Bakersfield Runners down Hornets at UMES Invitational opener – Volleyball news
The William P. Hytche Athletic Centre in Princess Anne, Maryland, hosted a rousing fight between California State University (CSU) and Alabama State Hornets on Friday, September 30. It was the opening match of the UMES Invitational in which the ASU Hornets
dropped three sets and lost 1-3 (25-23, 25-17, 21-25, 25-22) to the CSU Runners.
With the loss of another match, the ASU squad moved to an overall record of 7-15 for the season, while the CSU Roadrunners improved to 5-11.
Haratyk Haleigh of CSU contributed 17 points on 17 kills, added 11 digs and three services aces in the match. Gong Danielle effectively supported her team and recorded a double-double. She totalled 26 assists and saved crucial points on 11 digs. Moreover,
Brittney Hopley put up a season-high 11 kills in addition to her two blocks. Dunn clipped nine kills and sophomore middle blocker Chelcy Motes posted four blocks to lead the Roadrunners to victory against the Hornets.
Maya Bell of Hornets accumulated 31 kills, 14 digs and two blocks in the match. Her team-mate, Roselande Corneille, also went for 11
kills, nine assists and 13 digs.
CSU Sophomore outside hitter Haleigh Hartyk troubled the opposite side with a strong offensive assault in the opening set. However, the Lady Hornet Maya responded to the Roadrunners in the same tone. Both teams’ consistently added points and the score remained
close. The score tied six times in the opening set. Eventually, the Roadrunner’s Haratyk got the perfect kill and enabled her team to secure a first set at 25-23.
Runners began the second frame with a 5-2 lead and tried to put pressure on their opponents. Nevertheless, Hornets proved to be the resilient and followed the Runners closely. After the second technical timeout, Runners changed their strategy and cruised
past to a 25-17 win in the second set.
The loss of two sets in a row put obvious pressure on Hornets but they put up a valiant effort to snatch a third set at 25-21 for CSU. In the next set, ASU team tried to create the dead-lock of 2-2 but failed to win the fourth set. Runners finished with
3-1 and grabbed success in the match.
The winning Head Coach, Jolene Shepardson, expressed delight about the good start of her team in the tournament. She stated: "It felt good to take care of business in the second match after a slow start in our first match in the morning. We are continuing
to work on competing consistently. Saturday will be a good test for us."
The Roadrunners will return to action on Saturday, when they take on Hampton and hosts UMES Hawks. The Lady Hornets will also try to seize their chances against Hampton University in the next match on Saturday.
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