LOS ANGELES — All season long, the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team has had trouble closing out opponents and that could not have been more apparent at the worst of times Friday night at the Galen Center.
Despite early leads in all three sets, the 49ers (25-8) saw their NCAA tournament run come to a crashing halt in a sweep — 25-22, 30-28, 25-19 — against the No. 18-ranked University of San Diego in the opening round.
LBSU junior outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux collected a team-high 13 kills, followed by 11 from freshman Haleigh Hampton, who hit a team-best .478 in her first NCAA tournament appearance. Junior libero Lauren Minkel made a match-high 22 digs.
“I can’t even tell you how many times in a game we’ve been up and [the other team] came back,” Ledoux said. “[Head coach Brian Gimmillaro] says that ‘potential’ is the worst word to use, and I think our team has a ton of potential.”
Amy Mahinalani DeGroot tallied a match-high 17 kills and teammate Ali Troost, the back-to-back West Coast Conference player of the year, added 15 to power USD (24-5). But it was an all-around defensive effort that stifled the 49ers’ attack, as five Toreros reached double figures in digs led by DeGroot’s 15.
In fact, LBSU’s hitting percentage dropped in each set — from .209 to .183 to .140 — to finish with a .178 mark. USD hit .222 as a team.
“I’m just extremely proud of the way our team played tonight,” USD head coach Jennifer Petrie said. “I think every time we play Long Beach State, it’s just a supreme battle. They’re such a good defensive team, and well coached.”
The Toreros will advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament and face No. 5-ranked and host USC, which is also the No. 6-seeded team in the 64-team field. The Trojans swept New Mexico in the late match Friday.
Saturday’s second-round contest, which starts at 5 p.m. at the Galen Center, will be for the right to advance to the Sweet 16 at the Dayton, Ohio, Regional next Friday.
“[USD] made some spectacular plays today and they deserve to be successful,” Gimmillaro said. “From our side, it was disappointing.
“We weren’t tough enough. Our serving wasn’t very good. We passed well, played defense well — but we had breakdowns at crucial times.”
The Beach dropped a pivotal second set, 30-28, and failed to capitalize on three set-point opportunities that would have tied the match at a set apiece. Instead, it put the 49ers into an insurmountable 0-2 hole.
“I thought that second [set] really showed a lot of determination and desire,” Petrie said.
Leading 25-24, the ‘Niners were called for four hits. Then, with a 27-26 advantage, Janisa Johnson was unable to stop Troost’s tying swing at the net. After being handed a 28-27 lead on a service error, LBSU this time couldn’t contain Chloe Ferrari’s offering.
Finally, the Toreros used a service ace from Kandiss Anderson and a Troost kill to cap the set.
“We’re just really fortunate right now to have some really great go-to hitters in clutch situations,” Petrie said. “We had some really clutch serving at the end. Tough serving that took Long Beach out of system and gave us some opportunities.”
The 49ers didn’t appear to be fazed, however, and came out of the locker room to take an early 9-5 lead in set three. But, again, back came USD.
The Toreros went on a 7-1 run, which was countered by LBSU to knot the frame at 13. But it did not kill the USD momentum.
From there, the Toreros gradually built a five-point advantage at 22-17 and never looked back. On match-point, Amber Tatsch blocked Delainey-Aigner Swesy’s attempt to end the season for The Beach.
The Toreros have now won the last six matches against the 49ers, dating back to 2005, including a four-set win at the Walter Pyramid in early September.
“I think they just wanted to prove themselves tonight,” Gimmillaro said of his players.
The teams picked up right where they left off in the previous meeting, as USD edged LBSU for a 25-22 win in the opening set. The ‘Niners grabbed an brief three-point lead but the Toreros turned it into a back-and-forth battle.
Tied at 19, USD claimed four of the next six points and, after a wide Toreros attack, Troost powered through the 49ers’ block to force set point. Johnson then hit wide to hand the set to USD.
“We had a little lead but we missed four serves,” Gimmillaro said. “You miss four serves in a game this close, it’s a tough thing because we missed them at really crucial times.”
The match was the final in the career of senior setter Ashley Lee, who finished with 35 assists.
“The four years at Long Beach has been a rollercoaster,” she said. “Throughout each year, I’ve grown and matured from it.”
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