Long Beach State University Athletics
Volleyball Hosts Two Midweek Matches
11/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 12, 2008
Long Beach, Calif. -
Complete Volleyball Release in PDF Format 
THIS WEEK:
UC Irvine Anteaters (14-11, 9-3 Big West) at
No. 25 Long Beach State 49ers (21-4, 10-2 Big West)
Date: Wednesday, November 12
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Walter Pyramid
UC Riverside Highlanders (8-19, 3-9 Big West) at
No. 25 Long Beach State 49ers (21-4, 10-2 Big West)
Date: Thursday, November 13
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Walter Pyramid
NEXT WEEK:
No. 25Long Beach State 49ers (21-4, 10-2 Big West) at
CS Northridge Matadors (7-20, 1-12 Big West)
Date: Friday, November 21
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Northridge, Calif.
Midweek Mayhem
After a three-day break, the 49ers host two key conference matchups on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. First, the 49ers will play another team in second place, their second in as many matches as the team plays UC Irvine. A win will nearly clinch the league title, while a loss brings the 49ers into a tie with the Anteaters, who would own the tiebreaker after a 3-1 win at home on Oct. 16. After playing UC Irvine, the 49ers return to the Walter Pyramid the following night to host UC Riverside. Both matches are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Three's A Charm
Long Beach State powered to three wins last week, extending their winning streak to seven matches and solidifying their hold on first place. The 49ers started the week against Cal State Fulllerton, dropping the first set to the Titans but then picking up three straight in a 3-1 win at home behind 13 kills from Caitlin Ledoux and 11 from Herzog on .579 hitting. The Beach continued their winning ways on the road by defeating UC Santa Barbara in three sets on the road on Friday, and then closed out the week with an exciting comeback win 3-2 over Cal Poly, relegating the Mustangs to third place in the conference.
Middle Blocking
Brittney Herzog was named the Big West Player of the Week, last week, the third different 49er to receive the honor this season, joining senior Quincy Verdin and freshman Caitlin Ledoux. A 6-0 junior, Herzog was a key part of the 49er attack last week as LBSU grabbed three wins. Starting out the week with 11 kills on .579 hitting against CS Fullerton, she added six kills against UC Santa Barbara on Friday. Her biggest match came on Saturday however, posting a career-high 16 kills while carrying the team at times. She hit. 609, and added five blocks in the five-set win over the Mustangs.
Scouting UC Irvine
The defending Big West Freshman of the Year, Kari Pestolesi, still continues to play well, leading the Anteaters to a second-place standing in the league. Her 3.64 kills per set rank third in the conference, and she also leads UCI in aces and is second in digs. Together with Lauren Kellerman, the pair has led the team to five straight wins and the Anteaters currently stand one game back of the 49ers.
Long Beach State vs. the Anteaters
Long Beach State's setback earlier in the year against UC Irvine was just the seventh loss for the 49ers, putting the all-time seties record at 56-7. The anteaters have had a history of playing the 49ers tough at home, but have only beaten Long Beach State twice in the Walter Pyramid, the most recent coming in 2003, coupled with a defeate in 1983, prior to the arrival of Coach Gimmillaro.
Scouting UC Riverside
UC Riverside holds a 3-9 record this season in the Big West, improving from a year ago but still having some work to do. The Highlanders are led by Kelly Fink, and outside hitter who averages 3.41 kills per game, seventh in the conference. The Highlanders wins in league so far have come from an upset of UC Davis and two wins over Cal State Northridge.
Long Beach State vs. the Highlanders
The 49ers have only lost three times to UC Riverside, and now have win 9 straight over the Highlanders after a 3-0 victory earlier in the season. Quincy Verdin led the 49ers in that match with 14 kills on .480 hitting, as the 49ers won convincingly 25-18, 25-16, 25-15 on the road in Riverside.
Success Quickly ...,
Long Beach State has had good success in taking out their opponents quickly, winning 13 matches this year in 3-0 sweeps, the most recent coming on the road against a quality UC Santa Barbara team. On the opposite side of the coin, Long Beach State has avoided sweeps, with the only two exceptions coming during a week of poor play against Santa Clara and Pacific.
And Success At Length
Possibly more impressive is the success that the 49ers have had in matches that have gone the distance, as Long Beach State is now 5-1 in matches that have gone to a decisive fifth set after their win on the road at Cal Poly last weekend. Interestingly, the 49ers have yet to go five at home, but instead have won at Cal Poly, at Florida State, at UC Davis and on a neutral site against American. The only loss for Long Beach State in five sets this year came on the road at Florida, where the 49ers came out quickly but lost eventually in front of their largest crowd this season of 4,121.
History & Verdin
Senior outside hitter Quincy Verdin continues to put up solid numbers in her final season at Long Beach State. With 299 kills on the year, Verdin is one kill away from 300 and is just four kills away from 1,000 in her career, a mark that she should reach against UC Irvine on Wednesday. That leaves her with plenty of time to become the 14th player to reach 1,000 kills while at The Beach, joining 12 others and the last to reach it, Alexis Crimes, who finished her senior year last season.
