49ers
face easy Big West foes this weekend
By Karl Peterson
On-line Forty-Niner
After
a tough defeat to UC Santa Barbara last
weekend, the Long Beach State women’s volleyball
team will try to improve their conference
record against two of the weaker opponents
in the Big West.
The 49ers will play on the road against
UC Riverside on Friday at 7 p.m. and on
Saturday at Cal State Fullerton at 7 p.m.
This should prove to be an easy weekend
for National Player of the Year candidate
Brittany Hochevar and The Beach as they
have won 38 straight matches against Cal
State Fullerton and have not lost to UC
Riverside since 1982.
“We’re preparing to win,” head coach Brian
Gimmillaro said when asked how the team
was preparing for this weekend’s games.
“We are always focused on execution and
it has very little to do with who we play.”
Gimmillaro is also pondering a line-up change
for the upcoming matches.
“We have not made any changes yet, but we
are still looking,” Gimmillaro said.
The team is also awaiting an NCAA response
about eligibility of senior, outside hitter
Lindsay Phillips who has been academically
ineligible this season. The response is
expected sometime next week.
The UCR Highlanders have been struggling
this season losing six of their last seven
and three in a row to accumulate a 5-8 record,
1-2 in conference. The Highlanders are led
by senior, Pam Hartman from Lakewood and
talented freshman outside hitter Jamie DeKiewiet
who averages almost three kills and three
blocks per game.
UC Riverside’s only win in their last seven
matches came against a Fullerton team that
is playing as poorly as any team in the
Big West.
Fullerton has struggled a great deal
recently, dropping their last 10 matches,
and have not won a game since Sept. 14.
The Beach should be the toughest competition
the Titans have faced thus far.
The Titans, 4-12 overall (0-3), are led
by senior setter Kim Levey and sophomore
outside hitter Lauren Goins.
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