49ers To Host Cal State Northridge On Saturday
The Beach plays only the one opponent this week.
Oct. 2, 2007 THIS WEEK:
CS Northridge Matadors (5-11, 2-2 Big West) at
Long Beach State 49ers (9-5, 3-1 Big West)
Date: Saturday, October 6
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Walter Pyramid NEXT WEEK
Fri., Oct. 12 at Pacific 7 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 13 at UC Davis 7 p.m. Big West At The Beach
Long Beach State finishes out a three-match homestand with a home match against Cal State Northridge. Playing their travel partner, the team only has the one match on Saturday night this week. Beginning at 7 p.m., the match has been designated as the team's "Gold Game" for the year. That match has been specially selected for faculty, staff and students to come out and support the team, wearing their gold game t-shirts that were available at the student-athlete barbeque last week. Closing Fast
The 49ers continued a successful run in conference play, improving to 3-1 last week after wins over UC Riverside and UC Irvine. On Friday, the 49ers took a balanced attack in an easy win over the Highlanders in three games. Crimes, Lee and Verdin all had twelve kills and Hasalikova led the team with 13 in the win. Talaya Whitfield had an outstanding match, finishing with 25 digs in just three games, four off of her career best. Saturday, the 49ers hosted 2-0 UC Irvine and took down the Anteaters in four games. Whitfield had another solid match with 24 digs, and Lee and Crimes combined for their second double-doubles of the year. Lee finished with 13 digs and 12 kills, and Crimes had 17 kills and 11 blocks on the match. Bright Lights, Big Stage
Having already played six games against ranked opponents, the 49ers will welcome their next challenge by No. 24 Cal Poly at home on October 20. That match will be televised nationally by CSTV, which is carried by a number of cable providers as well as Dish Network and DirecTV. The match is the second meeting between the teams, as the Mustangs grabbed a win in San Luis Obispo earlier this year. The match will begin at 7 p.m., and will be the only chance to see the 49ers on TV until any potential TV matches once the NCAA Tournament starts if available. Scouting Cal State Northridge
The Matadors come in with a 5-11 record, but have handled themselves well in conference play so far, picking up two of their total wins against UC Riverside and on the road in Santa Barbara. CS Northrdige also picked up wins against Fresno State and Manhattan, but failed in five attempts to win a game against ranked competition. Offensively, the team is led by Val Kepler, who comes into the match with 142 kills. Northridge comes in with a two-setter rotation, with both Kayla Wright and Angela Hupp seeing time and ranking in the conference's top 10 in assists per game. Long Beach State vs. the Matadors
Long Beach State holds a considerable edge in the all-time series, turning around a mark that was one of the few teams to ever see a large lead against the 49ers. The Matadors won four straight matches in the 60's, and started out with a 10-7 lead overall. However, since 1971 the 49ers have only lost six matches and hold a 40-16 edge, including four straight wins leading to the pair of conference matches this year. In the last meeting between the teams, Alexis Crimes had one of her six career 20+ kill games, finishing with exactly 20 as the team beat Cal State Northridge on the road in four games. Record Watch
Alexis Crimes made two more moves up the career lists last week. Two weeks ago she passed Tayyiba Haneef in kills, and this week she moved up past Haneef in total attemps as well. She also made a huge leap in blocks after a big week in that category, tying for fourth in solo blocks with Nique Crump, and sidling next to her in total blocks and block assists. She'll likely pass Crump in the coming weeks, and can set her sights on Danielle Scott for the top spot before the end of the year. Rank This!
With a 9-5 record, the 49ers remain in the minds of voters as all five of the team's losses have come against teams in the top 25, and Long Beach State also holds a win against No. 21 Ohio. However, the Beach still remained just outside of the Top 25 this week, receiving 33 votes. The Beach now has seven of their 2007 opponents ranked in the Top 25. The return trip for Poly remains on the schedule, as well as a Thanksgiving weekend matchup against No. 6 Florida.
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