Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State Volleyball Hosts UCSB, Cal Poly This Weekend
10/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Long Beach, Calif. -
QUICK HITTERS
• The Beach recorded a sweep of CSUN on Saturday thanks to a .389 hitting percentage, its second-best performance of the season. Setter Jenelle Hudson dished out 36 assists and Long Beach had all five of its top targets hit .294 or better on the night.
• Set two was especially prolific for the 49ers as they hit .531 against the Matadors, recording 18 kills on 32 swings with just one error.
• Freshman Megan Kruidhof wasted little time reaching a new career high in Saturday's win. The Lakewood High product recorded 11 digs in the first set alone, easily surpassing her previous best of eight. She ended the night tied with teammate Nele Barber for the match high with 14 digs.
• With a loss to Cal Poly on Oct. 2, Long Beach State's winning streak in Big West conference play was snapped at 23 matches - but the Beach started a new one the next night with a 3-1 win over UCSB. Long Beach State is now 32-7 over the last three years in Big West conference play.
• Long Beach State's home conference winning streak is alive and well, however, as the Beach has won 14 straight Big West matches in the Walter Pyramid dating back to the 2013 season.
• Junior outside hitter Nele Barber continues to lead Long Beach State with strong performances. Barber has finished with double-digit kills in every match since the first match of the season against Alabama, leading the Beach with 297 kills on the season, a mark that ranks second in the Big West in 2015.
• Barber has now recorded a double-double in 16 of 20 matches this season for Long Beach State, and is averaging 3.91 kills and 3.15 digs per set, leading Long Beach State in both categories. The Marquette transfer has led LBSU in kills in eight straight matches and 16 times overall this season.
• Ashley Murray has been effective since returning to the starting lineup vs. Hawaii. The sophomore middle has recorded 20 kills and six blocks over her last two appearances. She hit .500 with 11 kills in a sweep of CSUN on Saturday.
• Senior setter Jenelle Hudson was one kill away from recording the first triple-double for Long Beach State since the 2012 season, when Tara Roenicke accomplished the feat. Hudson set a career high with nine kills on .692 hitting, to go along with 10 digs and 43 assists in a win at UCSB. Hudson's previous kills high also came on the road at UCSB, eight kills last season.
TRIO OF AWARD WINNERS
• Long Beach State returns a pair of major award winners from last season; the only two returning starters for the Beach. Setter Jenelle Hudson was the Big West Player of the Year (8th winner for LBSU) while middle blocker Ashley Murray was the Big West Freshman of the Year.
• Head Coach Brian Gimmillaro also earned Big West Coach of the Year honors for the 2014 season. Recording 27 wins and leading the Beach to the NCAA Tournament for the 27th time, Gimmillaro has been named the Big West Coach of the Year nine times in his career.
• With a 3-0 win over UC Davis on Sept. 25, 31st year head coach Brian Gimmillaro became just the seventh active coach in Division I to reach 800 wins, and the 14th ever to do so in NCAA history. Gimmillaro's winning percentage is among the Top 10 ever, and he is just the fourth active coach to reach 800 wins all at one institution.
NEWS & NOTES FROM THE FRONT ROW
• Hayley Benson has seen an uptick in performance during Big West play. The 6-foot-4 senior earned Defensive Player of the Week honors during the first week of conference matches, standing third in the Big West in blocks per set (1.27) during conference play. She also led the 49ers in hitting percentage against UC Riverside and Hawaii, moving up to ninth in the Big West in that category with a .306 mark for the conference season.
• The Beach features another freshman in the starting lineup, as Carly Beddingfield has played in all but three sets this season, averaging 2.08 kills per set, good for fourth on the team behind Barber, Murray and Benson.
• The 49ers will be without one of their key front row players for the season with injury, as Anete Brinke was hurt prior to the beginning of the year.
NEWS & NOTES FROM THE BACK ROW
• Freshman Mykah Wilson was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts on the backline during the opening weekend. Wilson started at libero in all three matches for and totaled 58 digs, averaging 4.46 per set for the Beach. Her highest total came against St. Mary's, where she had 21 digs, but the Sugarlake, Texas native added 18 digs against Alabama and 19 digs against Duke, leading the 49ers in all three matches.
• Wilson is now second on the team in digs, averaging 3.00 per set, but has been pushed into occasional action as the opposite pin hitter. That move has created opportunities for Lindsey Lawmaster and Sarah Miller to each don the libero jersey. Miller is averaging 2.61 digs per set, while Lawmaster is averaging 2.29 digs per set, but also has the highest dig total of the season for the Beach, making 21 in four sets against UCLA.
• OH Nele Barber is playing all six rotations for the 49ers, and is leading the team in overall digs with 240, averaging 3.16 per set. Barber's lowest dig total on the year is six, coming in a 3-1 win at UCSB.
THIS AND THAT
• The Beach will have four matches broadcast nationally in 2015. Long Beach State's Oct. 17 match against CSUN was broadcast on Fox Sports Prime Ticket and the Big West Conference also announced that three more matches will be shown on ESPN3, all at home: Sept. 25 vs. UCD, Sept. 26 vs. UCI, and Nov. 6 vs. UH.
• Long Beach State improved to 2-1 against ranked teams in 2015 after dropping No. 21 San Diego on Sept. 18. That win helped to push the Beach back into the Top 25, where the 49ers moved up as high as No. 24 in the Sep. 28 poll. Long Beach State was ranked for the 289th time in school history - No. 12 All-Time.
