The Long Beach State women’s volleyball team showcased an all-around stellar performance Saturday afternoon in the first match of a doubleheader.
The 49ers (24-7) hit .441 as a team and swept Akron — 25-22, 25-17, 25-11 — in a swift 1 hour, 16 minutes at the Walter Pyramid.
Caitlin Ledoux, who has been bothered by a sore right shoulder, capped a solid individual performance with a service ace to put away the Zips (15-16). The three-time All-Big West Conference first-team selection registered her highest hitting percentage (.364) in more than two weeks, and finished with 14 kills and nine digs to lead The Beach.
“It’s rough in the morning,” Ledoux said of her shoulder. “It’s tight coming off of last night. I’m trying to get through it.”
Janisa Johnson added a double-double with 11 kills on .360 hitting and 14 digs. Teammate Taylor Cook, who filled in for starting middle blocker Haleigh Hampton, tallied a career-high seven kills on .636 hitting and three blocks.
“Taylor did an amazing job,” Ledoux said. “She did so well, she really helped.”
Head coach Brian Gimmillaro said Hampton will warmup and attempt to play in the second match later this afternoon.
Alex Cocklin and Alex Wiederholt collected eight kills apiece to lead Akron, which hit just .088 in the final set.
LBSU jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead in set two and pushed the advantage to 12-4 following a timeout. A backrow attack call helped the Zips close the gap to 16-12, but the ‘Niners responded with a 7-1 run to grab its largest lead of the frame.
The 49ers hit .432 en route to taking the opening set, 25-22.
Tied at 17, The Beach won five of the next six points capped by a soft Johnson kill from the backrow to open a 22-18 cushion that would hold up.
The ‘Niners will return to action at 2 p.m. in their regular season finale against Seattle (18-12). It will be LBSU’s final chance to make a case for an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament.
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