By Jack Haslett
Senior setter Zayna Meyer recorded her 3,000 career assists on a Friday night when LBSU Women’s Volleyball took three straight sets from CSU Bakersfield at the Walter Pyramid en route to its fifth victory in six games.
After a competitive start to the first set, a 4-0 LBSU run put it up 15-10 midway through the set. Bakersfield chased them throughout the set, but were never able to close the gap.
Freshman setter Madi Maxwell led the way offensively for The Beach with seven kills in the first set. She finished the night with a team-high 16 kills.
Both teams matched one another with kills through the first two sets, but the real difference came from the Roadrunners committing costly errors while The Beach played a cleaner game.
Bakersfield totaled 19 errors on the night compared to just eight by LBSU.
“We’ve talked a lot about defense,” LBSU head coach Natalie Reagan said. “We’ve talked a lot about giving us more opportunities and making sure that we make that play and knowing when to stick it and make that quality dig.”
Redshirt senior outside hitter Abby Karich capped off a dominant first set for The Beach with a thundering kill to take the first set 25-18.
LBSU redshirt senior outside hitter Abby Karich tips the ball over the net against CSU Bakersfield. Karich had seven kills in Friday night’s win at Walter Pyramid. Photo Credit: Lauren Benson
The second set remained far closer throughout with five ties and three lead changes, the most of the night in both categories.
Bakersfield kept LBSU within three most of the set until three straight LBSU scores carved out a 16-12 lead for The Beach that they would ride to an eventual win.
The second set also brought a massive milestone for Meyer who earned her 3,000 career assist in the set. Meyer finished the night with a team-leading 21 assists, making her the sixth player in school history to hit the 3,000 mark and the achievement puts her among famous names like Misty May-Treanor.
“It’s so incredible just hearing those names and knowing the legacy that’s been before us is such a cool thing,” Meyer said. “I think it’s just so incredible to look back on all of the things this program has accomplished and for us to even be a small part of that is just so beautiful.”
Despite the Roadrunners battling in the second, they could never catch The Beach and fell 25-21.
LBSU never relinquished the lead or even allowed a tie in the third set, the first time all night that a set did not contain a lead change or tie.
However, the Roadrunners weren’t ready to roll over. They chased The Beach through the last set until a 5-2 scoring run by LBSU put some distance between the teams and gave The Beach an 18-14 lead.
LBSU won a challenge late in the third that galvanized the team and sparked a 5-0 scoring run to shut the door on the visiting Bakersfield and take the set 25-16 to complete the sweep.
The Beach stay at home this Saturday, Nov. 23 to play against CSU Northridge in the Walter Pyramid at 7 p.m. for Senior Night.
