Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
8-5, 2-1Big West
CSUN
7-7, 1-1Big West
49ers prevail at Cal State Northridge in four sets
9/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 30, 2011
Northridge, Calif. - Janisa Johnson picked up her ninth double-double of the season with a team-high 13 kills and 12 digs as Long Beach State won 25-21, 25-22, 16-25, 25-21 on the road at Cal State Northridge on Friday night.
Defense was the story of the night, as both teams finished with over 80 kills in a four-set match. Long Beach State was led by senior libero Lauren Minkel with 19, but had four players in double-digit digs including Tyler Jackson who had 15, Libby Fontanilla who also had 15, along with Johnson.
Sophomore Haleigh Hampton also had a strong all-around night, setting a career high with eight digs to go with nine kills and six blocks on the night. In her second match on the right side, Bre Mackie finished with a career-high tying seven kills on .357 hitting, the highest percentage on the team in a match that featured lots of solid defense.
Matadors libero Monica McFarland had 30 digs for CSUN, leading an effort for Cal State Northridge that held the 49ers to .168 hitting despite just seven blocks on the evening behind 85 team digs. Long Beach State did the Matadors one better though, holding CSUN to a .146 mark behind 12 team blocks.
Neither team grabbed an early advantage in the set with the score even at 10-10 close set. A Mackie kill began a push for the 49ers, and after a Mahina Haina error, Long Beach State took a 14-10 lead. Leading 17-11 after a solid defensive series from Haleigh Hampton while serving, the Matadors rallied back after three attack errors from the 49ers. Tied 20-20 after a block by the Matadors, Long Beach State answered back with one of their own from Hampton and Aigner-Swesey. Leading 23-21, Long Beach State got an ace from Libby Fontanilla, and closed out the set with a kill from Johnson.
Long Beach State took an early lead at 6-3 in the second set, but Cal State Northridge continued to hang around, and tied the set at 10-10 after a block from Natalie Allen. The Matadors rallied to regain the lead at 19-17 with back-to-back aces from Britney Graff, and a Hinger kill put the Matadors in front 20-17. Long Beach State increased the pressure, and by forcing errors from the Matadors, pulled back into the set. A block from Hampton and Juley gave the 49ers a lead, and after an ace by Juley set up set point, a bad set by Allen on a wide pass handed the 49ers a 25-22 win.
Cal State Northridge took a 9-7 lead after a miss from Serna, but it was the Mariah Counts show in set three. Subbing in to serve with a 9-8 lead, Counts' pressure off of the serve led to two aces, numerous 49er errors and an 11-point run, culminating in a 20-8 Matador lead. With that large of a cushion, CS Northridge cruised the rest of the way in the third set to take a 25-16 win.
Using that momentum, the Matadors took a 10-7 early lead in the fourth set. Long Beach State pushed back to tie the set winning a phenomenal rally on an Alma Serna kill at 10-10, but were unable to steal the lead back from CSUN. The Matadors eventually pulled out to another three-point lead at 17-14, but Long Beach State clawed back, tying the set with a Mackie kill and then taking the lead on a block from Hampton and Mackie. Holding onto that lead with a big kill out of the back-row from Fontanilla, Long Beach State took a 23-20 lead off of an overpass, and Aigner-Swesey finished off the match with a kill at 25-21.
Long Beach State's roadtrip continues tomorrow as the 49ers face UC Riverside at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1. The three-game away stretch then continues on Tuesday, Oct. 4 when the 49ers hit the road once again, heading to the Bren Events Center to face UC Irvine.
