After a 4-set loss to No. 11 UCLA Wednesday, the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team traveled to San Diego for the University of San Diego/San Diego State University Invitational.
The 49ers (6-7) bounced back with a five set win against San Jose State. In in the match, LBSU relied on its veterans, senior outside hitter Nele Barber and middle blocker junior Ashley Murray, who paced the team with 31 kills combined in the win.
After Long Beach dropped the first set 25-22, they were able to make adjustments defensively in the second set.
With head coach Brian Gimmillaro on the sideline being vocal during a timeout, the team was able to record five blocks that were in the 49ers’ 25-22 win.
LBSU followed that with a commanding 25-18 win in the third set but could not compete in the fourth set losing to SJSU, 25-23. In the fifth and deciding set LBSU won 15-12 to take the match.
With a short break, the 49ers were back on the court to take on No. 10 University of San Diego.
In the first set the Toreros had a .333 hitting percentage that led to USD taking the first set, 25-18. The Toreros followed that up with a .571 hitting percentage on their way to another 25-18 win.
“I thought most of the parts of the game tonight we played much better volleyball, we just weren’t consistent enough to be able to win,” Gimmillaro said after the USD loss. “Our passing just broke down tonight. You’re going to have a problem when your passers, who are known for being excellent, have an off game.”
The 49ers bounced back in the third set to avoid the sweep with a 26-24 win while holding the Toreros to a .135 hitting percentage.
The 49ers wouldn’t be able to mount the comeback as they lost the fourth set, 25-21. LBSU never looked comfortable on the floor, which led to the sweep.
Looking to finish the week, .500 LBSU faced San Diego State on Saturday. The 49ers lost to the Aztecs to straight sets to go 1-2 on their road trip and 1-3 during last week’s games.
“None of us are really taking care of our responsibilities and our roles right now,” freshman outside hitter Hailery Harward said. “ So it puts other people out of position and it’s like a snowball effect.
“We should have gone 2-1 this weekend, so this is really difficult for us,” Harward said.
The team will look to get back to .500 when it travels to Davis to take on UC Davis Thursday at 7 p.m.