An unmistakable fire in the 49er's eyes Sunday night enabled The Beach to blast past No. 6 UC Santa Barbara, 15-7, 15-9, 15-13 to clinch the Big West Conference title before 2,021 at The Pyramid.
For many women's volleyball teams across the country, a conference championship would serve as a season's pinnacle before the upcoming NCAA Playoffs.
However, the way top-ranked Long Beach State has been playing lately, it is just another bump in the road on the way to a seemingly inevitable national championship.
Although their sights are set much higher than SundayŐs victory, it was not obvious against the Gauchos as the 49ers used a momentous opening game to whip UCSB and cruise into the NCAA Playoffs.
"We came out strong the first two games," tournament Most Valuable Player Misty May said regarding Saturday night's semi-final against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo which ended after 11 p.m. "We could have very easily not come out as strong."
"I think we're ready for anything," 49er outside hitter Jenn Snyder said. "This game was a huge step. It was a leap."
"I think we did give the crowd a heart attack during the third game, though," May said.
Up two games to none, the 49ers (28-1) trailed 13-11 in the third as UCSB looked to be able to survive and extend the match to a fourth game. However, numerous hitting errors plagued the Gauchos (28-4), and eventually cost them the match.
"I was very disappointed with our third game," UCSB Head Coach Kathy Gregory said. "Our defense was steady, but a 13-11 lead is not enough to beat Long Beach."
While both teams figured to lag a bit after the previous night's semi-finals (UCSB strung out Pacific for five games, LBSU defeated Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in three), only the Gauchos suffered.
"Last night affected us quite a bit," Gregory said, whose team committed 31 errors through the three games. "It affected our hitting. We weren't as strong. The amount of errors we had were way too much for us."
Impacted more than any of the Gauchos was middle blocker Katie Crawford, who showed signs of fatigue. She still had enough juice to bring in 15 kills and earn All-Tournament honors.
"Our middles were never really in sink," Gregory said. "Katie played a long match the night before. It affected her."
Fellow All-Tournament selection, Gaucho Roberta Gehlke, led both teams with 23 kills.
For LBSU, Anja Grabovac and Benishe Dillard joined May and Snyder on the All-Tournament Team.
"This was still a battle," 49er Head Coach Brian Gimmillaro said. "It is difficult in any sport to beat a very good team three times in a row."
With the win, LBSU is virtually guaranteed an opportunity to host an opening-round regional NCAA match, set to begin Dec. 4.
May padded her chances of raking in back-to-back Big West Player of the Year honors.
The Beach extended its consecutive game winning steak to 22, winning 41 of its last 42. The match was also its 19th straight victory.
It was the Gauchos third loss of the season to The Beach. It remains to be seen if Sunday's loss will affect UCSBŐs seedings in the NCAA Tournament.