Perfection

By Michelle Fithian, On-Line Forty-Niner

Monday, January 25, 1999

MADISON, Wis. - Battling below-freezing temperatures and a team-wide illness, the Long Beach State women's volleyball team beat Penn State, 3-2, to end its undefeated charge to the NCAA Championship.

A record-breaking 13,194 screaming fans filled the Kohl Center on Saturday, December 19, to watch history in the making. It would be the first time in NCAA women's volleyball history that an undefeated team would win the national championship, both Long Beach and Penn State shared a 35-0 record.

The Beach overcame a furious comeback to outlast Penn State, 15-3, 15-10, 13-15, 14-16, 15-2, to claim its third national title. The 49ers are among select company in reaching that success. Only Stanford has won more titles, with four, while The Beach joins UCLA and Hawaii, with three.

"We're a good fighting team," said outside hitter Veroncia Walls. "We fought through it, and came out on top."

"It's the best team in my 14 years I've seen play volleyball," Long Beach State Coach Brian Gimmillaro said of his 36-0 squad. "I'm very proud of these women."

Gimmillaro, who was recently named AVCA Coach of the Year, also won titles with the 49ers in 1989 and 1993. This season's triumph was a replay of the 1993 victory. It was the Madison sequel, Long Beach versus Penn State, in Madison, Long Beach coming out on top.

"It's a much more intense feeling the third time around," Gimmillaro said.

Senior setter Misty May, the AVCA's two-time Player of the Year, set an NCAA tournament record for service aces, adding two Saturday for a total of 20 in the tournament.

"Misty May is the best player maybe to play college volleyball - Misty is tremendous," Gimmillaro said. May perfectly set 70 in the air while digging 11 and nailing nine into enemy territory, hitting .444 in her final match as a 49er. May and Penn State middle hitter Lauren Cacciamani shared the tournament most valuable player honor.

The Beach was unstoppable. Walls slapped down 19 while hitting .455. Alvarado killed 17 and dug nine. Junior outside hitter Anja Grabovac hit .344 talling 25 digs and 16 kills. Senior middle blocker Benishe Dillard also nailed down 16 also adding eight digs to her season totals.

"Misty said early in the season that there is a sequence," fellow senior Jessica Alvarado said. "Our first year, we went out in the second round. Our second year we went out in regionals. Our third year, we got here [to the Final Four] and we lost to Stanford. It was our year, it was our time."

"We set lofty goals in the beginning. We wanted to go 36-0, that was our goal."

That goal may not have come to fruition had The Beach not made a colossal comeback in the fifth game.

Rally scoring, when points are scored on every possession, no matter which team is serving, was in effect for the fifth game and the 49ers fell behind, 7-2. Every 49er fan in the stands stood without a dry palm in the small contingency. After switching sides of the net at 8-4, The Beach went on a run, tying the score at 8.

The two skillful teams traded points until it was 12 all. Senior outside hitter Jesscia Alvarado then made two kills from the left side to pull ahead 14-12. On the next serve, Walls flew through the air dropping the winner in from the right.

"Veronica wanted the ball every time," Gimmillaro said. Assistant coach Debbie Green, two-time Olympian and United States Volleyball Association Hall of Famer, knew from the start it was Veronica's turn. "Debbie kept whispering in my ear, set Veronica, set Veronica."

"I saw the opening and I could have hit it really hard, but I shot it to the corner because I saw there was no one there," said Walls, who led the 49ers with 19 kills in the match and was named to the all-tournament team.

"I thought Veronica Walls had a great match. She put up some great numbers," Rose said. "I thought Walls stepped up much more than we expected."

Misty May knew it was Long Beach's time to be on top, despite the change in momentum and the deficit in the fifth game.

"I was just waiting for the last ball to go down so we could all start jumping around," said May. "It knew it would take a while, but I knew we would do it."

The Beach jumped ahead smacking the Nittany Lions down the first two games taking advantage of poor hitting. The 49ers outhit Penn State, .474 to .087, in the first and .485 to .146 in the second.

The 49ers took a 7-1 lead in the first game with a 6-0 run. A quick point by Penn and The Beach came back with five consecutive points. A huge block by junior middle blocker Brandy Barrett to turn the tide back to the beach. Walls followed suit with a tip over the net to push the score to 10-2.

A Nittany Lion service error gave the 49ers an opportunity to expand their lead with back to back blocks by junior outside hitter Anja Grabovac putting the score at 12-2. With no slowing down, May back set Walls for the kill followed by a May dig, Alvarado set and May dump combination to keep the momentum going. A hitting error by Penn solidified the 49er victory.

The Beach again started quickly in the second game, but Penn State erased a 3-0 deficit with a six-point rally. Penn State committed five errors in quick succession and lost the lead making the score 10-9. A block by Alvarado and Dillard followed by a smack by Alvarado showed the Lions who was in control.

Like a well-oiled machine the 49ers scored point after point ending with a text-book Alvarado dig, May set and Dillard kill to end the second game, 15-10.

The third game saw the drive quickly change hands. Penn State dominated both the third and then came back from four points down the forth game to fight Long Beach in a comeback that evened the match.

"When you beat a team 15-3 and 15-10 and then fight with everything you have for the end of the match, it is thrilling," Gimmillaro said. "It was a glorious moment to watch the last ball go down."

For Gimmillaro, the return to the top was well worth the wait.

"Once you taste the sweetness of being a champion," he said, "you wonder if you're ever going to be there again."