Two of the strongest front rows in the Big West will go head-to-head this weekend on Saturday in the Walter Pyramid.
The Long Beach State women’s volleyball team has the most total blocks (152) in the conference, while Cal State Northridge holds the best hitting percentage in the Big West so far at .302.
The 49ers (12-4, 2-0 Big West) have won seven of their last eight matches, and they hold a two-game winning streak after defeating UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton in the opening weekend of conference play.
Head coach Brian Gimmillaro said his team is showing improvement, but is inconsistent when it comes to relaxing more on the court.
“[It’s] off and on,” said Gimmillaro. “You don’t want to think too much about the games that could’ve gone differently, but you want to focus on getting better.”
Senior Tyler Jackson earned her second Big West Defensive Player of the Week award after she tied her season-high 24 digs against UCI last weekend and became the sixth player in LBSU history to reach 1,200 digs.
CSUN (11-3, 2-0) has the best record in the Big West and a 5-2 away record. Both losses were during preseason tournaments against No. 23 Arizona and the University of Oklahoma. Its third loss was a sweep at home from No. 1 Stanford.
The Matadors are a comeback win against UCI after falling behind two sets. They were in a similar situation earlier in the season against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“They’ll be very good,” said Gimmillaro. “They won’t give away any matches.”
Hinger was named Big West Player of the Week for the second time after recording 14 kills and hitting .321 in their comeback win against UCI. She also leads the team in blocks with 44, and is second in kills with 151.
Stinson leads the Matadors with 159 kills while Boykin follows with 124. Sam Kaul is the fourth player on CSUN’s team who has triple-digit kills with 111 and the highest hitting percentage on the team at .394.
The Matadors have the second highest overall hitting percentage (.252) in the Big West, and Gimmillaro said their experience has been significantly influential in their successes.
“They hit the ball very well, they’re athletic, but mostly they’re older,” Gimmillaro said. “You got [four players] that have played together for four years, so you’re talking about a team that’s been successful and played together for a long period of time.”
The 49ers led the series against CSUN 47-23, but fell to the Matadors in five sets during their last meeting.
Gimmillaro said performances from Bre Mackie, Alex Reid, Jackson, Chisom Okpala and Jenelle Hudson continue to help the team grow.
Mackie leads the team with 70 total blocks and is second with 151 kills. Reid has 158 kills, and Okpala follows with 120. Hudson also carries the team with 571 assists, and Jackson with 228 digs.
The 49ers will take on the Matadors on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid. The game will also be featured on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN phone application.