Anyone who has played the video game Mortal Kombat can probably remember the booming voice demanding that you “finish him.” The Long Beach State women’s volleyball team might want to find a Sega Genesis console.
A seemingly disastrous start to October could be countered in an equally crucial stretch to close the month for the 49ers. But the team needs to develop more of a killer instinct.
Over the next two weeks, the 49ers will meet the other three teams that occupy the top four spots in the Big West Conference. The gauntlet for LBSU (15-5, 5-2 Big West) will start on the road Saturday against first-place Cal State Fullerton (17-4, 6-1 Big West), which is a perfect 11-0 at Titan Gym this season. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The 49ers will then attempt to avenge a pair of losses when Cal Poly (15-6, 5-3 Big West) and UC Santa Barbara (11-9, 5-2 Big West) visit the Walter Pyramid on Oct. 29 and 30, respectively.
Head coach Brian Gimmillaro is even looking ahead an extra week to road matches at Pacific (11-8, 4-4 Big West) and UC Davis (13-7, 5-3 Big West). For you sports standings math majors, that’s just a two-game difference between first and fifth place in the conference standings.
“Five matches, certainly Fullerton this week is important, but is it any more important than the other four?” Gimmillaro said after practice Monday. “If you put your hopes on one match, you’re making a big mistake.”
CSUF will bring a six-match winning streak into the contest, but The Beach will counter with a 56-match winning streak in the all-time series between the teams. Overall, the ‘Niners are 78-4 against their rivals dating back to 1966, including a 3-0 sweep Sept. 25 in this season’s conference opener.
But that was before LBSU went to the Central Coast and came back winless against the Gauchos (five-set heartbreaker after blowing a 2-0 lead) and Mustangs (3-0 sweep). Since that blemish, the ‘Niners have won four straight matches — some in far-from-easy fashion, however.
It’s things like the longer-than-expected battle with last-place UC Riverside last Saturday that the ‘Niners must clean up. LBSU was six points away from finishing the match in four sets but, instead, squandered a 19-13 lead and nearly blew an early 9-4 advantage in the final frame.
A much-better Gauchos team would have capitalized on the 49ers’ miscues, and that’s exactly what happened when the teams met earlier this season.
The Beach let UCSB hang around in the third set that night, which carried over into a fourth frame that the 49ers never led. The final set was eventually the result of a snowball effect, which the ‘Niners brought to San Luis Obispo.
Now, at essentially the midway point of the Big West slate, the next two weeks could jeopardize LBSU’s bid for a third straight conference crown.
Or, the 49ers could finally put a stop to the generosity.
That’s why he’s paid the big bucks
If there’s one positive from the scare against lowly UCR, senior setter Ashley Lee is still hauling in the accolades.
A day after being named the conference player of the week, Lee was named national player of the week Tuesday by both the American Volleyball Coaches Association and Collegiate Volleyball Update.
“The stars have to align,” Gimmillaro said when asked about the possibility of Lee earning national recognition for her quadruple-double performance against the Highlanders.
A month ago, Gimmillaro’s critics wondered whether a previously injured Lee should have been playing over freshman Ashley Vazquez, who guided the 49ers to a 6-1 record while starting seven of the team’s first eight matches.
LBSU lost in Lee’s season debut, a four-set decision to a then-No. 25 San Diego team that wasn’t the easiest of opponents. And, of course, Vazquez looked impressive as the starter in the following match — a sweep over a lesser Virginia squad — and the armchair quarterback suggestion was hatched. Nothing against Vazquez, but that’s an all-Big West first-team selection you would have to send to the bench.
Lee’s 50 assists, 13 digs, career-high 10 blocks and season-best 10 kills against UCR should serve as a reminder for her undeniable versatility.
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