One thing is for sure this weekend: At least one of the four remaining women’s volleyball teams with unblemished Big West Conference records will receive a loss.
No. 21 Long Beach State (11-3, 1-0 Big West) will travel up the coast for a back-to-back set against UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly.
The 49ers will face the Gauchos (8-6, 2-0 Big West) Friday at the Thunderdome before playing the Mustangs (12-3, 2-0 Big West) Saturday at Mott Gym. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.
“The road has proven to be very, very difficult in this conference,” LBSU head coach Brian Gimmillaro said. “And, the other thing is — for some reason, I think it’s because of our success — [Cal Poly] and Santa Barbara make this the match of the year for them.
“I wish they used some of that excitement out of conference.”
The Beach, winners in six of its past seven matches, opened conference play last Saturday with a sweep over Cal State Fullerton. The ‘Niners made their presence felt at the net, posting 15 team blocks to improve their conference-leading total to 153 (2.89 per set).
Freshman middle blocker Haleigh Hampton (Big West-leading 81 blocks and 1.53 per set) and the rest of the LBSU front row will attempt to contain UCSB’s Stacey Schmidt, the reigning conference player of the week whose .378 hitting percentage ranks third in the Big West.
“[UCSB’s] middle attack is as good as any of the top teams in the country. That’s the best part of their game,” Gimmillaro said.
The junior middle blocker posted a career-high 23 kills to go with a .526 attack in a 3-0 victory last Saturday at UC Irvine.
“[Schmidt] has really stepped up and hasn’t had a bad game,” UCSB head coach Kathy Gregory said. “She’s what I like to call an independent player; no matter how the team is doing, she finds a way to play.”
Schmidt and the Gauchos will face a 49ers defense that holds opponents to a conference-low .142 team attack. While Gregory “realizes [Hampton] is very physical and tall” and wants the offense to “move her around,” the 36th-year head coach said that her own team’s abilities were of greater importance.
Much like its matchup with the Titans, LBSU will face an upstart Cal Poly team that has already surpassed last season’s 9-20 record.
But that doesn’t surprise Gimmillaro.
“They had the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation a year ago,” he said.
The Mustangs, who were picked to finish fifth in the conference’s preseason coaches’ poll, will bring a 10-match winning streak into their contest Friday against CSUF before tangling with the 49ers.
“Ten in a row is not a surprise at all,” Gimmillaro said.
Team hitting percentages may not be a pretty statistic when the teams meet in San Luis Obispo; the Mustangs rank second behind the 49ers with a .169 opposition mark.
LBSU will have to deal with the duo of Jennifer Keddy and Kristina Graven. Keddy, a sophomore middle blocker, is hitting .348 while averaging 1.22 blocks per set. Graven, one of the few threats to Hampton in the Big West Freshman of the Year race, ranks fourth behind 49ers outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux with 3.65 kills per set.
“[Cal Poly] has all the physical ability to be an outstanding team,” Gimmillaro said.
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