Following a strong win at UC Davis on Thursday, Long Beach State was able to grind out a 5-set win over UC Irvine on Saturday to improve its conference record to 2-0.
With strong performances from senior outside hitter Nele Barber, who had 19 kills along with a career high 27 digs, and sophomore Anete Brinke who recorded a career best 17 kills, the 49ers (8-7) won the match 22-25, 25-23, 25-14, 18-25 and 15-13.
“Overall, everybody made great and important plays that contributed to the win, which shows how important teamwork is,” Barber said. “Ups and downs happen, but as long as we score the last point we’re good.”
The 49ers were coming off a road victory against UC Davis on Thursday. LBSU had a slow start to the match, losing the first set 25-21 after the team lacked communication on defense.
They allowed UCI (5-11) to record 18 kills in the first set, as opposed to the 12 kills per set Irvine was averaging this season.
In the second, LBSU came out much stronger and played UCI point for point en route to a 25-23 set victory. Barber took it upon herself to improve the defensive presence of her team and finished the match with 27 digs.
“Honestly, today the [hits] just came my way and it was relatively easy,” Barber said. “I just hope that Missy [Owens] was able to get some good sets out of them.
The 49ers dominated the third set, cruising to a 25-14 win. LBSU hit .406 in the set.
“Coming off a good win against UC Davis, we are definitely playing much better as a team,” Brinke said. “It’s not just about individuals. It’s about playing together. The second that falls apart, we fall apart.”
The 49ers lost the fourth set 25-18, but were able to bounce back and win the match in the fifth set 15-13. Junior hitter Ashley Murray hit a shot right down the middle for the win, a position the junior has been in before.
“We’re capable at any time to do what we did tonight, but we are still too inconsistent,” head coach Brian Gimmillaro said. “There’s times we’re really good, but any game we can go up and down.”
LBSU is now tied with Hawaii and Northridge atop the Big West standings at 2-0. The 49ers have back-to-back home matches against Cal Poly Sept. 30 and UC Santa Barbara Oct. 1 both at 7 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.