Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
19-6, 9-3
UC Davis
16-10,7-6
Beach survives road scare at UC Davis
11/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 6, 2010
Davis, Calif. - After allowing UC Davis to come back and win the fourth set, it was the 49ers that made the final run to defeat the Aggies on Saturday in Davis, winning 19-25, 25-21, 25-21, 26-28, 16-14. Lauren Minkel made 29 digs for Long Beach State, as the junior showed off strong defense on a night when the 49ers would need every last point.
Caitlin Ledoux led the offense with 23 kills on the night, while Haleigh Hampton and Janisa Johnson each finished with 13 kills for the 49ers, while Delainey Aigner-Swesey tied a career high with nine kills on .444 hitting.
Tied 10-10 in the first set, UC Davis made the first major move of the match, taking an 18-12 lead behind a pair of blocks from Betsy Sedlak and Morgan Borch. That lead would hold the rest of the way in a 25-19 win for the Aggies, as UC Davis hit .268, offsetting five kills from Ledoux in the first.
Down 10-7 in set two after the opening loss, Long Beach State made a three-point run to tie the set at 10-10 before an Aggie timeout. The 49ers continued to push, though, and took a 13-10 lead before a UC Davis sideout. The Aggies pulled to within one at 19-18, but a Lauren Minkel ace capped a push to 22-19, and the 49ers closed out the set with a 25-21 win.
The third set remained close over the beginning third, but with the set tied at 9-9, back-to-back Hampton kills followed by a block from Hampton and Ledoux sparked a run that gave the 49ers a five-point lead at 14-9. Long Beach State never looked back, taking the set 25-21.
In the fourth, the 49ers finally controlled the action early, opening up a 5-2 lead that held until the 49ers were up 13-9. UC Davis answered back to tie the set at 13-13, but setter Ashley Lee found Hampton for a trio of kills as the 49ers opened up a 20-14 lead. However, having already come back from a large deficit once in the set, the Aggies pulled to within three at 21-18, and then tied the set at 22 after a block from Melanie Adams and Katie Denny. Long Beach State held on for one set point and forced match point at 25-26, but a kill from Denny extended the match and Allison Whitson picked up an ace to end the set at 28-26.
UC Davis pulled to within two at 22-20. Aggies take lead 24-23, 25-24 Osunbor/Aigner-Swesey. Aggies back on serve at 26-25 with Denny kill, Whitson ace for 28-26 win.
Long Beach State dug an early hole in the final set, as two 49er errors and a kill from Adams put UC Davis ahead by a 5-3 margin. Long Beach State pulled even, however, and after a long defensive scramble by the 49ers a Ledoux kill put Long Beach State on top with a 7-6 lead. Even though the 49ers would never again surrender the lead, the match remained tight and eight ties later, and the score reached 14-14. Janisa Johnson picked up a kill to give the 49ers a sideout and the advantage, and then a final attack error from Denny ended the match in Long Beach State's favor with a 16-14 win.
Long Beach State returns home for two matches next week, getting an earlier slate of games than usual. First, the 49ers host Cal State Northridge at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 11 before taking on UC Riverside the following night in the Walter Pyramid.
