The Beach hopes to remain undefeated tonight

By Michelle Fithian, On-Line Forty-Niner

Tuesday, September 15, 1998

The Long Beach State women's volleyball team looks to remain undefeated when they host San Diego State tonight at The Pyramid at 7:00. The 49ers hope to improve its impressive 6-0 record in pursuit its third national title.

The Beach comes home after a strong showing in Provo, Utah against BYU and Washington State. Continuity comes back to the 49ers with the return of junior outside hitter Veronica Walls who stepped onto the court Friday vs. BYU and tallied six kills and hit .357. Saturday against Washington State, she found a groove and nailed 11 kills in 14 attempts. For the weekend, she averaged 2.43 kills per game and hit .536.

Senior setter Misty May continues to put up solid numbers as she looks to defend her title as AVCA Player of the Year. She ranks sixth on the all-time Long Beach State career dig chart with 993. May is currently averaging 1.91 kills, 13.67 assists, 2.24 digs and 1.19 blocks per game while hitting .372.

Senior outside hitter Jessica Alvarado leads the squad in kills with 71 on the year, an average of 3.38 kills per game. Her 53 digs also leads The Beach and ranks 10th on the career dig chart on the heels of May.

Senior middle blocker Benishe Dillard is in the midst of a blocking streak dating back to the 1996 campaign. Dillard ranks sixth-best on the 49ers single season chart with 123 block assists last season. Her 296 career block assists place her in fifth on the 49er career chart.

The Beach makes winning look easy using their depth in the back court, power at the net and spark from the bench to dominate the Big West Confrence. Sporting a strong freshman class in Tayyiba Haneef, Cheryl Weaver, Keri Nishimoto and Blair Wilkes, the 49ers are setting its sights high on Madison and the Final Four.

Leading the team with his tough love, Brian Gimmillaro is in his 14th year as head coach of The Beach and has accumulated a career mark of 364-93 while capturing NCAA Championships in 1989 and 1993 and four Big West Conference titles (1991-94).

Gimmillaro was voted the 1997 Big West Conference Coach of the Year, the fourth time he has won that honor, and the AVCA District 7 Coach of the Year.

The Beach commands a strong fan base and drew an average of 2,341.5 fans when they hosted a tournament Sept. 4-5. The 49ers played in front of 2,669 on Friday, Sept. 4 against Cal and 2,014 on Saturday, Sept. 5 vs. Washington.

Last year, an average 1,887 boisterous fans packed The Pyramid, a season-best, and drew over 1,000 fans in 19 of the 20 home matches. Under Gimmillaro, the 49ers possess an unmistakable desire for the national title. They are on fire showing no signs of weakness.

The Beach has won 33 matches in each of the past two seasons and has won 30 or more matches in five of the last seven years.

After battling San Diego tonight, The Beach goes on the road until Thursday, Oct. 8 when they return to face Cal State Fullerton at The Pyramid.