Women’s volleyball
Big West-leading ‘Niners extend streak to 7
The 49er women’s volleyball team swept through Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara over the weekend to take sole possession of first place in the Big West Conference. LBSU came back from a 2-1 deficit Saturday night to outlast Cal Poly, 13-25, 25-20, 17-25, 25-21, 15-10. Middle blocker Brittney Herzog tallied a career-high 16 kills and five blocks, to go along with a staggering .609 hitting percentage. Middle blocker Naomi Washington chipped in with 10 kills.
The 49ers hit -.125 as a team with 10 errors after the first set, allowing the Mustangs to jump out to an 11-5 lead that they would never relinquish. LBSU rebounded to take the second set, but Cal Poly responded by taking the third set behind a .393 team hitting percentage. The 49ers took set four to send the match into a fifth set, despite blowing a 15-9 lead early on. Both teams were plagued by miscues in set five, but a hitting error by Mustang opposite hitter Kylie Atherstone allowed LBSU to hang on for the win.
LBSU had an easier time Friday night dispatching the Gauchos of UCSB, 25-23, 25-14, 25-22. Washington led the ‘Niners with 13 kills, while Caitlin Ledoux added 11 kills and 9 digs of her own. Iris Murray was the team leader in digs with 18, followed by Nicole Vargas, who had 13. After a tight first set, the ‘Niners blitzed UCSB with a .400 attack percentage in the second, while holding the Gauchos to .032. They held on to win a close third set after a Ledoux kill at 21-20 allowed them to take the lead for good.
The 49ers (21-4, 10-2 Big West) play host to UC Irvine on Wednesday and UC Riverside on Thursday in the final two conference home matches of the season. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Men’s water polo
LBSU falls to Gauchos in double OT
The 49ers dropped a road match in Santa Barbara, 13-12, after Gaucho Milos Gollic’s seventh goal of the match sealed the win for UCSB. Ash Blythen led LBSU with four goals, while Jeff Greenwood and Jake Kinne added three each. Kevin vanHaaster had two. Goalie Derek Wiebe-Bailey made 12 saves.
The 49ers now prepare for a busy week that includes a home match against Loyola Marymount on Thursday at 7 p.m. They also host California on Saturday and Pacific on Sunday, with both matches scheduled for noon.