49ers best in the Big West

By Michelle Fithian, On-Line Forty-Niner

Monday, November 23, 1998

The No. 1-ranked Long Beach State women's volleyball team (27-0) beat the University of Nevada (22-6) Friday night in The Pyramid to win the 1998 Big West Conference Championship.

With the win, The Beach earned the conference's automatic bid to the 1998 NCAA Championships.

Senior setter Misty May recorded her fifth "triple-double" of the season and had 13 kills, 16 digs and 38 assists.

Junior middle blocker Brandy Barratt had 14 kills for The Beach and added six blocks, hitting .480. Junior outside hitter Veronica Walls added 10 kills and five block assists, hitting .563 for the match.

The Wolf Pack, the Big West Eastern Division champions, took a quick 3-0 lead, only to see The Beach rise above them and push the score to 5-3.

With a 5-5 score, The Beach served six straight points to take a 11-6 lead. The Wolf Pack came back and tied the game 11-11 on a hitting error by The Beach.

After six sideouts, The Beach then scored the final three points of the game on a kill by senior middle blocker Benishe Dillard, a block by junior outside hitter Anja Grabovac and a block by Barratt, to end the game 15-11.

In the second game, the Wolf Pack hit .138 against The Beach, with six hitting errors and four service errors. The Beach blocked five, hitting .364. Walls proved herself by killing five and blocking three.

May took the lead in the third game as The Beach trailed 7-6. She hit four kills down the stretch to lead The Beach to a 15-7 victory.

The Beach will finish its regular season Thanksgiving weekend, when it hosts the annual LBSU Thanksgiving Tournament.

The Beach will face South Florida at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oral Roberts at 2 p.m. Saturday and Illinois State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in The Pyramid.

Also in the tournament are Oregon State and UC Santa Barbara.

The Saturday match between The Beach and Illinois State will be Senior Night, during which The Beach will honor senior Misty May by retiring her number (No. 5).