Men’s volleyball
Freshman outside hitter T.J. DeFalco looks to spike a ball in LBSU’s 3-0 win over UC Santa Barbara on March 23 inside the Walter Pyramid.
Who: UC San Diego (5-21, 0-20)
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
Where: RIMAC Arena, San Diego
Need to know: Long Beach State (21-6, 15-5) dominates the all-time series 62-5 and has won eight straight matchups against the Tritons, the last six of which by a score of 3-0. The last time UCSD won a set against the 49ers was on Jan. 26, 2013, and the last time they won a match was on March 15, 2012.
UCSD enters Friday’s matchup having failed to win a single conference game. The Tritons are 0-20 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and are on a four-game losing streak, losing all of those games by scores of 3-0.
Who: No. 14 UC Irvine (9-18, 6-14)
When: Saturday at 7 p.m.
Where: Bren Events Center, Irvine
Need to know: The 49ers also lead the all-time series against the Anteaters 41-24, but on Saturday they’ll try and sweep the season series against UCI for the first time since 2005. Both teams renewed their black and blue rivalry earlier in the season with Long Beach State taking a 3-0 win inside the Walter Pyramid on March 19.
Irvine’s junior opposite Tamir Hershko leads the Anteaters with 4.07 kills per set while senior outside hitter Kyle Russell ranks second with 2.92. Hershko also averages 2.17 digs per set, good for second behind junior libero Dillon Hoffman’s average of 2.29 dps.
Baseball
Who: Cal State Northridge (21-8, 0-3)
When: Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Where: Matador Field, Northridge
Need to know: The Dirtbags (17-11, 1-2) lead the all-time series against CSUN 76-60 and they swept the series against the Matadors last season from April 2-4.
However, this season CSUN is one of the surprise teams of the conference, going 21-5 in non-conference play this season. Title favorite Cal State Fullerton did start Big West play by sweeping the Matadors this weekend, but CSUN bounced back with a 4-1 win at UCLA on Tuesday.
CSUN boasts a lineup full of big bats such as senior first baseman Branden Berry (24 RBIs) and sophomore designated hitter Albee Weiss’ (22 RBIs), and a deep pitching staff, with arms such as Samuel Myers (1.82 ERA), Conner O’Neil (2.16 ERA), Kenny Rosenberg (2.27 ERA) and Angel Rodriguez’s (2.75 ERA).
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Softball
Senior outfielder Haley Tobler connects on a ball in LBSU’s 3-2 loss against UCLA on March 13 at Mayfair Park in Lakewood.
Who: UC Davis (13-17, 2-1)
When: Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Where: La Rue Field, Davis
Need to know: Long Beach State (22-12, 2-1) leads the all-time series against the Aggies 28-8 dating back to 2005 and the 49ers have won eight of the last nine matchups between the two. UC Davis’ last win against LBSU came last season on March 28, 2015, but the 49ers took the overall series 2-1.
The Aggies dropped their Big West opener against Hawai’i on Friday, but bounced back to shutout the Rainbow Wahine 1-0 and 3-0 in a doubleheader on Saturday.
Junior catcher Alexis Carney leads the way for UC Davis with a .345 batting average and 13 RBIs. She also seven doubles, two triples and just eight strikeouts in 87 at bats.
Women’s water polo
Freshman attacker Tori Morrissey pulls back to shoot in LBSU’s 10-6 win over Cal State Northridge on Sunday in the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center.
Who: Pomona-Pitzer (9-14, 4-1)
When: Saturday at 7 p.m.
Where: Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center
Need to know: The 49ers (14-9, 2-0) enter their only game of the weekend against Pomona-Pitzer College having never lost to the Sagehens before. LBSU leads the all-time series against its Division III opponent 5-0 dating back to 2008.
In their last meeting, LBSU defeated Pomona-Pitzer 16-6 in Claremont on March 7, 2014. The Sagehens enter Saturday on a positive note. They picked up a 14-4 win against Caltech on Wednesday after receiving a 25-3 bashing against UCLA on Sunday.
Despite the sub-500 record, Pomona-Pitzer is 4-1 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.