The Beach remains undefeated with sweep

By Michelle Fithian, On-Line Forty-Niner

Monday, October 12, 1998

The Cal State Long Beach women's volleyball team is the only Big West Conference team to remain undefeated 16-0 after stomping UC Irvine on Saturday night after shutting down Cal State Fullerton Thursday in The Pyramid.

UCI was no competition for the 49ers who beat the Anteaters in three winning 15-2, 15-7, 15-4 Saturday. The Beach hit a team average of .340 while racking up seven total team blocks.

Over 2,300 fans watched senior setter Misty May record her third "triple-double" of the season racking up 10 kills, 33 assists and 14 digs while hitting .368 for the match.

Senior middle blocker Benishe Dillard hit .333 for the match and recorded a "double-double" pounding down 12 kills and 14 digs.

The 49er defense was on its toes with 55 total team digs. Junior outside hitter Kristy Kierulff tallied seven of those digs while junior outside hitter Anja Grabovac and sophomore defensive specialist Melissa Ohta racked up six and four, respectively.

The Beach's strong bench was utilized Saturday night in the absence of senior outside hitter Veronica Walls due to a shoulder injury and senior outside hitter Jessica Alvarado due to a stress fracture in her left leg.

Junior outside hitter Mariah Marquis hit a career-high seven kills and nine digs. Red-shirt freshman middle blocker Tayyiba Haneef hit .538 and nailed down seven kills in 13 attempts while fellow freshman middle blocker Cheryl Weaver tallied four kills and two block assists.

"Tayyiba played well and Brandy did a nice job filling in for Veronica. I kept telling them to play hard," said 49er Head Coach Brian Gimmillaro. "I respect every player and every team."

It was obvious from the moment that Cal State Fullerton stepped onto to the court that they were no match for the Long Beach powerhouse.

The 49ers beat the Titans in three straight 15-0, 15-3, 15-3 Thursday night in a match that lasted a mere 56 minutes.

The Pyramid was filled by 1,835 screaming fans who watched May have her way with the Titans frequently tipping the ball over the net finding no one home on the other side.

May hit .667 for the match and tallied 25 assists, nine kills and four digs.

"We kept our energy up and kept the scores low," May said. "It's very easy to play a team not of your caliber. If you're good enough you have to be able to play at a high level at all times."

Fellow senior and middle blocker Benishe Dillard also hit .667 and nailed nine down while racking up eight digs.

"She's really easy to play with. Our relationship is really good on the court" said May. "It's a lot of fun."

Junior middle blocker Brandy Barratt added eight kills and five digs to her season totals while hitting .778.

In the first game, The Beach "bageled" the Titans 15-0 hitting a whopping .684.

May started off the match dumping the ball over the net for the sideout. Grabovac followed May and served for five straight points before the Titans could take advantage of a 49er miscommunication for the sideout.

Grabovac hit .556 for the match and pounded five kills into the Titan defense and dug four out of the floor.

Dillard tipped the ball into no man's land for the sideout and the fans watch May jump serve six straight to put the match at 11-0. Dillard stepped up to serve four straight. May ended the game with a fake set and dumped it over the net for game point.

The Titans scored three in the second game taking advantage of mental mistakes made by The Beach.

The game started with a hitting error by Dillard and a 49er miscommunication that led to a Fullerton point. Another hitting error gave the Titans a lead of 0-2.

The lead was not destined to last and May stepped up and served while Barratt nailed one down for the first point and Dillard followed suit to tie at 2. Dillard served for four straight points, the Titans racking up two misplays and Barratt pounding one down from the outside.

The Beach fought with the Titans, each reaching sideout but unable to get the point until Ohta served an ace.

Dillard blocked three in a row and racked up a kill in the following play as Kierulff served for five straight.

A hitting error by the Titans sealed the victory for the 49ers in game two.

The Titans managed to score three more times, in the third game, before the night was over. A net call gave them their first point while two hitting errors by The Beach gave them their second and third points.

Ohta served one more ace while Haneef jumped in the game and blocked two at the net to make the score 9-2. Kierulff served two aces in a row and Grabovac nailed one down to shoot the score to 13-3. Another hitting error by the Titans gave the 49ers match point.

"I told them not to have any mental letdowns and they didn't. I wanted them to make sure they played harder than the other team, and they did. They played really hard," Gimmillaro said.

The Beach will remain at home this week when they face Idaho Thursday night at 7:30 and Boise State Saturday at 7 p.m. at The Pyramid.