IRVINE — Long Beach State women’s volleyball head coach Brian Gimmillaro can now add 700 victories to his list of accomplishments.
The 49ers (22-6, 12-3 Big West Conference) swept UC Irvine, 25-19, 25-17, 25-18, Thursday night at the Bren Events Center.
Ashley Lee and Haleigh Hampton combined for a block to cap the milestone victory for Gimmillaro, who was then presented the game ball by Anteaters head coach Paula Weishoff.
“I really didn’t care about the win,” said Gimmillaro, now in his 26th year, while fighting back a smile. “What I cared about was winning one more for a chance for the playoffs.
“Seven hundred … I really don’t care. But it’s nice.”
Gimmillaro, a three-time National Coach of the Year recipient, became the eighth active head coach to reach 700 victories, and 10th in Division I history.
Sophomore outside hitter Janisa Johnson led a balanced 49ers attack with 13 kills and 16 digs. Hampton, who sported a noticeable limp after the match, added 10 kills on .348 hitting and seven blocks.
The duo stepped up for outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux, who didn’t practice all week because of a sore right shoulder, Gimmillaro said. The junior collected six kills and nine digs.
“We had people kind of hurting but we just didn’t let it get to us,” Johnson said. “So our goal was to get out of here as fast as we can.”
UCI (7-21, 3-12 Big West) was paced by Kari Pestolesi’s 10 kills and 16 digs.
The ‘Niners cruised to a 25-17 victory in set two.
The Beach, which stifled UCI into a -.026 hitting percentage in the frame, led by as many as 10 points and was never threatened.
LBSU won the opening set, 25-19, as both teams displayed tremendous defense.
The 49ers never trailed, but the Anteaters closed to within a point on three separate occasions and didn’t go away quietly. The teams combined for 52 digs and played to a series of long rallies late in the set.
Leading 21-18, LBSU was sparked by a Lauren Minkel dig to eventually win a long rally after an Anteaters attempt sailed wide. On the ensuing play, it was Johnson who showed off her athleticism for a dig to help the ‘Niners pull away.
Johnson recorded nine of her 16 digs in the frame.
“Janisa made a heck of a defensive play,” Gimmillaro said. “She made one dig I saw that was sideways, flat out. She’s a heck of an athlete.”
The 49ers will close Big West play tomorrow at Cal State Northridge (12-18, 4-10 Big West). First serve at the Matadome is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Cal State Fullerton (24-5, 12-2 Big West), which was idle Thursday, will play at UCI tomorrow before finishing the season at CSUN on Saturday night. The Titans have a half-game lead over the 49ers, but, in the event of a tie atop the standings, The Beach owns the head-to-head tiebreaker.
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