After two big games to kick off the new semester, the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team appears to be no different from most freshmen moving into the dorms this past weekend. Jittery and inexperienced, but somehow you get the impression that everything will work out in the long run.
But, there were no 100-level courses for the ‘Niners to ease into September with; just a couple of upper-division challenges that came in the forms of No. 15 San Diego on Friday and No. 2 Texas the following night.
The ‘Niners came within two points of shocking the No. 2 Longhorns before falling in five sets, but not even the staunchest of LBSU supporters could have seen that coming; not after how out-of-synch the 49ers looked in their season-opening four-set loss to San Diego; not with a Texas team returning two AVCA All-Americans from 2008 — including three-time NCAA high jump champion Destinee Hooker — coming into town.
“We didn’t play with heart [against San Diego],” LBSU head coach Brian Gimmillaro said. “The pride of the players was hurt, so they came out to play.”
Pushing a Final Four caliber team to the brink is a moral victory at the very least for a team with all that new personnel in the rotation.
The 49ers should have closed out the fourth set against Texas with the score tied 23-23 and could have done so in the fifth had it not been for a lights-out performance from Hooker.
Needless to say, a coach with Gimmillaro’s résumé probably does not place much weight in should-of’s and could-of’s, and the new faces in the rotation will need to develop for The Beach to rise this season.
Converted setter Ashley Lee is arguably the most significant change to the LBSU rotation and could be the X-factor in the 49ers’ defense of their Big West Conference crown. The La Habra Heights native was thrown into the situation after LBSU setter-in-waiting Cat Highmark transferred to Arizona State.
As expected of someone new to the setting position on a full-time basis, Lee displayed signs of indecisiveness during stretches of the first two games, including the tendency to rely heavily on quick dumps that the Longhorns caught on to by the third set.
Fortunately, Lee is a workhorse who got the most out of her diminutive 5-foot-8 frame at the outside hitter position last season before being sidelined by a posterior cruciate ligament injury, so all signs suggest that she can only improve if given more time at the position.
Another newcomer to the 49er lineup is redshirt freshman Jocelyn Neely, who pounded out 10 kills on .438 hitting against Texas after posting at an abysmal -.308 mark against the Toreros in her career debut.
“I told her that this game brought her back to zero,” Gimmillaro joked after the Texas match. “Jocelyn is a capable player but she is anxious and inexperienced.”
Neely could provide Lee with an additional option to set the table for, alongside big hitters Naomi Washington and Caitlin Ledoux.
The Beach’s libero, Lauren Minkel, inherited the position this season after the graduation of two-year starter Iris Murray. The sophomore is averaging 4.11 digs per set through her first two matches, slightly above that of her predecessor last season.
Minkel, Ledoux and Lee each tallied 19 digs against the Longhorns, and it was that defense that allowed the ‘Niners to hang tough with Texas.
Sophomore middle blocker Michelle Osunbor, who redshirted last season, has appeared in every set for the 49ers this season and should give Gimmillaro a physical presence to use near the net.
With a trio of unheralded opponents coming up — UMBC and Indiana State on Friday, along with Northeastern on Saturday — that total in the win column should rise, along with the team’s chemistry and confidence as it continues to establish an identity.
“I think being 0-2 will pump us up even more for next week,” said middle blocker Brittney Herzog, who along with Washington are the only seniors on the team. “I think we can end up 3-2 after this weekend.”