Men's Volleyball, Sports

LBSU takes round one of two-game set

After a road trip that included seven matches in Florida and Massachusetts, the 49ers showed no signs of jetlag in their return to the Walter Pyramid on Friday night.

Long Beach State defeated visiting Santa Clara University of the West Coast Conference in three sets, 25-14, 25-18, 26-24. The 49ers hit .404 as a team, while holding the Broncos to a .183 clip.

“I love how we get so much support from the fans and friends,” middle blocker Naomi Washington said. “After being out on the road for so long, it feels good to have that feeling again.”

Washington had 10 kills and hit .533 for the match. Senior outside hitter Quincy Verdin led LBSU with 12 kills.

The 49ers (10-1) also were lifted by strong contributions from freshman outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux, who had eight kills and eight digs, along with sophomore outside hitter Ashley Lee, who chipped in with eight kills, six digs and four assists.

After taking the first two sets soundly, the 49ers had to stave off a hard challenge from the Broncos during the third.

“When we were down, I told Nicole [Vargas] ‘We need this point.’ So she sent it to me and I got the kill,” Washington said.

The set was tied, 24-24, but the 49ers pulled ahead on a kill from junior middle blocker Brittney Herzog, who tapped the ball down just inside the attack line.

On match point, Verdin sent the ball into play, but a Broncos attack error sealed the win for LBSU.

The 49ers’ dominance was bolstered by its defense, which limited Santa Clara (7-3) to a .131 mark through the first two sets.

“Our defense helped us a lot,” Washington said. “We set up our blocks early and that made it easier for us to get out faster.”

Setter Nicole Vargas led the ‘Niners with 10 digs to go along with her 35 assists. Ledoux and senior libero Iris Murray tallied eight digs apiece.

With tonight’s 7 p.m. rematch against Santa Clara being the final test before conference play begins, Washington said she likes the team’s development over the course of the long road trip, which included a five-set defeat at the hands of No. 11 Florida.

“Even after losing, I felt like we progressed from that,” she said.

Washington expressed confidence in the team’s ability to compete with the conference foes that loom ahead.

“I feel like we can be the champions of the [Big West] Conference this year, not Cal Poly,” Washington said. “Not this year. I don’t think so.”

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