The injury-riddled Long Beach State women’s volleyball team will not be graced with the return of senior outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux as it travels for two Big West Conference matchups this weekend.
The upside: head coach Brian Gimmillaro said Ledoux will return to practice for limited activity next week.
Despite missing the last three matches due to a shin injury, Ledoux, who still ranks second the squad in kills (135) behind outside hitter Janisa Johnson (144), has been sorely missed. The 49ers were pushed to five sets in their last two matches, and nearly went winless last weekend had it not been for a come-from-behind effort against Cal Poly.
LBSU (7-5, 1-1 Big West) will head to Northridge to take on the Matadors (7-6, 1-0 Big West) at 7 p.m. on Friday, and will complete its weekend road trip at UC Riverside against the Highlanders (3-12, 0-1 Big West) on Saturday.
The Beach will continue to look for young leadership in sophomores Haleigh Hampton (middle blocker) and Delainey Aigner-Swesey (outside hitter).
Aigner-Swesey delivered a career-high of 29 kills in a five-set victory against the Mustangs last Saturday.
Hampton continues to sit out practice with a boot protecting her injured left foot, but is not expected to miss any playing time.
Freshman setter Erin Juley has been another bright spot for the ‘Niners thus far with 416 kills on .262 hitting.
Freshman outside hitter Bre Mackie, who was expected to red shirt when the season started, will continue to see more playing time.
Northridge is led by senior outside hitter Mahina Haina, who leads the squad with 164 kills and is second in hitting at .267. Sophomore setter Sydney Gedryn has 383 assists on .232 hitting.
“Northridge beat us last year [at Northridge] and they are a better team this year,” Gimmillaro said. “The performance is going to have to be good. We are going to have to score whenever we can. It may not be pretty but it is going to have to be effective.”
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.