49ers Finish Big West Play
Long Beach State concludes conference action on the road at Cal State Fullerton.
Nov. 13, 2007 Click Here For Full Release THIS WEEK:
Long Beach State 49ers (20-6, 13-2 Big West)
Cal State Fullerton Titans (13-13, 7-7 Big West) at
Date: Friday, Nov. 16
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Fullerton, Calif.
NEXT WEEK
Baden Thanksgiving Classic - Long Beach - November 21-24
Wed., Nov. 21 Temple 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 23 Yale Noon
Fri., Nov. 23 Pittsburgh 7 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 24 No. 7 Florida 7 p.m.
Big West Finale
The 49ers finish Big West play this weekend when they travel to Cal State Fullerton for their final match in conference action. While the 49ers need Cal Poly to lose twice to get the conference's automatic bid, a win Friday would set up the Beach well for tournament play with the Baden Classic remaining on the schedule. The match with the Titans will start at 7 p.m. November 16 in the Titan Gymnasium on the campus of Cal State Fullerton, with internet radio provided through www.longbeachstate.com. Turkey Tournament
Following the Fullerton match, the next action for Long Beach State will be directly involved with the Baden Thanksgiving Classic. The 49ers host tournament participant Temple on Wednesday, November 21 at 7 p.m. After that match, the team will take the Holiday off, and then host the 18th annual Baden Thanksgiving Classic. The classic will consist of eight matches over Friday and Saturday on Nov. 23-24, concluding with the 49ers taking on No. 7 Florida at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Capital Crimes
Middle blocker Alexis Crimes had another outstanding week as the 49ers won two more matches to improve to 20-6 on the year and 13-2 in Big West action. Crimes made 13 kills to lead all hitters in a convincing sweep of UC Davis, and had an outstanding match the following night. Against Pacific, the 6-3 middle blocker made 20 kills and set career highs with 14 digs and 3 assists while adding five blocks and two service aces. Crimes made just one attack error and hit .655 (20-1-29) on the night. Scouting Cal State Fullerton
Cal State Fullerton still remains a dangerous team, even if they are enigmatic as well. The Titans proved that last week, going into UC Irvine and picking up a 3-1 win over the 3rd-place Anteaters in Irvine. However, the Titans have hhad moments of weakness as well, falling at home to UC Santa Barbara and in five on the road at Cal State Northridge. The team is led by outside hitter Brittany Moore. The junior had two 20-kill matches last week, and leads the team with a 4.54 kill per game average. Long Beach State vs. the Titans
Long Beach State swept the Titans in the Walter Pyramid at the end of October, picking up a 30-22, 30-23, 30-26 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Oct. 30. Alexis Crimes finished with 20 kills on .548 hitting, and the 49ers held Moore to .125 hitting and 12 kills in the win. That sweep helped the 49ers improve their overall mark over Cal State Fullerton to 72-4 all-time. The last win for Fullerton came on the road in Fullerton as part of a season sweep in 1982. Thanksgiving Classic Notes
Begun in 1990 as the Long Beach Invitational, the Thanksgiving Tournament has become a standard part of the season for Long Beach State, having continued uninterrupted since that time, albeit with a succession of names. Last season, the 49ers utilized the tournament to pick up three solid wins, defeating Virginia Commonwealth, Albany and Western Michigan in three games following Thanksgiving. Envisioned as preparation for the NCAA Tournament, the 49ers will face a sterner test at the end of this year's classic, facing No. 7 Florida to cap off a week featuring Temple, Yale and Pittsburgh. More Volleyball, Please
The classic will consist of eight matches featuring seven teams in more of a non-traditional tournament setting. Long Beach State's match with Yale will kick things off Friday, and the team will play Pittsburgh and Florida as well as part of the tournament. UCSB and UC Irvine will also participate from the Big West, but will not play the Beach, only the visiting teams including Temple, who plays Long Beach State on Wednesday outside of the official classic. Record Watch
Alexis Crimes continues to rocket up the career lists in her final season with the 49ers. With a huge week two weeks ago, she passed Cheryl Weaver for 4th in kills, and remains just one solo block away from becoming just the fourth player to reach 100 solo blocks. She also sits in second in both block assists and total blocks, and might reach the top spot before the end of the season. Among the setters, Nicole Vargas passed both Brittany Hochevar and Jillian Mazzarella in assists, and this past week became just the fifth Long Beach State setter to make 3,000 assists, coming into the week with 3,081. Rank This!
The 49ers picked up two more spots just outside the poll, earning 50 votes this week in the AVCA Coaches Poll, behind only Clemson on the outside of the poll. The 49ers have not lost to a team outside the Top 25, and own a win over No. 15 Ohio coming in September. The team has one more crack at a ranked opponent in the regular season, hosting No. 7 Florida as part of the Baden Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday, November 24. One More For Four
Success for the Beach in 2007 will rely heavily on senior middle blocker Alexis Crimes, who has the opportunity to a very exclusive group of 49ers who have earned All-America status four times over the course of their careers. Previously, only Tara Cross has been selected for the honor all four seasons. Additionally, Crimes returns as the defending Big West Co-Player of the Year, joining six 49ers who have won the honor. Having earned the award as a junior Crimes can join Tara Cross, Misty May, Cheryl Weaver and Danielle Scott as the only 49ers to have won conference player of the year honors twice during their careers. | 
