The Long Beach State women’s volleyball ignited the Walter Pyramid as it defeated Cal State Fullerton in a five-game thriller Friday night.
Starting the night with two tough losses to the Titans, the 49ers came out of the locker room dominating the third game and remained in control to end with scores of 20-25, 21-25, 25-13, 25-19 and 15-13.
Delainey Aigner-Swesey had a carreer night with a season-high 25 kills, 11 digs and seven block assists. Joining her with double-digit kills were Chisom Okpala (13), Alex Reid (11), and Bre Mackie (10). Erin Juley had a season-high 56 assists while Tyler Jackson and Chelsea Cabrajac both contributed 18 digs.
Both teams opened the first set trading points as Okpala and Aigner-Swesey each took three kills while Titan’s Leah Best and Alyse Hensley shared seven. A Titan kill at 6-7 to end the back-and-forth pattern kept the 49ers trailing the remainder of the set. Blocking efforts by Haleigh Hampton and Aigner-Swesey along with a kill from Okpala brought them to tie the game at 16-16. After the Titans went on a three-point run, the 49ers struggled to keep up and ended the set with an unforced blocking error.
The Titans’ momentum gave them a six point run at the start of the second set as the 49ers failed to pass the ball. Aigner-Swesey attempted to revive the team with a kill at 2-7, but the Titans went on to lead by as much as nine points and did not allow the 49ers to get ahead once the entire game.
The 49ers were one set away from losing the match and could not afford to play the way they did in the first two games if they wanted to win.
“We didn’t put any pressure on them the first two games,” head coach Brian Gimmillaro said. “You can’t win when you make the other team feel comfortable.”
After a locker room break, the 49ers came out a different team as they took a seven-point lead with a kill from all four hitters on the court. The fans roared as Aigner-Swesey’s hard-driven back row attack brought the 49ers to their next big lead at 15-7.
The Titan’s Bre Moreland ended the 49ers’ four-point run with a kill, but Reid quickly responded with a fast one down the line. Dispute among the coaches and referees caused an outrage in the stands as an uncertain call went in favor of the 49ers. Even with the commotion, Cabrajac served five straight points to game point. Leah Best tried to keep her team alive with two hits straight to the floor, but Okpala made the game-winning hit.
Both teams went head to head in the fourth game until another dispute among the coaches and referees put the 49ers at a six-point lead with Okpala and Aigner-Swesey contributing back-to-back blocks at 17-11. The 49ers scored the last four points of the game with kills to bring them into a winner-take-all situation.
The final set was tight, as it consisted of six tie scores and three lead changes. Mackie contributed three kills and a block assist to tie the game at 5-5. Reid’s kill gave the 49ers a 12-10 advantage, but the Titans quickly responded with two of their own.
After a 49er and Titan kill put the score at 13-13, the pressure caused Titan’s libero to serve into the net. The Pyramid was at its loudest of the night as Okpala and Aigner-Swesey made a block to finish off the Titans.
The Titans also had four offensive leaders who hit double-digit kills with Moreland (18), Best (17), Hensley (15) and Holland (10). Julie Consani dished out 56 assists while McKenna Painton and Moreland had 47 digs combined.
Mackie and Aigner-Swesey came back from recent injuries this week, and they were game changers of the night. Mackie and Aigner-Swesey both commended Okpala for the inspiration.
“For someone who already does everything for us, then says she’s going to step up even more… we’re going to follow her lead,” Aigner-Swesey said.
“I think we wanted to turn and play for each other, instead of being in ourselves. Chisom [Okpala] came and brought us together,” Mackie added.
The 49ers will host UC Riverside tonight in the Walter Pyramid at 7 p.m.