Long Beach State University
24-7
Akron
15-16
Beach topples Akron in first match of two on Saturday
11/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 27, 2010
Long Beach, Calif. - Long Beach State took care of business in quick fashion in the first match of two on Saturday, finishing off Akron 25-22, 25-17, 25-11 behind scorching .441 hitting as a team. Caitlin Ledoux had 14 kills on .364 hitting and Janisa Johnson had a double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs on .360 hitting to lead the 49ers.
Senior setter Ashley Lee had another solid match, handing out 43 assists and making eight kills with no errors on .727 hitting along with a service ace. Also making an important impact was senior Taylor Cook. In her second start of the year, Cook led the team with three blocks and made seven kills on .636 hitting, both career highs.
Akron held close with the 49ers early in set one, rallying from a two-point deficit with a Morgan Kuhn ace to take their second lead of the set at 14-13. After an outstanding rally, however, the 49ers retook the lead at 17-16, and a Lee kill put the 49ers up by two at 19-17. Hitting Janisa Johnson out of the back row, The Beach pushed their lead to 22-18, and the 49ers held on to take the set by a 25-22 margin.
Establishing a big lead early, the 49ers moved ahead 7-2 after a pair of kills from setter Ashley Lee, who had six kills through two sets. The 49er push continued, and the 49ers led by eight points at 13-5 after a Johnson kill. Akron would make one small push to cut the 49er lead to four at 16-12, but Long Beach State would score six straight points to take a 23-13 lead and closed the set with a 25-17 margin.
Long Beach State opened up another big lead in the final set, taking the first point and quickly taking a 10-5 lead after a block from Cook and Johnson. A push behind a strong rotation from Cook helped the 49ers extend their lead, as Cook and Lee combined for a block followed by a Cook kill to take a 14-7 lead. The 49ers never looked back from that point, easily taking a 25-11 win with the final point coming on an ace from Caitlin Ledoux, the third of the match for Long Beach State.
The 49ers finish the regular season later today, hosting Seattle at 2 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid.
