Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State Drops Opener in Gold Mine
3/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
March 17, 2008
Long Beach, Calif. - A strong start was not enough for the 49ers Friday night as the No. 15 Toreros defeated No. 19 Long Beach State in three game 28-30, 27-30, 14-30. Alexis Crimes was the star for the 49ers, living up to her preseason billing with a 16 kill performance with four total blocks. San Diego answered with Amy DeGroot and Laurel Abrahamson, who finished with 17 and 14 kills apiece for the Toreros.
Along with Crimes, freshman Ashley Lee had a good start to her collegiate career. An outside hitter from La Habra, Calif, she made her first start in her debut match and finished with seven kills, three assists and four digs. Michaela Hasalikova also finished with seven kills on the night.
Long Beach State started out the opening game with a quick start, grabbing the first point of the year after a strong Crimes and Verdin block to start. Neither side was able to gain a real advantage, but the 49ers never relinquished their early lead after Crimes pushed the team ahead with the first of her eight first game kills at 4-3. The Beach moved out to a 7-4 lead one more time before a San Diego side out, but the Toreros again tied the game at 9 apiece.
Taking control of the game at that point, Dyanne Lawlor produced three aces and Hasalikova contributed two kills as Long Beach State took at 16-9 lead. The 49ers stretched their lead out to 18-10 after a Crimes overpass kill, but San Diego slowly began to draw the score, cutting the lead to two at 23-21, and finally tying the game once again at 24. An Erin Wiskar service error helped the 49ers keep the lead, but a San Diego block by Amy Degroot and Jessica Nyrop gave the toreros their first lead at 26-25. Neither team was able to hold serve from that point, until a pair of kills from DeGroot and Abrahamson finished off the game for San Diego at 30-28.
Game 2 was much more conventional, with both teams holding one point advantages until a block for USD game them a 9-7 lead. Long Beach State answered with a Hasalikova kill and Crimes-Hasalikova block to earn a 10-10 tie. The Gold Mine grabbed its first victim, as Talaya Whitfield grabbed an ace after Amy DeGroot's pass deflected off of the raised basketball hoop to again tie the game at 12. San Diego recovered from that setback to again take the lead at 14-12, and held the two-one advantage for middle part of game. Crimes finally tied the game with a kill on serve, and a Lee kill along with a Nyrop setting error helped the 49ers to their first lead since the beginning of the game at 23-19. San Diego won three straight points to bring back the lead to 23-22. The match remained tight, but three straight Torero points after a 26-26 tie gave them the advantage. A DeGroot service error gave the 49ers a chance, but Nicole Vargas returned the favor to end the game as a 30-27 San Diego win.
Five straight points for San Diego set the early tone for the third game, only ending on a Verdin kill down the middle. Long Beach State recovered for another point on a Lee kill, but San Diego continued to press the advantage, eventually taking a 10-2 lead before the 49ers earned their second side out on a Hasalikova kill. Eventually moving out to an 11-point lead through the middle of the game, San Diego continued to create side outs and cause the 49ers trouble in the third game. DeGroot had eight kills in the final game to close out the match, on the way to a match-high 17.
The 49ers return tomorrow to face another ranked opponent in the Gold Mine. No.2 Stanford opens the season at the Beach, while the 49ers will try to return to their winning ways against another top opponent. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
