After the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team went 2-0 last weekend, senior outside hitter Nele Barber and freshman middle blocker YiZhi Xue earned Big West honors.
Barber was named Big West Player of the Week Monday, the second time since Sept. 12. The senior was vital in LBSU’s wins against Cal Poly Sept. 30 and UC Santa Barbara Sunday.
Against the Mustangs, Barber had 15 kills in the first two sets and nine digs as the 49ers swept Cal Poly. Along with those kills, she had a .344 hitting percentage on her way to her 12th double-double. She followed that performance with 12 kills and 19 digs as LBSU beat UCSB in three set Saturday in the Walter Pyramid.
Along with Barber, Xue was named the conference Freshman of the Week after an impressive 12 kills while converting on .556 percent of her attempts Saturday. With the 12 kills, Xue set a new career high against the Mustangs.
Xue led all Big West freshmen last week and is at the top of the conference with a .429 hitting percentage in conference play. The freshman, a China native, has been a welcomed addition to the team and will be counted on as LBSU looks to make it to the NCAA Tournament.
The duo will look to continue their high play when the 49ers head to UC Riverside Wednesday.