LBSU Upsets Undefeated Nebraska
36-Match Win Streak is History as Beach Move to 2-0 on Season September 1, 2001
Long Beach, CA--- The match began with two undefeated teams, at the end, only one survived as No. 3-ranked Long Beach State (2-0) upset top-ranked and defending National Champion Nebraska (2-1) 30-26, 28-30, 31-29, 30-25. The win snaps Nebraksa's 36-match winning streak. The 4,940 fans tonight was the third largest crowd ever to see a women's volleyball match at The Pyramid. Cheryl Weaver and Tayyiba Haneef each had 21 kills, while Ashanti Taylor had a career-best 12 for The Beach. Nancy Metcalf led all players with 25 kills and a .477 hitting percentage for Nebraska. LBSU hit .315 for the match, compared to the Huskers .245 percentage. Tracy Bulquerin and Brittany Hochevar each had 13 digs for LBSU, while Anna Schrad had 13 digs for Nebraska. Keri Nishimoto had a match-best 62 assists. LBSU ended game four on a 10-5 run, winning 30-25. After Nebraska closed to 25-23, two straight points gave LBSU a 27-23 lead. Five straight points by The Beach gave them a 25-20 lead, after the Huskers had tied it at 20-20. Two straight Hochevar aces gave LBSU a 20-18 lead, after both teams exchanged points for most of the first half of the game. The 49ers were able to come back and win game three, 31-29, after Nebraska was able to fight back to tie it at 29-29. LBSU hit .265, while Nebraska hit .333. The 49ers scored three in a row to take a 29-27 lead, after trailing 27-26. The teams exchanged points, in the mid-20s before Hochevar's kill gave The Beach their first lead at 26-25. The 49ers first tied it at 22-22, after closing to 20-19, 21-20 and 22-21. A Metcalf kill extended the Husker lead to 20-17, after LBSU came within 16-15. Nebraska survived game two, 30-28, hitting.289 in the second set. LBSU hit .333. A Haneef kill closed the gap to 29-28, after a Thomas block kept the game alive, at 29-27. A Metcalf dump, gave the Huskers some breathing room, at 28-25. Using a 10-1 run, LBSU had closed to 26-24. Nebraska extended to their largest lead of the game, at 23-14, after a 10-10 tie. Three straight kills by The Beach closed out game one, as LBSU won 30-26. LBSU hit .325 in the first game, compared to a .184 hitting percentage by Nebraska. After a Kropp kill closed the game to 25-24, LBSU moved to 27-24 thanks to a Cornhusker hitting error. Ashanti Taylor's kill gave The Beach their largest lead of the first game, 24-20. Nebraska was forced to take a timeout after the 49ers scored four the next five points to lead 20-17. Three straight points gave LBSU a 15-13 lead. The defending National Champions entered the match on a 36-match winning streak. The two teams have combined for two of the last three National Championships. Nebraska takes on UC Santa Barbara tomorrow at The Pyramid at 3 p.m., while Long Beach State next hosts New Mexico on Wednesday, September 5, at 7:30 p.m. BOX SCORE |
