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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 CSUB volleyball is back. Sort of.<\/p>\n
A pretty impressive crowd for the volleyball girls at Cal State Bakersfield this past Saturday. Even more impressive when you realize, this was just a scrimmage.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe started off at a really strong point with how fun it was,\u201d said first-year head coach Kristen Wright. \u201cI think people are going to want to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
A hearty \u201cwelcome back\u201d for the Bakersfield native, who played ball at Stockdale High just down the street, as she met with friends and family after the match\u2019s conclusion. For the players, it was also a sort of introduction. They were available after the match for pictures and autographs for fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving our community out here supporting us and being there for us, it makes all the difference, and we definitely felt that love,\u201d said junior libero Analiese Gagliano.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t seen a crowd interact like that anywhere else,\u201d said senior middle blocker Jordyn Waite-Ward, in her first season with CSUB. \u201cI\u2019m a Bakersfield local, and a big emphasis in the bond I have with coach is that we know how important the community is here.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Of course, a scrimmage like this, against another team, is for a lot more than just community. It\u2019s a test for Wright\u2019s squad to perform under a true game-like atmosphere. In this contest, probably safe to say they passed; the Runners \u201cwon\u201d this one, 3 sets to 1.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thankful to my staff and administration. There\u2019s a lot going on in a traditional spring game to run it like a match,\u201d said Wright. \u201cWe got everybody in and got to see a lot in game mode. I see a lot of progress.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a tumultuous 2025 that saw the Runners finish 6-24 overall, 3-15 in conference, it\u2019s a performance, and result, that CSUB is hoping will become common under Wright. It\u2019s not the first time she\u2019s inherited a squad that was producing, let\u2019s say, less than desirable results. The University of North Florida Ospreys finished 13-19 before Wright took the helm in 2018. She\u2019d finish her 8-year tenure as the program\u2019s winningest coach, three short of 200 total.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s exhilarating to think about the potential of this team, and where these coaches want to take this program,\u201d said Gagliano. \u201cWe\u2019re all in this and we\u2019re excited to see what they have in store.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s super great that she\u2019s local,\u201d said senior setter Luiza Da Cruz. \u201cShe has a really good sense of community. So she knows the people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Knowing the people is one thing. Getting them to come out to games is another.<\/p>\n
But this isn\u2019t a bad start.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community is our weapon. A lot of the schools in the Big West, they may not have the capacity to have the community that we have,\u201d said Wright. \u201cHere, this is the place to be. And we want to put the effort in to make this fun, for kids, for families, and put the spotlight on them. They can help us win.\u201d<\/p>\n
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