For the first time in three years, the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team has begun conference play 2-0. The 49ers will try to extend their Big West conference win streak to three 7 p.m. Friday against UC Santa Barbara.
Senior outside hitter Megan Kruidhof provided a spark off the bench with 10 kills for the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team (10-5, 2-0) in its 3-2 win at Cal State Northridge. Kruidhof’s performance against the Matadors featured the match set kill in the fifth set of the team’s Big West Conference road opener.
“I was just going out there and trying my best,” Kruidhof said via LBSU Athletics on Twitter. “Matt (Fuerbringer) kept on telling me to be aggressive. I think it came down to our serve and pass game, we really figured it out in the third and fourth set.”
Kruidhof was one of four players to record double-digit kills for the Beach. Senior outside hitter Tyler Spriggs led the team with 13 kills, while freshmen outside hitter Allison Martinez recorded 11 and junior outside hitter Hailey Harward had 10.
Head coach Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer’s team will face its toughest test of the season with conference road games against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (10-5, 2-1) and the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mustangs (13-1, 3-0).
The Gauchos are ranked three points behind LBSU in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll, and will enter the game coming off back-to-back conference wins.
Long Beach and Santa Barbara shared a common opponent during the first week of conference play, facing off against UC Riverside. UCSB made the 160+ mile trip to Riverside and earned its first conference win, 3-1, following a loss to UC Irvine earlier in the week. LBSU swept the Highlanders, 3-0, Sept. 18.
Redshirt freshman outside hitter Lindsey Ruddins will be a force for the Gauchos after earning conference player of the week honors. She has recorded at least 20 kills in nine of her last 15 matches this season.
Cal Poly, ranked No. 15 in the AVCA Poll, starts the week on a 12-game win streak, sweeping its last four opponents, including three in conference play. Before its meeting with Long Beach Saturday, Cal Poly will host CSUN Friday.