Beach to play Utah Friday

By Moria Khou
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer

The regular season is at a close and the NCAA Tournament is upon the doorstep for Long Beach State's women's volleyball team as they prepare to take on Utah at Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA, Friday at 5:30 p.m.

Long Beach State (23-6, 6-3 Big West) will look to return to prominence by adding a fourth championship to the trophy case, but will first have to get past the No. 20-ranked Utah Utes (24-6) in the opening match.

"Utah is a good team," Head Coach Brian Gimmillaro said. "We're young and inexperienced. Utah is an older team and is well coached. They have a very big lineup."

The Utes outsize Long Beach State with a staggering front line, 6-foot-4 middle blocker Carlee Kulovitz, 6-foot-5 middle blocker Lyndsey Henderson and 6-foot-7 opposite side hitter Emillie Toone.

Utah's roster consists of five seniors, while the 49ers are at a disadvantage with only one senior in the lineup, setter Jillian Mazzarella. Long Beach State has also been plagued with injuries throughout the entire season.

"The most experienced program in the country is us (Long Beach State) and we have built a reputation that concerns other teams," Gimmillaro said. "But this team hasn't played together enough or practiced together all season, and it's something we have to overcome."