The Long Beach State women’s volleyball team earned its ninth victory in 10 matches, beating the CS Fullerton Titans in four sets 19-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-16 on Tuesday night at the Walter Pyramid.
The Beach was led by outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux and middle blocker Brittney Herzog, who finished with 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Herzog also hit a match-high .579.
CS Fullerton outside hitter Brittany Moore spearheaded the Titan attack with 23 kills while hitting .333.
The Titans came out firing on all cylinders and took the first set from the 49ers, who didn’t help matters by committing nine errors. Moore had 10 kills in the first set, three more than the 49ers had as a team at that point.
“We didn’t have as much energy as we did the last time we were home,” Herzog said. “We knew it would be a rough game from the beginning.”
In the second set, the 49ers hit .406 and recorded 17 kills, with six of those coming at the hands of senior outside hitter Quincy Verdin.
The 49ers (19-4, 8-2 Big West Conference) picked up right where they left off to start the third set, scoring three of their first 10 points via service aces with Verdin collecting two and freshman Cat Highmark getting the other.
The Titans (13-14, 6-6 Big West) were able to rally and score nine unanswered points to cut into the 49ers lead and make the score 19-18. LBSU was able to regroup after a timeout and scored the next three points to hold off the Titans, 25-22.
The final set had four lead changes, as both teams fought for control of the game. Back-to-back kills by middle blocker Naomi Washington and Verdin put Long Beach ahead 12-11 as momentum was favoring the home team. Herzog also played a key role in the deciding set, helping the 49ers pull away with three kills and 1 1/2 blocks and earn their eighth Big West victory.
Senior setter Nicole Vargas contributed a double-double with 36 assists and 20 digs, and libero Iris Murray tallied 17 digs for LBSU.
The 49ers notched their 50th consecutive victory over the Titans, who haven’t beaten LBSU since 1982. The ‘Niners lead the all-time series 74-4.
Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Lee left the game after the second set with a left knee injury. She finished with three kills and nine digs before ending her night on the eve of her 19th birthday. Lee said she hopes to return to the court by the weekend.
“The trainer said ‘no more,'” head coach Brian Gimmillaro said. “[Lee] was really hurting out there. She was playing so well, it was hard to lose her.”
Long Beach State’s next match will be on the road against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on Friday at 7 p.m.
I hope Ashley Lee returns this weekend for key matches at Santa Barbara and Cal Poly. The Beach will need all key players in order to defeat its central coast rivals on the road.
And so the streak continues…