49ers prepare to defend title
By Elyse Medlin
Daily Forty-Niner
The defending NCAA volleyball champions
should have an easy first round match this Friday night when they take
on first-time NCAA tournament participants, Florida A&M.
After being named the No. 2 seed in the
mountain region and ranked No.6 nationally, Long Beach State earned the
privilege of hosting first and second round contests this weekend.
Four teams will battle under the bright
lights of The Pyramid for the right to advance to the third round next
weekend.
The first round begins Friday night at
5:30 when the University of Arkansas Razorbacks (29-6) face off against
the Hoyas of Georgetown University (27-4) in single-match elimination,
with the teams which win three of five games advancing.
Approximately a half an hour after completion
of the first match, or at 7:30 p.m., which ever comes first, LBSU will
face Florida A&M (23-8) in the first match against the Rattlerettes
in LBSU's volleyball history.
Florida A&M placed first in the Mid-Eastern
Athletic Conference.
As a team, the Rattlerettes are hitting
.238 percent and holding their opponents to a .171 percentage.
The 49ers will make their 13th consecutive
NCAA tournament appearance in the school's history.
LBSU's Cheryl Weaver and Keri Nishimoto
help lead the team in overall hitting percentage with an impressive .327
average.
Weaver is also ranked third in the conference
in kills, averaging 4.58 per game.
Setter Nishimoto is on her way to topple
another record with 14.42 assists per game, the highest in the Big West
and 49er history.
The battle for single-match tournament
tickets will begin this Friday morning. For ticket information, one may
contact the 49er ticket office at (562) 985-4949. |
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