Big West Play Begins For 49ers
Long Beach State heads north for matches against Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara
Sept. 18, 2007 Click Here For Full Release THIS WEEK:
Long Beach State 49ers (6-4, 0-0 Big West) at
No. 20 Cal Poly Mustangs (4-5, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Friday, Sept. 21
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: San Luis Obispo, Calif. Long Beach State 49ers (6-4, 0-0 Big West) vs.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (5-7, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 22
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif. Big West Ballin'
With the "preseason" out of the way, it's time to begin conference play, with all nine teams in action this weekend. First up for the 49ers is a road trip to No. 20 Cal Poly, and then the Beach will stay north for a Saturday night match with UC Santa Barbara. Both matches begin at 7 p.m., and will feature live play-by-play available online at www.longbeachstate.com. The two matches mark the start of 12 straight Big West matches. The lone break in the schedule is a Nov. 2 tilt with Cal State Bakersfield, and then the team closes with four more conference matches before the Baden Thanksgiving Classic to close the year. Tourney Tales Vol. 2
Long Beach State had the most successful week of the year so far in the high altitude of Denver, winning the Pioneer Classic with a 3-0 record and improving their overall mark to 6-4 with the weekend sweep. The 49ers started off the weekend with a convincing 3-0 sweep of host Denver on Friday night. Then with a doubleheader on Saturday, the Beach held off a pesky Washington State team in four before taking on No. 17 Ohio in the final match of the tournament for the team. The 49ers won the first game 30-25, but dropped two straight and were down 24-14 in the fourth game before mounting a stunning comeback to win 30-26, winning 16 of the final 18 points in the game. With the change in momentum, the 49ers easily took game five and won the tournament title outright. Alexis Crimes was named the tournament MVP, and Michaela Hasalikova and Quincy Verdin each made the all-tournament team. Crimes POW Watch
The 2006 Co-Big West Player of the Year, Alexis Crimes won her first Big West Player of the Week award last week after eaning MVP honors at the Pioneer Classic. Crimes had 57 total kills in three matches, including tying a career-high with 27 kills in a five-game win over No. 17 Ohio. She hit over .350 in all three matches, averaging .373 on the weekend. She also added 15 blocks and five aces. With this selection, Crimes has now been named the conference player of the week six times, tying Misty May among former 49er players. Only Danielle Scott (9), Cheryl Weaver and Tara Cross (7) have more. Scouting Cal Poly
Cal Poly has ranked in the top 25 all season, but stumbled a little bit last week losing two out of three matches to fall to 6-6 on the season falling to Xavier and Sacramento State. However, prior to last week, three of their losses were to the No. 1, 2, and 3 teams in the nation. Big-West Co-Player of the Year Kylie Atherstone returns for Poly, leading the Mustangs with 4.17 kills per game, fourth best in the conference. Ali Waller is the other main offensive threat, coming into this week with 178 kills for a 3.78 kpg average. Long Beach State vs. the Mustangs
Long Beach State leads the all-time series between the teams 31-13 in a series dating back to 1966. The Mustangs have held the edge recently however, winning the last three meetings between the two teams including two wins last year. The last win for the 49ers came on the road in San Luis Obispo, however, with the Beach taking a 30-27, 30-28, 24-30, 30-21 win in 2005. Scouting UC Santa Barbara
Despite starting the season 2-7, the Gauchos have been an a roll lately, winning three straight games last weekend in Northern California. UCSB beat St. Mary's in five to start the week, and closed it with a five-game win over No. 22 Santa Clara to improve to 5-7 on the year. All-Big West returnee Lauren McLaughlin leads the Gauchos, averaging 4.80 kills per game, second in the league behind Crimes. McLaughlin also ranks ssecond on the team in digs, averaging 3.33 per game along with 27 total blocks on the year. Long Beach State vs. the Gauchos
The longest rival for the 49ers, Long Beach State has a 52-33 edge in their 85 meetings all-time dating back to 1965. The 49ers have also won three straight against the Gauchos, including a three-game win the last time the teams played in the Thunderdome. Alexis Crimes hit .516 with 19 kills in a 33-31, 30-17, 30-22 win on October 28 last season. Rank This!
With a win against No. 17 Ohio last week, the 49ers picked up their first win of the season against a ranked opponent, and have yet to lose to a team outside of the Top 25. Yet the Beach still remained just outside of the Top 25 this week, receiving 77 votes to stay an unofficial 27th. The Beach now has seven of their 2007 opponents ranked in the Top 25, and the team will play another in No. 20 Cal Poly on Friday. The return trip for Poly remains on the schedule, as well as a Thanksgiving weekend matchup against No. 6 Florida. Record Watch
Alexis Crimes took down another spot in the career kill ranking at Long Beach State. With 57 kills this past weekend, Crimes passed Nichelle Burton for sixth all-time at Long Beach State. She also moved to No. 7 in total attempts, but her most impressive leaps up the career lists was in blocks. Crimes moved into a tie with Tara Cross for 5th in solo blocks, and moved all the way to third in block assists past Benishe Dillard and Vicki Pullins. With those two categories combined, she also moved into third in total blocks, and will likely pass Nique Crump before the year is out.
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