FULLERTON — Neither the rowdy Titans crowd, nor the "Beat the Beach" chant could stop the Long Beach State women's volleyball team's hot streak Saturday night.
The 49ers secured themselves at least a share of the Big West Conference title as they swept Cal State Fullerton — 25-18, 26-24, 25-8.
Many accomplishments were on the line as The Beach (17-6, 11-2 Big West Conference) took the floor against rival CSUF (11-14, 6-7 Big West) and met every challenge it set out to tackle.
Not only did the ‘Niners improve their record and guarantee themselves a share of the Big West title with their ninth straight victory, but it also marked their 59th consecutive win against Fullerton. The 49ers also extended their first-place lead in the conference standings to three-and-a-half matches with three regular season contests left to play.
Sophomore middle blocker Haleigh Hampton said the team knew what was at stake heading into the matchup
"We knew we had to come in and play well," Hampton said. "Fullerton was not going to give it to us. We wanted to go to the playoffs 25 straight years [and] that's only been done by one other team in the country."
Hampton led the Beach with 12 kills on 19 attempts for a .526 hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux came up with a solid effort as she collected 10 kills and nine digs. Freshman setter Erin Juley had a match-high 41 assists.
LBSU head coach Brian Gimmillaro attributed the ‘Niners' victory to a successful week of practice.
"The intensity of practice, and the level of practice have been better for long periods of time," he said. "You can stay good for longer periods and the focus is getting better."
The Beach took the first set, 25-18, behind inspired blocking from its frontline. The ‘Niners combined for five team blocks thanks to freshman middle blocker Alma Serna, who collected one solo and assisted on three more. The 49ers' opening set-attack looked fluid and composed as Juley dished out 15 first assists during the frame. Hampton led the way with five kills on nine attempts for a .444 clip. Freshman outside hitter Bre Mackie had four kills on five attempts in the first frame for an .800 hitting percentage. Ledoux finished the first set with four kills and four digs.
The Titans came roaring back in the second set with a run of their own as they led the frame, 18-13. The Beach responded to eventually even the set at 20 after a combination of blocks from Serna, Ledoux and Mackie. Titans junior outside hitter Kayla Neto came through with a huge kill to put CSUF up, 23-21, but three straight Beach points — two from Hampton and one from sophomore outside hitter Delainey Aigner-Swesey — gave the ‘Niners the lead at 24-23. A Fullerton block tied the set at 24, but Hampton and Aigner-Swesey finished off the Titans with two straight kills to take the frame, 26-24.
Gimmillaro might've pulled out his patented attempts to will the ball in his favor during the wild second set, but he didn't refrain from saying that his team was a little anxious.
"I told the team they had to weather the storm, and if we just stayed there and executed the storm we would calm down," he said. "What I was surprised about was the storm didn't calm down. We had to make some great plays at the end of the second set to win."
Hampton said she could feel the nerves once they got down big late in the second set.
"It definitely took a lot of confidence out of us (to come back)," she said. "We came back and took it to them. Earlier in the season, we probably would have given that game up, but now we're finally finding our groove and those (close) games are going to us."
Things quickly fell apart for Fullerton as the ‘Niners jumped out to a 4-0 lead early in the third set as they quieted the crowd and forced the Titans to take a timeout. The Beach never looked back from there as they swept Fullerton with a decisive 25-8 third-set victory that sealed the match.
Gimmillaro said that he was glad to see his players eager to clinch a share of the conference title.
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