Behind freshman YiZhi Xue’s career-high 12 kills, the 49ers swept UC Santa Barbara Saturday at the Walter Pyramid.
The 6-foot-4-inch freshman had a .556 hitting percentage and got the crowd cheering with her emphatic strikes as she lead the 49ers (10-7, 4-0) to win their fourth consecutive game.
According to head coach Brian Gimmillaro, the UCSB team (10-6) was dealing with a few injuries, which lead to a mismatch that put Xue in a position to prove her offensive skills.
Xue also attributed her success in the match to LBSU’s sophomore setter Missy Owens.
“[Missy] knew which hitter could avoid the block tonight,” Xue said. “Her mind [was] so clear and [she] is setting the right [hitters] right now.”
In the first set, UCSB played well but had trouble containing LBSU’s hitters. Senior outside hitter Nele Barber had six kills and junior middle blocker Ashley Murray hit .500 with four kills. Murray denied UCSB a set point with a kill that tied the set at 24. The 49ers won the first set 28-26.
The second set had more dramatics, but LBSU took control and won 25-22.
Xue had her best set, converting five of six attacking attempts and had no problem placing her hits to get points.
In the final set, LBSU sealed the match with a 25-18 win. Owens finished the match with 42 assists while three of her teammates ended with double-digit kills. Barber had 12 kills along with Xue, and Murray walked away with 10 kills and a .308 hitting average. Sophomore middle blocker Peyton Grahovac had a stellar match as well, contributing nine kills.
The win keeps LBSU’s conference record perfect at 4-0 after the 49ers beat Cal Poly in three sets Friday night.
“I’m not surprised we won both matches in three sets,” Gimmillaro said. “I expect this team to win every point.”
Looking ahead at the schedule for LBSU, the team hits the road to play UC Riverside on Saturday and host Big West favorite Hawai’i – who is also undefeated in conference – on Oct. 8.
“I have heard they are pretty good,” Xue said. “After watching video of them play, I think we can beat them. We are confident.”