Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State begins home slate with Mizuno Invitational
8/28/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 28, 2012
Long Beach, Calif. -
Women's Volleyball Weekly Release 
Starting Out
Long Beach State will have its home opener on Thursday, part of the Long Beach Mizuno Invitational that the 49ers will host this weekend in the Walter Pyramid. In all, the 49ers will host six matches this weekend, while playing in three themselves, with five teams competing in all. Competition kicks off on Thursday, when the 49ers host James Madison. Then on Thursday, Wisconsin will play the Dukes and Cal State Northridge in neutral site matches before a rematch of Long Beach State's 2011 NCAA Tournament match against San Diego at 7 p.m. Finally, on Saturday, James Madison will play the Matadors before the 49ers close out the tournament by hosting Wisconsin at 7 p.m. All three Long Beach State games will have live audio and video provided through www.longbeachstate.com, and all six contests can be followed via Gametracker.
Opening Week
The 49ers opened their season on the road for the first time since 1998, and while Long Beach State picked up a victory to start the season, in all, the 49ers went 1-2 in the first week of the season. Traveling to Lexington, Ky. for the Kentucky classic, the 49ers started the week with a 3-0 defeat of Lipscomb behind 16 kills from outside hitter Delainey Aigner-Swesey, but lost the services of middle blocker Alma Serna due to an injury in that match. Playing North Carolina and No. 13 Kentucky the next day, the 49ers played tough, pushing the Tar Heels to five sets as Janisa Johnson made 29 kills, and taking a set off of No. 13 Kentucky, but ultimately lost both matches.
All-Tournament
Senior Janisa Johnson was recognized for her tremendous efforts during the opening weekend of the season, earning Kentucky Classic All-Tournament Team honors, the only 49er on the team. Johnson led the 49ers with 60 kills over three matches, averaging 5.00 kills per set and 3.00 digs per set, including an impressive 29 kills and 19 digs in Long Beach State's five-set loss to North Carolina.
Double Up
In three matches, senior outside hitter Janisa Johnson has already picked up two double-doubles, now giving her 31 in her career, after recording 16 as a sophomore and 13 as a junior. Statistically over her career, Johnson has averaged a double-double, making 10 kills per match and 11.75 digs per match. The 49ers have also had two other double-doubles in 2012, as Tara Roenicke made 47 assists and 13 digs against North Carolina and Delainey Aigner-Swesey finished with 10 kills and 11 digs against Kentucky.
In the Polls
Long Beach State stayed within shouting distance of the Top 25, receiving eight votes following the first week of the season. The 49ers still have four 2012 opponents ranked in the Top 25: No. 6 Hawaii, No. 23 Northern Iowa, No. 10 Kentucky (who the 49ers lost to 3-1 in Lexington Saturday) and one of this weekend's opponents, No. 20 San Diego. The 49ers also faced a second opponent receiving votes last weekend in North Carolina, and Cal State Northridge also entered this weeks receiving votes with two points.
Scouting the Mizuno Invitational
The Mizuno Invitational will work as a round-robin with one exception, as San Diego will only play Long Beach State so the 49ers won't face the Big West's Cal State Northridge in a non-conference match. The Toreros are the top team in the tournament, coming in ranked No. 20 and 2-1 overall, with their loss coming to No. 2 Texas. James Madison enters the tournament 1-2, having beaten Appalachian State while losing to Seton Hall and No. 16 Minnesota in four sets. The Dukes are led by senior Natalie Abel, who is averaging 4.36 kills per set after three matches. Wisconsin returns all but one starter from 2011, and went 2-1 over the opening weekend, sweeping USF and UCF before falling to Creighton. Ellen Chapman leads the team with 44 kills, while sophomore setter Courtney Thomas is averaging 11.30 assists per set.
Long Beach State vs. the Dukes, Toreros and Badgers
Long Beach State won the only match between the 49ers and James Madison, a 15-7, 15-4, 15-8 victory in 1999. The 49ers have also had similar success against Wisconsin, posting a 2-0 record, though the teams have not met since 1990, when the 49ers won a thriller in five sets. The series between the Toreros and the 49ers features many more matches, including first-round postseason meetings in both 2010 and 2011. While Long Beach State holds the lead in the all-time series at 10-8, the Toreros have had Long Beach State's number of late, and have won seven straight meetings, including both NCAA Tournament matchups.
1,000 X 2
At Long Beach State, only 16 players have made 1,000 career kills, and only 11 have made 1,000 career digs. However, senior outside hitter Janisa Johnson has an outside chance at becoming just the fourth player in school history to reach 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs, joining All-Americans Tara Cross, Antoinnette White and Nichelle Burton in that distinction. In two seasons as a starter, Johnson recorded 620 kills and 763 digs, and will have an opportunity to reach that elite milestone of all-around players.
