A season-high 29 kills from Naomi Washington helped the 49er women’s volleyball team storm back from a two-set deficit to defeat Tulane 17-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-11.
Washington registered a .339 attack percentage to go with four block assists and four digs Saturday to conclude the 49ers’ three-match road trip to her hometown New Orleans for the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic.
The senior middle blocker wasn’t alone, however, as LBSU received double-double outings from Caitlin Ledoux (15 kills, 12 digs) and Jocelyn Neely (10 kills, 18 digs).Sophomore libero Lauren Minkel led the ‘Niners with 22 digs, while setter Ashley Lee added 19 to go with her 58 assists. Freshman outside hitter Libby Fontanilla contributed 12 digs.
The ‘Niners were up 10-8 in the fifth set before scoring four unanswered points on kills from Washington and Brittney Herzog, along with two Tulane hitting errors.
Tulane was powered by outside hitter Visnja Djurdjevic’s 23 kills and 22 digs.
The 49ers return to Southern California to face Fordham Friday at the Cal State Fullerton Tournament. The match is set for 4 p.m. at Titan Gym. The Beach challenges UCLA the following night at 5 p.m.
Louisiana State 3, LBSU 1
The 49ers fell to LSU 25-20, 21-25, 20-25, 21-25 in Saturday’s early match, despite hitting .371 as a team in their set one victory.
Washington and Ledoux shared team-high honors with 13 kills, while Herzog also reached double figures with 11. Lee dished out 48 assists to go with a team-leading 11 digs and six kills.
LSU’s Brittnee Cooper paced the Tigers with 21 kills, while hitting at a .447 clip for the match.
The Long Beach State women’s soccer team fell, 4-0, to the No. 5 Eagles at Newton Campus Field Sunday afternoon.
Gina DiMartino fueled the Eagle attack with two goals, while Victoria DiMartino and Amy Caldwell also found the back of the net.
The ‘Niners (3-3) return home Friday to host Pepperdine at George Allen Field. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.