Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Take Win Streak To The Islands
10/29/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Starting Out
Long Beach State will put its longest winning streak of the season on the line on Saturday as the 49ers head to the islands to face No. 13 Hawaii. While the Beach will come into the match hot, it will be a different story for the Rainbow Wahine, who lost both matches last week and three of their last four.
Last Time Out
The Beach had all week to prepare for one rivalry match and came out firing on all cylinders. With just UC Irvine on the docket last week, the Beach made quick work of their OC rivals with a 25-18, 25-21, 25-15 win in the Black And Blue Rivalry Series matchup. Delainey Aigner-Swesey pounded down 11 kills and Chisom Okpalacleaned up with a .409 hitting percentage and 10 kills. The Beach never trailed after the initial point in either of the three sets.
The Beach vs. The Islands
Hawaii owns the all-time series 27-15-1 and has won the last six consecutive matches against the 49ers, dating back to the 2000 season. Hawaii came into the Pyrmaid just less than a month ago and swept the Beach 25-11, 25-21, 25-16. That win turned out to be on the tail end of a 13-match win streak for Hawaii. The last time the Beach won in Hawaii was just over 20 years ago on Oct. 23, 1993.
Scouting Hawaii
Despite a bit of a recent cold streak, Hawaii is still considered one of the top teams in the nation. After spending the last six weeks in the top-10, the Rainbow Wahine tumbled to No. 13 this week. Emily Hartong heads up a powerful Hawaii attack that leads the Big West in kills, hitting percentage and assists. Hartong accounts for a conference-leading 4.65 of Hawaii's 14.41 kills per set and Kalei Adolpho ranks second in the Big West with a .356 hitting percentage. Ali Longo's four digs per set lead the squad and rank second in the Big West and Mita Uiato ranks second in the conference with 10.92 assists per set.
Hitting The Road On A Hot Streak
The Beach takes a season-best four-match win streak across the Pacific this weekend to face Hawaii. The match win streak won't be the only one on the line as the 49ers have captured the last nine sets in order. After falling behind 2-0 to Cal State Fullerton two weeks ago, the Long Beach State has not dropped another set. With their back against the wall, the 49ers won the final three sets to send Cal State Fullerton home with a heartbreaking loss in five sets. The Beach then swept through UC Riverside and UC Irvine to extend the streak out to nine sets and four matches.
Juley Climbing The Record Book, Approaches Milestone
Sophomore Erin Juley set her way into the Long Beach State record book this year as one of the Beach's top setters of all-time. A top-10 list that is topped by Sheri Sanders and includes the likes of two-time national Player of the Year Misty May now includes Juley as well. With 835 assists this season, Juley's career total is up to 1,995 assists. That number ranks ninth all-time ahead of Joy McKienzie (1,743 assists from 1990-93) and behind Ashley Lee(2,437 assists from 2007-10). Juley will most likely become the ninth member of the Beach's 2k assist club during the first set on Saturday. She is averaging 10.06 assists per set, which ranks fourth in the conference.
Controlling Things At The Net
The play at the net has been a key component for the Beach this season. During their four-match win streak, the 49ers have come up with double digit blocks in three of those. Last weekend, the 49ers won the battle of the two best blocking teams in the Big West with 10 stuffs in the three-set match. UCI averages over two blocks per set this year but managed just two blocks in the entire match. The 49ers have recorded double digit blocks as a team in 14 of their 21 matches this year. The Beach stifled the UC Riverside attack with 13 blocks in the three-setter and held the visiting team to a negative hitting percentage. It was the higest number of total blocks by a Big West team in a three-set match this season. The 49ers 15 blocks in the win over UC Davis is tied for the most in a four-set match in the Big West and their 17 blocks against San Francisco are tied for the most in a five-set match. On the season, the Beach has 38 more blocks than its opponents with 219 total blocks. The Beach average of 2.64 blocks per set tops the Big West and ranks 34th in the nation.
Hampton On The Block
Haleigh Hampton has been leading the Beach's conference-leading blocking efforts since her return from injury. Since returning, Hampton is averaging 1.23 blocks per set. That mark is tops on the team and fifth-best in the conference during Big West matches. Chisom Okpala is also averaging over a block per set over the course of the season. Delainey Aigner-Sweseyis just beneath that mark during the conference season and is over it since her return from injury.
I Can Dig It
With the first round through conference play complete, the Beach has seen some much bigger numbers coming out of the back row. On the year, Long Beach State is averaging 13.76 digs per set. That number ranks the 49ers eighth in the Big West in front of only Cal State Northridge. During Big West play, the 49ers have upped that average significantly to 15.77 digs per set - third-best in the conference. Tyler Jackson has 3.9 digs per set in conference matches - more than a dig higher than her nonconference average of 2.77 digs per set. Delainey Aigner-Sweseyhas also gone from 2.62 digs to 3.52 digs per set in conference action.
Back Around The Big West We Go
The first round through Big West action wrapped up last week and now its time to switch venues as all the teams are set to face off again. At the halfway point, Cal State Northridge and UC Santa Barbara are clinging to the top spot. Both were 7-1 in the first wave through Big West. They will be looking to hold off the Beach and Hawaii, who are both sitting at 5-3 in Big West play and looking to close the gap on the leaders.
All-American Check
2012 Honorable Mention All-American Chisom Okpala is having another outstanding season for the Beach. She ranks third in the Big West while hitting at .356 clip for the year. That mark jumps up to .365 in conference matches, which ranks second in the Big West behind UC Davis' Victoria Lee (.386). On the flip side of the net, Okpala is leading the Big West with 1.13 blocks per set this year. She has tallied 14 solo blocks and 80 block assists so far this year.
