Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Win Fourth Straight Sweep Over Cal State Bakersfield
3/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
March 17, 2008
Long Beach, Calif. - LONG BEACH - Taking a quick break from Big West play, the 49ers intensity level remained constant as the 49ers defeated Cal State Bakersfield in three 30-12, 30-17, 30-24. Alexis Crimes led the way with 17 kills, and setter Nicole Vargas finished with six kills of her own to go with 30 assists. With the win, the team improves to 17-6 overall, while the Roadrunners fall to 6-18.
Facing a team making its way through their first year in Division I, the 49ers had a clinic of hitting, blocking and defense. Senior libero Talaya Whitfield finished with 16 digs in the three-game match, and the 49ers as a whole had 10 blocks while hitting .324 overeall, including a .452 clip in game one.
Crimes again led the way with the high total, but a balanced 49er attack saw Quincy Verdin finish with eight kills, Nicole Moore with seven and Ashley Lee with six. Lee also tied a career high with three aces and made seven digs. As a team, the 49ers had great success on the serve, making nine aces and only four errors, providing a contrast to the Runners who finished with eight errors and four aces.
Cal State Bakersfield moved out to a 3-1 lead before a Nicole Moore tip stopped the quick start in the opener. Two service aces from Sarah Hudson helped the 49ers out to a 4-3 lead, and Long Beach State quickly advanced their edge to 12-5 before a Runner sideout. After taking a commanding lead, the 49ers eased to a 30-12 win in game one.
Long Beach State took a small lead early in game two and moved ahead by four 8-4 after a Michaela Hasalikova-Ashley Lee block. The Runners stayed even with sideouts for a while, but a number of blocks helped the 49ers take a 15-8 lead through the midpoint. Cal State Bakersfield kept the advantage at seven until 23-16, but Ashley Lee made a pair of aces along with some 49er kills to extend their lead to 28-17, and Long Beach State closed out the game 30-17.
Coming out of the break the 49ers won the first three points, but Cal State Bakersfield won the next four to grab a 4-3 lead before Mystie McNaughton ended the rally with a service error. Bakersfield continued to miss serves, helping the 49ers to stay even with the Runners following an 8-6 deficit. Long Beach State finally regained the lead at 9-8 after a Talaya Whitfield ace, but Cal State Bakersfield again rallied, and the Roadrunners moved ahead 15-12. Long Beach State took three straight points to tie the game, and a Crimes kill gave Long Beach State one more lead at 17-16. With Nicole Vargas serving, the 49ers finally took control of the game, moving ahead 22-17 on the way to a 30-24 win.
The Beach returns to conference play tomorrow, travelling to Cal State Northridge to take on the Matadors at 7 p.m. The next home game for the 49ers is on November 9, when the Beach hosts UC Davis at 7 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid.
