The Long Beach State women’s volleyball team avoided becoming the first squad in program history to drop its first three matches of the season.
The 49ers swept the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in three sets in front of a sparse crowd Friday afternoon at the Walter Pyramid.
LBSU (1-2) won the match 25-20, 25-20, 25-21 in the first match of a two-team doubleheader as part of the Long Beach State/UC Irvine Invitational.
“We’ve got 25 more [matches] to go,” LBSU head coach Brian Gimmillaro said, taking the team’s first victory in stride.
Fifth-year senior middle blocker Naomi Washington, who sat out of practice this week recovering from a concussion, led the 49ers to victory with match-highs of 14 kills and an impressive .722 hitting percentage.
“[My head] is way better than it was,” said Washington, who was also playing with a sprained ankle she suffered in last week’s match with No. 2 Texas. “I could care less what’s going on, I’m going to play.”
UMBC (1-2) was paced by Naomi Bush’s 10 kills. The team hit just .179 compared to LBSU’s .321 attack percentage.
The 49ers and Retrievers traded points midway through the third set until LBSU grabbed hold of the lead for good.
Coming out of a timeout with a 17-16 lead, the ‘Niners scored four of the next five points highlighted with a joust won by sophomore Caitlin Ledoux.
The Beach recorded four of its seven service aces in the final frame, including back-to-back scores by junior defensive specialist Laura Schuck late in the contest.
Middle blocker Brittney Herzog and setter Ashley Lee teamed for a block to seal the set, 25-21, and complete the sweep.
“It’s harder to stay focused on what we have to do,” Washington said about difference playing nationally-ranked opponents like Texas and No. 15 San Diego to start the season. “It takes us out of our game sometimes. … [Against Texas] everyone was focused and wouldn’t take a play off.”
LBSU jumped on UMBC to start the second set, grabbing a quick 7-2 lead before a Retrievers timeout. The ‘Niners, who led by as many as 11 points and never trailed in the frame, won 25-20 and were powered by five kills from Washington.
LBSU overcame a sluggish start in the match to put away UMBC, 25-20, in the opening set.
“It’s kind of hard to stay focused when you have no fans,” Washington said, alluding to the nonexistent crowd.
The significantly smaller Retrievers were able to out-block the 49ers, 3.5-1, in the first set and 7.5-5 in the entire match.
“They actually are taller than you think they are,” Gimmillaro said.
However, the 49ers hit .357 in the frame — including a staggering .857 clip from Washington — and limited the Retrievers to a .138 percentage. Washington (six kills) and redshirt freshman Jocelyn Neely (five kills) accounted for most of the 16 LBSU kills in the set to lead the way.
The Beach won with ex-49er great Misty May-Treanor in attendance. She stopped by the team’s practice earlier in the week, as well.
“There’s been a couple of us [former players] coming in just to give them some more firepower. It’s fun,” May-Treanor said.
The 49ers will return to the court later tonight at 7 p.m. to face Missouri Valley Conference member Indiana State (1-3) at the Walter Pyramid.