Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State to host five matches this weekend.
9/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 1, 2009
Long Beach, Calif. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
THIS WEEK:
UMBC Retrievers (1-1, 0-0 America East) at
Long Beach State 49ers (0-2, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Friday, September 11
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Walter Pyramid
Indiana State (1-3, 0-0 Missouri Valley) at
Long Beach State 49ers (0-2, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Friday, September 11
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Walter Pyramid
Northeastern Huskies (2-0, 0-0 CAA) at
Long Beach State 49ers (0-2, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Saturday, September 12
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Walter Pyramid
Starting Out
Long Beach State teams up with a rival this weekend, hosting a tournament in conjunction with UC Irvine, though the two teams will not face each other. UCI and The Beach will each play three matches, as will participants Montana, Maryland-Baltimore Country (UMBC), Indiana State, and Northeastern. Long Beach State will host five matches in the Walter Pyramid, starting with three on Friday and finishing out the tournament with two matches on Saturday. The 49ers start by hosting UMBC in the tournament opener at 1 p.m. on Friday, before returning to play Indiana State at 7 p.m. with a neutral-site game between the Sycamores and the Retrievers at 4 p.m. On Saturday, Indiana State will play Montana at 4 p.m. before the 49ers close out the tournament in front of their home fans against Northeastern at 7 p.m. Long Beach State will provide live audio and video through www.longbeachstate.com, and will also have Gametracker for all five matches over the weekend.
On The Road
The 49ers hit the road for the first time next week, travelling to Naomi Washington's home town of New Orleans to play in the Sugar Bowl Volleyball Classic, facing New Orleans, LSU, and Tulane in The Big Easy. LSU and Tulane are both receiving votes in the latest poll along with Long Beach State, so the tournament will feature plenty of firepower. The trip is also the longest of the year for the 49ers, who will spend the rest of the regular season in California.
Seeing Volleyball Stars
Long Beach State is one of the highest draws in the volleyball world through the first week of the season, ranking seventh in the country in average attendance, as 2,909 people came to see the 49ers first two games of the year against San Diego and Texas. The 49ers' match with Texas in front of 1,761 people was the 20th-highest attended match in the nation last weekend.
Scouting UMBC
UBMC comes to California with a 1-1 record, having defeated Long Island in the team's opener before falling to fellow LBSU/UCI Invite participant Northeastern. Ashley Oscars leads the way for the Retrievers, averaging 3.30 kills per set and 1.90 digs per set.
Long Beach State vs. the Retrievers
This is the first meeting for UMBC and the 49ers.
Scouting Indiana State
Indiana State began the year with a 1-3 start, dropping its first three matches before picking up a five-set win over SIU-Edwardsville. The Sycamores have a balanced attack, with three players averaging over two kills per set, led by Jodilynne Stoker, who has 38 kills on the year.
Long Beach State vs. the Sycamores
This is the first meeting between Long Beach State and the Sycamores.
Scouting Northeastern
Northeastern comes west boasting an undefeated record, having beaten Long Island and outlasting UMBC in five sets in the first weekend of action. Northeastern runs a 6-2, providing a little different look than what Long Beach State is used two, with Britney Brown and Jessica Tkachuk guiding an offense with five solid hitters including the two setters. All five have between 15 and 25 kills through eight sets on the season. Libero Leah Neubeck leads the team with 25 digs.
Long Beach State vs. the Huskies
Northeastern is the only team that the 49ers have faced in this weekend's tournament. Long Beach State played the Huskies in 2004 in the Walter Pyramid and outlasted them in five sets, 30-23, 26-30, 26-30, 34-32, 15-6. Setter Jillian Mazzarella had 21 digs and 56 assists to help the 49ers recover to avoid the upset.
Setting The Table
Junior Ashley Lee had a promising first weekend at setter, a position she played in a match for the first time on Friday. Lee made 74 assists and was second on the team with 26 digs. Lee also made nine kills, showing off some of her hitting skills that she used the last two seasons as an outside hitter for the 49ers.
Who's Back
The 49ers' trio of All-Big West players had a good showing on the first week of the year, despite the two losses. Caitlin Ledoux made 24 digs and led the team with 32 kills, averaging 3.56 per set, and Naomi Washington had 28 kills and four aces while transitioning back to the outside. Brittney Herzog held her own in the middle, adding 18 kills on .245 hitting and making seven blocks.
Climbing the Ranks
Long Beach State dropped just out of the Top 25, last weekend, placing an unofficial 26th with 76 votes in the poll, as the team's near-upset of No. 2 Texas was not quite enough for the 49ers to hold onto their spot. The 49ers still have four matches remaining with teams ranked in the first week's poll, facing UCLA and Utah in their non-conference slate, as well as two matches with UC Irvine, who moved to No. 22 after upsetting Cal over the opening weekend.
This and That Sophomore Michelle Osunbor led the team with 9 blocks in her first action since 2007, after taking last year as a redshirt year ... Jocelyn Neely also saw her first action after a 2008 redshirt, and had a great match against Texas hitting .438 with 10 kills ... Sophomore Lauren Minkel did a fine job in her first two matches as the team's starting libero, making 18 and 19 digs respectively against two ranked opponents ... the 49ers started the season with two ranked opponents for the second time in the last three years ... in 2007, the 49ers also lost their first two matches, but finished the season 26-7 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
