Beach
sweeps UCR, CSUF
By Karl Peterson
On-line Forty-Niner
The
Long Beach State women’s volleyball team
used two impressive home victories this
past weekend to reach the 20-win plateau
for the 16th consecutive season.
The outcome of the matches against UC Riverside
on Saturday night and Cal State Fullerton
on Friday was never in doubt as the 49ers
cruised to straight-game wins over both
squads.
The Beach improved to 20-3 overall and 9-3
in the Big West beating UC Riverside (6-17,
2-11), 30-21, 30-17, 30-21, at The Pyramid.
The 49ers employed the one-two punch of
Kessie Doering and Lindsay Phillips, who
each added 12 kills, to knock out the UCR
defense. Also, The Beach’s superior size
and ability picked apart the Highlanders’
defensive scheme throughout the match.
“Having Lindsay (Phillips) back is key because
that is another gun I have to have an outlet
to,” senior setter Brittany Hochevar said.
“That opens the block so that we don’t face
the double blocks, they don’t know where
we’re going with our big guns.”
Senior Tracy Bulquerin missed her fourth
consecutive game with a sprained knee, but
she was effectively replaced by freshman
Heather Laudato, who registered a team-high
12 digs in the match.
Bulquerin said she hopes to begin practicing
on Monday and expects to return to action
next weekend against either Cal State Northridge
or the University of the Pacific.
On Friday night, senior Elisha Thomas posted
11 kills to lead The Beach against an overmatched
Fullerton team, 30-16, 30-19, 30-22. The
victory snapped the 49ers two-game losing
streak.
“After a tough road trip (last weekend),
we kept plugging away at practice and we
felt pretty good that we were able to play
a little more relaxed this weekend,” Hochevar
said.
The Beach set the tone for the match, dominating
the first game through a strong, balanced
offensive attack with a 20-kill performance,
five apiece from Thomas and Erika Chidester.
In addition, the Titans (4-21, 0-12) had
no answer for Hochevar’s jump serve, as
she matched her season high with five aces.
The
49ers have just six more Big West matches
before the NCAA playoffs start on Dec. 5
and, despite the team’s impressive record
and No. 9 national ranking, Head Coach Brian
Gimmillaro is not satisfied with anything
less than perfection. Gimmillaro is still
considering a line-up change late in the
season.
“We have seen a lot now, and it is not good
enough,” Gimmillaro said. “So now, what
do we need to do, what are the changes we
need?”
The 49ers will be back on the road next
weekend with conference matches against
CSUNon Thursday night and Pacific on Saturday.
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