FULLERTON — The 49er women’s volleyball team might creep back into the Top 25 poll after a convincing win Saturday at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Gym.
Unranked Long Beach State stormed by the No. 7 UCLA Bruins in a nonconference rout, 25-19, 25-16, 25-14.
The Bruins showed very little competitive spirit despite sweeping Fordham earlier in the day. UCLA was also stunned in five sets the previous night by Cal State Fullerton.
“We wanted [the match] to be a thoughtful match and not an emotional match,” head coach Brian Gimmillaro said. “Every time the players got emotional, we talked about specific things they needed to do on the court.
“Holding [UCLA] to those scores, I don’t think it will happen again this year.”
Senior middle blocker Naomi Washington (match-high 13 kills), Brittney Herzog (10 kills), Caitlin Ledoux and Jocelyn Neely (nine kills apiece) spearheaded a well-balanced attack to topple UCLA.
Junior setter Ashley Lee, who is improving each match after changing positions this season, handed out 40 assists to go with seven digs and five kills.
“We work on things she’s never done before,” Gimmillaro said of Lee. “It’s [getting] much better.”
As a team, the 49ers hit an impressive .398 compared to a lowly .120 effort from the Bruins, who finished with 18 hitting errors — or double LBSU’s total.
The Beach (7-3) shut the door on the Bruins, who had communication issues all match, with a 25-14 decision in the final set.
“[We said], ‘Hey, the first two [sets] wouldn’t matter if we lose this game,” Neely said.
The ‘Niners, who never trailed the match, led by as many as 11 in the set but received a scare when the oft-injured Washington slipped on a UCLA player’s foot and didn’t return. The 6-foot-3 senior, who sported a noticeable limp, also injured her knee in yesterday’s win over Fordham.
“Everything hurts on Naomi,” Gimmillaro joked. “She’s just got a lot of hurtin’ right now.”
The 49ers won the second set in convincing fashion, 25-16.
UCLA (10-3) made eight hitting errors and failed to record an attack percentage, while LBSU hit .312 in the set.
Leading 13-11, the 49ers recorded five of the next six points, highlighted by a Neely kill between two diving Bruins.
A slow start to the first set doomed the Bruins, who never recovered the rest of the match.
The 49ers jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead before UCLA’s Mari Hole found a hole to put the Bruins on the board. Lee helped put the ‘Niners ahead 11-6 with a pair of athletic digs and an assist to Neely to end a long rally.
Neely, who recorded a set-high six kills on a staggering .857 percentage, ended the frame with a point off the block to give the 49ers a 25-19 victory in the first set.
“We just wanted to come out really strong and not think about rankings,” Neely said. “This is the first time we really pulled it together and won it as a team.”
It was the first regular-season meeting between the teams since 1996.
The 49ers return to Titan Gym to open Big West Conference play against Cal State Fullerton next Saturday. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“It’s going to be a good game. It’s going to be exciting and we’re ready,” Neely said.
Gimmillaro, who said he rated Fullerton “highly this year,” plans to challenge his team in practice starting Monday.
“[The Titans] are experienced,” he said. “Monday’s going to be a very difficult practice.”