Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
19-8
TCU
25-6
TCU drops Long Beach State in Classic Opener
11/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 27, 2009
Long Beach, Calif. - Long Beach State controlled the first set, but after a close loss in the second set, TCU rebounded to win three straight sets in a 15-25, 29-27, 25-15, 29-27 in the first of four matches for the 49ers this weekend.
Long Beach State hit .231, led by 22 kills from Caitlin Ledoux and 20 kills from Naomi Washington, but TCU answered by hitting .342, and hitting over .390 in the final three sets to take the win.
TCU took the early momentum in the first set, as Long Beach State burned both of its timeouts as the Horned Frogs moved out 6-3 following a Kourtney Edwards kill. The 49ers recovered after the second timeout, and a Ledoux kill completed the comeback, giving the 49ers an 8-7 lead. Michelle Osunbor helped the 49ers push to a three-point lead at 12-9, and a Ledoux kill led to a TCU timouet at 15-11. Jocelyn Neely added a kill to give LBSU a six point lead at 18-12, and The Beach closed out the set 25-15.
An Ashley Lee kill concluded a four-point run for The Beach, putting the 49ers on top at 4-2. The Horned Frogs stuck around, eventually coming back to retake the lead at 11-10. Long Beach State climbed back on top, but TCU again regained the lead after an Edwards block to lead 19-18. Long Beach State hit Ledoux for a trio of kills out of a 49er timeout to help Long Beach State take a 21-19 lead. Kristen Hester put away a kill to tie the set at 21-21, part of 18 overall ties in the set. Long Beach State fought off a first set point, and got a chance to close out the set at 25-24 after an Ashley Lee ace. However, TCU came away with the sideout, and finally finished off the set after the 49ers fought off a few more set points at 29-27 on a block by Edwards and Megan Munce.
Two TCU blocks helped the Horned Frogs take a 6-2 lead in set three, and the Horned Frogs controlled the play throughout, eventually taking a 13-5 lead on the way to a 25-15 victory in the third set.
That momentum continued in the fourth set, as the Horned Frogs again used a pair of early blocks to pace TCU to a 7-4 lead. Long Beach State came back to tie the set at 9-9 after a Washington-Lee block, and a Washington kill gave the 49ers the lead at 10-9. Laura Schuck's first ace gave the 49ers a 16-13 lead, but TCU came back to tie the set at 16, and an Irene Hester kill put the Horned Frogs on top once more at 17-16. TCU took a 21-19 lead after Lauren Otto kill, but Long Beach State fought back to tie the set five more times, fighting off four match points before succumbing 29-27.
The 49ers return tonight for an additional match against a Mountain West school, hosing UNLV at 7 p.m. The Walter Pyramid will play host two to four more matches on Saturday, starting at Noon when the 49ers host LMU.
