This Saturday evening’s women’s volleyball Big West Conference-opener between No. 25 Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton got a lot more interesting after last weekend.
The Titans outlasted then-No. 7 UCLA in five sets last Friday in the Fullerton Classic at Titan Gym. The following day, the 49ers (7-3) accepted their Big West rival’s can-you-top-this challenge by blasting the Bruins in straight sets. The win marks LBSU’s first over a Top 10 opponent since a five-set victory over Florida in 2007.
After ripping the Bruins so soundly, the 49ers figure to get every team’s best shot in a conference vastly improved from last season.
“It’s better to have a target on your back than no targets at all. Targets mean you get respect,” Beach head coach Brian Gimmillaro said.
Gimmillaro said the Big West could get as many as four NCAA bids. The conference sent only one team — the conference champion 49ers — to the NCAA Tournament in 2008.
“The conference winning percentage is high and the teams we’ve beaten are good teams,” Gimmillaro said.
In the first match of their Big West gauntlet, the 49ers confront a Titan duo that ranks among NCAA Division I leaders in attacking and setting categories.
CSUF middle blocker Erin Saddler ranks sixth in the nation with 4.81 kills per set, while setter Andrea Ragan’s 11.72 assists per set is good for seventh in the nation.
Saddler and Ragan will attempt to rack up points on an LBSU defense that produced one of its better efforts of the season against UCLA, out-digging the Bruins, 55-40. Libero Lauren Minkel led the way with 17 and Caitlin Ledoux added 13.
“I think we’ll be a great defensive team by the end of the season,” Gimmillaro said. “We work harder on defense than any team I’ve seen.”
Junior setter Ashley Lee handed out 73 assists in the 49ers’ matches against Fordham and UCLA, averaging 12.17 per frame in the straight set victories.
“Fullerton will be a huge game,” Lee said. “They’ll be out to get us. They’re a good team in their home gym.”
Looking further into the conference slate, No. 21 UC Irvine (10-2), a winner over then-No. 6 California in August, could be the biggest roadblock in the 49ers’ title defense. The ‘Niners travel to face UCI on Oct. 16 before the Anteaters make a return trip to the Pyramid Nov. 21 in both teams’ Big West finales.
UC Santa Barbara (9-2), which defeated the University of San Diego on back-to-back nights earlier this month, provides another formidable test for The Beach, along with fast-starting Pacific (10-1).
Gimmillaro also sees Cal Poly (4-9) as a dark horse in the conference race because of the abundance of young talent on the team. The Mustangs hauled in the No. 9-ranked recruiting class in the nation, as rated by prepvolleyball.com.
“[Cal Poly] played a very tough [nonconference] schedule and had one of the top recruiting classes in the nation,” Gimmillaro said.
The Beach plays its first Big West home match on Oct. 2 against UCSB, while Cal Poly comes to the Walter Pyramid the following night. Both matches are set to begin at 7 p.m.
“I don’t take it as pressure,” Lee said about being the team to beat in the Big West. “I see it as a challenge. Them trying to get us makes us play harder. We have to think every team is as good as UCLA.”