Saint Mary’s knocked off the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team 3-1 on Sunday at the Walter Pyramid.
Head coach Brian Gimmillaro said fatigue was the main reason his team fell. The 49ers (2-1) were fresh off beating Alabama 3-1 on Friday and then picking up a 3-2 win against Duke that Saturday.
“We had more nets in one set than in the past two games combined,” Gimmillaro said. “That’s how you know you’re just tired.”
LBSU started off each set strong, but recurring mistakes and holes in the block had the team stumbling midway through. Saint Mary’s (2-1) capitalized in the first two sets, taking the first 25-21 and the second 25-19.
LBSU managed to win the third set 25-22, maintaining a little life. The Gaels and 49ers traded points in the beginning of the fourth set until Saint Mary’s pulled away, winning 25-20.
“We were just tired, too many people were out, and we asked the people we already used so much to play more.” Gimmillaro said. “[Losing games] is going to happen, we just wish it didn’t.”
Due to the amount of pressure being put on the more experienced players this season, Gimmillaro said players that don’t normally get as much playing time will train heavily, “to take some of the burden off of the players we use more.”
He said it is his intention to rotate players on and off the court more often so the new faces could get acclimated to his style of play. The 49ers’ focus at the moment is on continued and consistent training.
Sophomore middle blocker Ashley Murray supplied a team high 16 kills, however it was not enough earn LBSU the win. Murray said that the team simply dug itself into a hole that they couldn’t easily recover from.
“Our focus for the next game is getting techniques even better,” Murray said. “We had lots of plays we couldn’t use because the technique wasn’t there.”
49er freshman outside hitter Carly Beddingfield took the defeat to heart, holding herself accountable for the loss.
“I think I personally let the team down, I dug us into these holes,” Beddingfield said. “I need to work on defense and consistency.”
Beddingfield played well in the previous two games, totaling 18 kills against Alabama and Duke.
The 49ers dominated Alabama on Friday despite being hindered by mounting injuries. Senior setter Jenelle Hudson and junior outside hitter Nele Barber fronted LBSU’s victory against the Crimson Tide.
The 49ers then beat Duke on Saturday. The Blue Devils went up 2-1 before LBSU stormed back to take the next two sets and win the game. Hudson provided 41 assists and Barber added 19 kills.
LBSU will return to the court next weekend for the Harvard International in Boston. The 49ers will take on Illinois State on Friday before playing Rutgers and Harvard on Saturday.
Insipid performance from the Beach. They could be in a situation where they must win their conference to stand a chance at qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.