For senior Naomi Washington, her first volleyball match in front of her hometown New Orleans couldn’t have ended more appropriately Friday.
The Long Beach State middle blocker delivered two key points in the fifth and deciding set of a 3-2 road victory over the Privateers. The 49ers won the match 25-22, 25-20, 13-25, 23-25, 15-13 in the first day of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic.
Washington delivered a match-high 19 kills, while sophomore Caitlin Ledoux tallied her second double-double of the season with 15 kills and 19 digs.
Defensively, the 49ers (4-2) came up with a staggering 87 digs, including a match-best 26 from sophomore libero Lauren Minkel. Setter Ashley Lee added 47 assists and 10 digs.
New Orleans (4-4) was paced by Edina Dobi’s 15 kills.
Trailing 11-10 in the final set, a Ledoux kill and a New Orleans hitting error put LBSU back on top. Washington was then fed down the stretch, and Dobi closed the contest with an errant shot that went wide.
The 49ers return to action Saturday in a doubleheader against LSU (9 a.m. PT) and host Tulane (6 p.m. PT).
In just her second start of the season, goalkeeper Nicoline Jorgensen posted her first career shutout Friday.
Jorgensen’s four saves helped the Long Beach State women’s soccer team defeat host Harvard, 2-0.
The sophomore has allowed just one goal over the last three games, or 225 minutes of action.
Freshman forward Whitney Velez put the 49ers on the board in the 37th minute for her first career collegiate goal. Junior midfielder Shawna Gordon capped the scoring with a header in the 55th minute for her second goal of the season.
Jenn Brooks and Nicole Hubbard were both credited with assists.
LBSU (3-2) closes its four-game road trip Sunday at No. 5 Boston College.
Top-ranked USC will visit the 49er Campus Pool to open the 2009 season Saturday.
The No. 9 49ers will attempt to snap the defending national champion Trojans’ 29-game win streak. USC won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation last year, as well.
The game is scheduled for a noon start.