Fall sports are immersed in conference play, and there are still plenty of questions left unanswered. Here’s what we’ve learned about Long Beach State’s fall sports teams so far.
Women’s volleyball
This was the year that the 49ers were supposed to return to the NCAA tournament after missing it last year. This was the year that they were supposed to be healthy and they would compete for the Big West title with defending champion Hawaii.
It hasn’t quite turned out that way.
LBSU hasn’t been able to escape the injury bug, losing Haleigh Hampton for most of the season and having her at full strength for just two matches
After a season-opening win over Illinois, things were looking up. But a loss to Air Force one week later started a downward spiral that only recently ended. A 3-1 defeat at the hands of first-place CSUN was the last of three straight losses early in conference play.
Since then the 49ers have been revived. They have won four straight and are now tied for third place, two games back of CSUN and UC Santa Barbara.
What have we learned? This isn’t a team that will give up. A tough start to the season has been made up for with key wins in conference, and now the ‘Niners are back in contention for a Big West title.
Women’s soccer
Unlike last year’s team, these 49ers were not expected to make an impact in the national top 25.
They did, though, by beating ranked BYU and Texas Tech teams. LBSU remains the only team to beat Texas Tech this year.
Like last year’s team, these 49ers were expected to make the Big West Conference tournament easily. The 2012 squad had a hard time finishing games, and several key losses down the stretch kept them out of the tournament.
The 49ers appear to be suffering the same fate this year.
LBSU lost to last-place CSUN on Friday and missed out on three relatively easy points in the Big West Standings. It also tied UC Davis and Hawaii, leaving another four points on the table.
Three winnable games, seven missed points. LBSU is now struggling to get into the postseason when it could be tied with UC Irvine for second place.
What have we learned? That the women’s soccer team will give you hope in nonconference play, only to frustrate you when Big West games roll around.
The team has had trouble generating offense without injured Eileen Maes, but now it’s not even a sure thing that LBSU will be playing long enough to get her back.
Men’s water polo
The 49ers had a breakout season in 2012, and this season was going to be the one that proved last year wasn’t a fluke.
LBSU hasn’t been as good as it was last year, but it’s still on track to earn one of the eight spots in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) tournament.
The MPSF has had distinct tiers in the past, with Southern California being at the top, UCLA, Stanford and Cal following, and the rest of the conference fighting for the final spots in the postseason tournament.
Things have been shaken up this year, with USC taking its first loss in more than five years and Pacific rising to the upper tier of MPSF teams.
LBSU has remained a fringe team, beating bottom-tier schools like UC Irvine and Pepperdine but losing badly to top schools like USC.
What have we learned? Last year was not a fluke. Despite being without two of its top players from a year ago, the 49ers haven’t had the dip in quality one would have expected.
For several years, LBSU was the one team from the MPSF to not advance to the postseason tournament. With a win over UCI already under their belts, it’s more about improving seeding than anything else for the 49ers.