The Long Beach State women’s volleyball team earned redemption in the first round of the NCAA on Friday night with a win against the University of San Diego.
The Toreros faced the 49ers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and 2011, and beat The Beach in both matches.
The 49ers (27-4, 16-0 Big West) defeated the Toreros (19-12, 12-6 West Coast Conference) in three sets on Friday, which marks LBSU’s seventh straight sweep and a 22-set win streak.
“Nothing’s easy when the playoffs come,” head coach Brian Gimmillaro said. “It was a battle from the very beginning. We were a little tougher when it counted and made plays when it counted. I just feel fortunate to come out on top.”
Although it was a quick match, every set was close –The Beach won two sets 25-23 and one set 25-22.
“The games were so close in every aspect,” USD head coach Jennifer Petrie said. “I thought that we were right there. [The game] could’ve gone either way. I think that we really battled, and we came back even from some points where they would get some runs, so I think mentally we were there. I just feel like a couple of key points went in their favor.”
Both teams started the match off a little slow, but 49er outside hitter Alex Reid caught fire and brought the team hitting percentage to .250. Aside from Reid, every other player had only two or three kills.
“I think [it was] just getting our nerves out and getting our feet back underneath us,” senior Bre Mackie said. “[Just] knowing that we’re part of this game and just play our game – get good passes, get them out of their rhythm and stay focused.”
Reid had seven of her 13 kills in the first set and finished the match with a double-double adding 11 digs. Mackie led all with 14 kills.
“I have a really good setter, so she gives me really good sets and I can pretty much hit anywhere I want,” Reid said.
Reigning Big West Conference player of the year Jenelle Hudson dispensed 38 assists in orchestrating the offense, and managed a double-double, sharing a match-high 12 digs with USD’s Sanda Lozic.
“Their fast-tempo offense threw us defensively,” Petrie said. “You can’t release, you can’t focus on any one player. You have to really go man-to-man, and we did a good job of that, but if they’re in system, and they were a lot tonight – they are definitely hard to defend.”
The Beach hit .306 in the match and held USD to .230 hitting while leading defensively with nine blocks compared to the Torero’s five.
The 49ers have advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2009-08 season when they lost to then-No. 2 Stanford in the second round.
“You never paddle the same river twice,” Gimmillaro said. “I tell them that because it’s gone. Right now it’s just about this team. This team will never be together again. Tomorrow night is an opportunity to be together again.”
LBSU will play No. 16 and 12th seeded UCLA on Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the Pauley Pavilion.