‘Niners avoid three-game skid
The 49er women’s volleyball team rallied from two sets down to defeat UC Davis 27-29, 22-25, 25-15, 25-14, 15-13, Saturday night at The Pavilion in Davis.
Senior libero Iris Murray tied her career-high with 29 digs.
Junior middle blocker Naomi Washington led LBSU’s attack with 16 kills, along with hitting .542. Other 49ers with double-digit kills were Quincy Verdin with 14, Caitlin Ledoux with 13 and Brittney Herzog with 10.
The previous night, Long Beach State fell in straight sets on the road against Pacific 22-25, 17-25, 23-25, in its conference-opener. The Tigers blitzed the 49ers with a .327 attack percentage for the match.
LBSU (11-3) returns to action Tuesday, Oct. 7 when it faces CS Northridge at the Walter Pyramid at 7 p.m.
Sophomore midfielder powers LBSU past Wildcats, 2-0
Lindsay Bullock accounted for the 49er offense as the women’s soccer team defeated host Arizona, 2-0, Friday in Tucson, Ariz. Kristen Kiefer and Mariko Strickland were credited with assists on Bullock’s two goals.
The 49ers posted their sixth shutout of the season and handed the Wildcats their first home loss of the season. LBSU goalkeeper Liz Ramos made three saves and recorded her 32 1/2 career shutout.
The ‘Niners (6-3-2) were unable to carry the momentum at Arizona State, losing 1-0 on Sunday. Sun Devils forward Karin Volpe scored off a pass from midfielder Jill Shoquist the 84th minute to edge LBSU.
The 49ers return home to open Big West Conference play against UC Davis on Friday at 3 p.m.
Women’s tennis opens season in Berkeley
Sophomore Lisa Sutton was on the losing end of two finals Sunday at the UC Berkeley Nike Fall Invite.
Sutton was defeated in the singles final 6-4, 6-1 by Saint Mary’s Nienke Strijbis. Before that, Sutton and teammate Deborah Armstrong were narrowly defeated, 9-8, by Arizona State’s Ashlee Brown and Sianna Simmons, after dropping the tiebreaker by scoring just three points.
Sutton advanced to the finals by sweeping her three matches Saturday. She rolled past Santa Clara’s Isabelle Hoy 6-0, 6-2 in the singles semifinal. Armstrong and Sutton defeated Nevada’s Florence DeVrye and Lais Ogata, 8-3, and Sacramento State’s Clarisse Baca and Joyce Martinez, 8-4, in doubles action.
No. 64-ranked Hannah Grady, LBSU’s lone nationally-ranked player competing in the toughest bracket of the Cal Invite, defeated Sacramento State’s Gayane Sarkisian 6-1, 6-2 in the consolation quaterfinals Saturday. Grady then dropped a 6-2, 6-7, 10-8 decision to Arizona’s Sarah Landsman in the semifinals Sunday.
LBSU returns to the court Tuesday at the Riviera Championships in the Pacific Palisades. The tournament runs through Sunday, Oct. 5.
Runners net Top-10 finish in Palo Alto
Both LBSU cross country teams competed in the Stanford Invitational Saturday, with the men placing ninth with 287 points and the women producing an 11th-place finish with 324 points.
The host Stanford Cardinal grabbed first place in both competitions, with 39 points in the men’s standing and 43 in the women’s.
The women were paced by senior Sarah Apgar, who finished 17th with a time of 21:52. Other 49er individual Top-100 finishers were senior Kristina Wilson (40th), junior Missy Barclay (72nd) and senior Carly Harris (91st).
On the men’s side, sophomore Travis Kuhlman led all ‘Niners with a 40th-place finish and a time of 25:41. Other notable LBSU finishers were freshman Raul Arcos (55th) with a time of 25:57 and sophomore Josh Ruff (58th), who crossed the line at 25:59.
The next meet will be the UCSD Invitational, which is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 11 in La Jolla.