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sports
49ers still perfect
after road victories
By Marten Lewerth
On-line Forty-Niner
This 49er team
has passed its midterms.
The top-ranked Long Beach State women's volleyball team improved
to 15-0 overall and 9-0 in the Big West Conference this weekend
with road wins over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and No. 23 UC
Santa Barbara.
Aside from remaining undefeated after 15 matches, the 49ers'
trip up the California coastline was significant for another
reason.
Last season, The Beach opened its Big West schedule on the
road with a similar series against the same two teams. The
49ers had an overall record of 8-1 at the time, but lost both
contests in five games and limped back home with their worst
conference start (0-2) since 1987.
"We went up there this weekend with a feeling of revenge,"
said 49er Tayyiba Haneef. "At Cal Poly we were playing
not to lose -- at Santa Barbara we came out to win."
Haneef paced the floor Friday with a season-high 29 kills
on .521 hitting as The Beach beat Cal Poly, 30-22, 30-26,
32-34, 30-20, before 1,568 in San Luis Obispo. Cheryl Weaver
was second offensively with 16 kills and nine digs, while
setter Keri Nishimoto finished with 64 assists and 15 digs.
Outside hitter Brittany Hochevar tallied 14 kills, two aces
and nine digs as the 49ers out-hit Cal Poly, .313 to .228.
Cal Poly (12-6, 6-5 BWC) had four players with double-digit
kills. Kristen O'Halloran and Worthy Lien both had 11 kills
while Anya Douglas and Jessica Diepersloot tallied 10 apiece.
Diepersloot also had 10 digs for the Mustangs, who as a team
out-blocked LBSU, 12.0 to 7.0.
After winning the first game, 30-22, on .467 hitting, the
49ers needed a late 10-point rally to escape a 24-20 deficit
in Game 2 and take a two-game cushion. The Mustangs prevailed
with a 34-32 win in Game 3 only after being held at game point
six times. Long Beach closed the match hitting .419 in the
final frame.
On Saturday it was Weaver's turn to lead the 49er offense.
She connected for 22 kills on .386 hitting as The Beach tallied
its 11th sweep of the season with a slim 31-29, 30-28, 32-30
decision over host UC Santa Barbara (10-8, 8-2 BWC) at the
Thunderdome.
Besides her offensive output, Weaver excelled defensively
with 10 digs and nine blocks. Haneef had 18 kills and eight
digs while Beach setter Nishimoto recorded her second double-double
in as many nights with 57 assists, 10 digs and three kills.
Hochevar finished third in kills with nine, on top of 14 digs
and four block assists.
The 49ers outworked the Gauchos defensively at the net, finishing
with 14.0 team blocks compared to UCSB's mark of 5.0.
Danielle Bauer paced the Gauchos' offense with 16 kills and
11 digs. Erica Menzel had 13 kills and Brie Lampe tallied
11. Setter Brooke Niles had six kills, eight digs and 42 assists
as UCSB hit .201 while Long Beach finished with an attack
percentage of .336.
The 49ers won all three games in the match by the slimmest
margins possible. The Beach claimed Game 1 after the Gauchos
had battled to a 29-29 tie while facing four game points.
Trailing, 25-22, in the second game, Long Beach went on a
5-1 run to grab a 27-26 lead. UCSB inched ahead, 28-27, on
a kill by Lampe, but the 49ers won Game 2 by gaining the next
three points, including the game-winner from Lindsay Phillips.
UCSB upped the pressure in the final game, but the 49ers answered
by hitting for a match-high mark of .538 to remain close.
Down by two at 29-27, The Beach's Elisha Thomas fired off
two kills to tie it up. Menzel then gave the Gauchos a 30-29
lead, but kills from Haneef and Phillips brought up match
point for Long Beach. The contest ended on the next series
with a successful block by the tandem of Phillips and Thomas.
Phillips, who is a natural hitter but has spent most of the
season in the back row due to a healing injury, finished Saturday's
match with two kills and 12 digs after tallying four kills,
two aces and 11 digs against Cal Poly.
Next up for the 49ers is a nonconference match against the
University of San Diego at The Pyramid Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
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