Long Beach State women’s volleyball handled its business on the road against Cal State Fullerton with a 25-22, 25-19, 25-20 sweep.
Coming into the match LBSU (6-15, 3-5 Big West) had lost its last three while CSUF (4-17, 0-8 Big West) has not won a game since Sept. 15.
“We played as a cohesive unit today and supported each other which showed on the court, senior setter Alexis Patterson said.
LBSU had a strong offensive start to the match, hitting .412. The 49ers were also aggressive on the defensive end, limiting CSUF to .229 hitting. However, LBSU struggled with its serving through the first set, ending it with five service errors.
The 49ers did not back down with their aggressive play in the second set. The team continued to hit well with a .400 percentage, but also sustained its defensive presence by leaving CSUF at .229. LBSU struggled to score down the stretch, letting Fullerton trail as close as 21-19. The 49ers quickly turned it around with a 4-0 run and went up 2-0 in the match.
LBSU looked to close the game with a sweep, but Fullerton was not ready to give up. The third set was a lot closer, with both teams trading points until the final minutes of the match. LBSU did not carry over its high hitting percentage, but forced Fullerton to hit at .122. The 49ers completed the sweep and earned their third conference win of the season.
“We were very prepared in defending Fullerton and calling out the offense they were wanting to run, getting in the hitters heads and knowing who they wanted to set which really made them play a little timid, Patterson said.
Redshirt freshmen and outside hitter Brooke Earkman led the team with 13 kills at .500 hitting. Patterson had 41 assists, and added nine digs. She also had two services aces and three blocks.
“Our spirits are high and I think we can use this as a springboard to set the stage for the 2nd half of our season, but we’re back at it tomorrow getting ready for Friday’s match,” Patterson said.
LBSU travels to Santa Barbara to take on UCSB at 7 p.m. on Friday and then goes down to San Luis Obispo to take on Cal Poly at 7 p.m. on Saturday.