Led by great plays from seniors Quincy Verdin and Nicole Vargas, the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in four sets (20-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-12) at the Walter Pyramid Tuesday night.
After a slow start in the first set and hitting just .083 compared to Notre Dame’s .200, the 49ers (16-4) picked up the pace in set two to take an early 10-3 lead.
The 49er lead carried through the set with Notre Dame (10-10) hitting only .032. Verdin, an outside hitter, recorded six kills in the set with nine assists from Vargas.
Not to be outdone, the Irish started set three on a high note, keeping the score close with six lead changes and an improved .233 attack clip. But a great dig by Vargas, converted to a kill to finish off the play by sophomore outside hitter Ashley Lee, sparked the 49er momentum to hold off the Irish until the end.
The 49ers played their best in the fourth set with scrappy plays, three service aces by Vargas and a .345 attack clip. LBSU began the set with a 7-1 run to force Notre Dame to take a timeout. Blocks by junior middle blockers Naomi Washington and Brittney Herzog, and Verdin, extended the 49er lead to 24-11.
Verdin, who tied her career high with 21 kills, said, “I’m very happy. But I wasn’t able to do it without the digs from the back row, and Nicole’s setting was amazing.”
Head coach Brian Gimmillaro described Verdin’s performance as “faster, stronger and quicker.”
“When she plays well, it looks like other players can’t compete,” he said.
Vargas, who recorded 35 assists for the 49ers and four service aces, became a dominant force at the net as the match wore on.
“[Nicole] was off at the beginning of the game but got much better as the match went on,” Gimmillaro said. “Her serves – I wouldn’t want to get in the way of one of those.”
Freshman outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux recorded 12 kills for the Beach while Lee put up nine. Senior libero Iris Murray led the team in digs with 16.
The 49ers are back in Big West Conference play on Friday night as they take on UC Davis in the Walter Pyramid at 7 p.m. Special ceremonies will be held between sets two and three to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 1998 NCAA championship team.