and Dani Erdelatz in the No. 2 set while Lauren McMurray and Autumn Russell rolled to their seventh straight win, making quick work of Eliana Johnson and Charity Dennis at No. 3, 21-10, 21-10.

The final two matches also went to the Matadors as Nicolette Pinkney and Lauren Conati defeated Bree Bolton and Karly Cantu 21-12, 21-4. Shawnee De Oliveira and Daniela Molinari paired up for the first time this season, winning 21-13, 21-8 in the No. 5 match.

CSUN then won for a school record 17th time in the nightcap, defeating CSU Bakersfield for the fourth time this season and third time by the score of 3-2.

Sato and Owens completed a 17-6 regular season at No. 1 by defeating Emily Hansen and Sydney Haynes 17-21, 21-19, 15-10. The Rodrunners then claimed both the No. 2 and No. 3 pairs as Aleksandra Djordejic and Briannah Mariner won a three-set decision over Markle and Williams 15-21, 21-15, 15-12. Mattison DeGarmo and Emily Lopes then snapped the winning streak of McMurray and Russell, winning 21-16, 21-19 at No. 3.

Pinkney and Conati also ran their season record to 17-6 by defeating Brooke Boiseau and Sarah Garrow 23-21, 16-21, 15-10 before DeOliveira and Molinari clinched the dual win with a 21-15, 21-18 win at No 5. The dual also featured a No. 6 match that did not count in team scoring as Krista Hernandez and Hannah Manzanares swept Rosso and De Oliveira 21-19, 21-17.

"I'm really proud of the fact that the girls are implementing things we've been working on in practice into their game plans, which is raising our level of play," said CSUN head coach Noelle Rooke. "I just want our program to keep peaking as we head into the conference tournament next weekend."

#GoMatadors