Senior setter Ashley Lee will make her season debut when the No. 23 Long Beach State women’s volleyball team hosts the Mizuno Invitational.
The 49ers (5-1) will face No. 25 San Diego (2-3) on Friday and Virginia (5-1) on Saturday in nonconference action at the Walter Pyramid. First serve for both matches is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Lee, who has been sidelined with a broken right pinkie since the team’s first preseason practice, has been itching to get back on the floor.
“That’s one of my big problems, is being anxious,” said Lee, who will play with the finger taped.
Lee will take over for true freshman setter Ashley Vazquez, who will now serve as the backup, head coach Brian Gimmillaro said. In six starts, the Puerto Rico native averaged 10.7 assists per set, which ranks second in the Big West Conference.
The 49ers should be OK in the assist department, however. Lee is ranked 10th on the all-time LBSU career assists list with 1,404.
The scouting reports
The Toreros of the West Coast Conference are off to a slow start, but all of their losses have come against teams ranked in the top 20 including a five-set decision to then-No. 5 Hawaii.
“It’s a great schedule for our standards,” said Brent Hilliard, associate head coach for San Diego. “At least we have an idea of where we need to get to.”
It will be the 49ers’ third ranked opponent in a two-week span.
San Diego, which features a senior-heavy starting lineup led by Amy DeGroot and Ali Troost, has been a nuisance for LBSU in recent history. Despite leading the all-time series, 10-5, the ‘Niners have dropped the last four matches including a four-set match last season.
“I think it’s just a familiarity with each other,” Hilliard said of the Toreros’ recent success in the series. “We were fortunate to win last year. The [sets] were all really close.”
The Toreros’ coaching staff, alone, is more than familiar with LBSU. Hilliard was the 1992 National Player of the Year while with the 49ers men’s volleyball team, and his No. 7 jersey is retired and hangs from the Walter Pyramid rafters.
“It’s always nice and flattering to see people I know,” the former three-time All-American said, “and it’s nice to see my jersey hanging. It’s my home away from home.”
Meanwhile, LBSU has no previous history against Virginia, which plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Led by junior outside hitter Simone Asque’s 4.67 kills per set, the Cavaliers are embarking on the toughest portion of their schedule. In addition to playing the 49ers, Virginia also will face San Diego on Thursday and No. 8 USC at the Galen Center on Friday. The match with the Trojans is not part of the Mizuno Invitational.
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