The Long Beach State women’s volleyball team opened its season with an unpleasant start after being swept during the first two days of the Illini Classic in Illinois.
The 49ers (1-2) fell to No. 11 Illinois Friday. They followed close behind the Illini during the first two sets and lost 25-21, but faltered after finishing 25-15 in the third set.
Senior Bre Mackie led the 49ers with nine kills, hitting .318, but the team only hit .102 compared to the Illini’s .333. The Big Ten powerhouse also out-blocked the ‘Niners 10-to-5, living up to its perfect 3-0 record.
Other LBSU hitters had a difficult time putting the ball away All-Region Chisom Okpala hit into the negative range while Alex Reid and Joy Miley hit below .100.
There wasn’t much improvement the following day: they lost to North Carolina (2-1) 25-23, 25-10 and 25-22. Although the 49ers were able to keep the Tar Heels on edge during the first set – tying the score 11 times and matching the Tar Heels hitting percentage of .255 – they couldn’t close out for the win.
Mackie showed up, once again leading her team with nine kills, as freshman Ashley Murray made her debut with seven kills on .462 hitting. But LBSU finished with a .154 compared with UNC’s .311.
The 49ers finally saw some light over the weekend after they were able to come home with a win against Southern Illinois (0-3). This time, four players (Sophie Bukovec, Miley, Okpala and Reid) hit into double-digits, holding a .291 hitting percentage while keeping the Salukis at .080.
LBSU will host a three-day tournament, the Mizuno Invitational, Friday through Sunday at the Walter Pyramid.