Women's volleyball streaking to the all-time
win record
By Elyse Medlin
Daily Forty-Niner
The Long Beach State women's volleyball
team may be adding another milestone in a few weeks.
The defending national champions are four
games away from breaking the all-time record for consecutive victories.
LBSU moved up to No. 4 in the rankings
as they picked up another win at San Diego State, extending their streak
to 41.
Tuesday's match against the Aztecs was
the team's first road game. However, the Aztecs did not play like an unranked
team, giving the 49ers a fight to the finish.
LBSU head coach Brian Gimmillaro called
the match, “A pretty sloppy game on both sides."
The Aztecs were the first to score in
Game 1, and offered strong competition until the 49ers pulled away for
the win, 15-6.
Freshman setter Brittany Hochevar contributed
to the win with three points off blocks. She finished the match with seven
digs and a serving ace.
"Execution of offense was way better,"
Gimmillaro said.
Problems arose in Game 2 as the Aztecs
took an early lead by scoring five consecutive points. The 49ers rallied
late in the game, but it was not enough as SDSU picked up the game15-13.
LBSU came back to score the first four
points of Game 3, setting the pace for an easy win (15-6).
A tie score of 6-6 in Game 4 brought the
49ers to life as they scored seven points in succession, closing out the
match with a 15-8 victory.
The 49ers hit .361 percent as a team,
compared to .140 for SDSU.
LBSU tallied 63 kills, 62 digs and 7 serving
aces for the match.
Outside hitter Veronica Walls posted 13
kills for the match and two digs. Teammates Anja Grabovac, Tayyiba Haneef
and Cheryl Weaver followed closely with 11, 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
Defensively, the 49ers recorded an impressive
amount of digs. Grabovac had a team-high 13 digs. Senior outside hitter
Kristy Kierulff and junior defensive specialist Melissa Ohta each had 12.
The 49ers face Cal State Northridge Friday.
Unranked Northridge defeated UC Irvine in its season opener on Tuesday.
Gimmillaro said he rarely prepares for
a team instead he focuses on honing his team’s skills.
"We're working on being able to connect
better, to execute better," he said.
Gimmillaro said he is unsure if sophomore
Keri Nishimoto will play against the Matadors.
Nishimoto sprained her ankle in the third
game against USC last Saturday. She sat out for the contest against the
Aztecs, and was on the sidelines during yesterday’s practice.
Friday's match starts at 7:30 p.m. in
The Pyramid. |
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