Sports, Women's Sports, Women's Volleyball

49ers break seven-game losing streak with Hawai’i

After losing seven consecutive games to Hawai’i, the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team finally topped the Rainbow Wahine in a five-set thriller inside the Walter Pyramid on Saturday.

Two thousand four hundred and sixteen people witnessed the 49ers become the only undefeated Big West team as they took their first win against Hawai’i in more than three years.

“There were some plays in that match that were sensational,” head coach Brian Gimmillaro said. “Those rallies were really good. There was some really good volleyball.”

LBSU (14-4, 4-0 Big West) ousted back-to-back Big West champions Hawai’i from its No. 1 standing, trading each set with scores of 25-15, 22-25, 26-24, 21-25 and 15-11.

Senior Bre Mackie struck first for The Beach in each set with either a kill or a block assist. Mackie had a career-high 20 kills and added nine blocks to lead the game.

“We weren’t going to let them come and walk all over us in our home court,” Mackie said. “[We’re] just letting them know who’s here in the conference, and we weren’t going to go down without a fight.”

The 49ers held the Rainbow Wahine (12-5, 4-2 Big West) to their lowest hitting percentage of the season at .131 while the Beach hit .193.

LBSU snatched the first set with an early five-point run to secure the lead. The Beach hit .296 in the set and held the ‘Bows to .033.

“We were very aggressive in the first set,” Gimmillaro said. “You’re not going to stay that aggressive, you just can’t. You’re going to have to just be good enough.”

The second set was much tighter. The Beach took the lead at 20-19. After a Hawai’i timeout, the ‘Bows came back with a 6-2 run that secured the set.

A game of runs defined the third set with the 49ers leading by as many as five early on. Hawai’i tied the set late at 24-24 until one of Ashley Murray’s nine kills hit the floor and an attack error by Hawaii’s Taylor Higgins gave the Beach the set.

LBSU led the majority of the fourth set up 20-17, but Hawai’I outside hitter Tai Manu-Olevao served three consecutive balls that went off the tape and barely made it over. Two hit the floor for service aces.
A timeout couldn’t help the 49ers as the Rainbow Wahine went on a 4-1 run to finish the set.

“If [she does] that again in the fifth game, I told them there’s nothing we could do about it, they’re going to win,” Gimmillaro said. “I told them I’m going to go over and shake that girl’s hand if she serves four more at the top of the net, and it falls over.”

LBSU came out in the fifth set with a four-point run to lead 7-5, but the ‘Bows tied the set at 11. A kill from Mackie and one of setter Jenelle Hudson’s five kills ignited the crowd and gave the Beach a two-point lead that forced a Hawai’I timeout.

“As a setter, I’m not one who gets to swing much, but my teammates set it up perfectly,” Hudson said. “They trust me with it, [and] I trust them.”

An attack error for the ‘Bows and Mackie’s 20th kill ended the night.

Hudson finished with 43 assists, 13 digs and three blocks. Chisom Okpala finished with 13 kills on .417 hitting, and Murray ended with nine kills and nine blocks.

Manu-Olevao led Hawai’i with 16 kills on .054 hitting and Kalei Greeley followed with 10 kills hitting .103.

The Beach will try and continue their win streak on the road to face UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

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