Volleyball Begins Critical Week By Hosting UC Riverside

10/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Oct. 5, 2015

Long Beach, Calif. -

QUICK HITTERS
• With a loss to Cal Poly last weekend, 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 30-6 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 12 straight Big West matches in the Walter Pyramid dating back to the 2013 season, heading into Tuesday's clash with UC Riverside.

• 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. Hudson led the 49ers to .349 hitting in the match as well, the second-highest total of the season for the Beach.

• 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 250 kills on the season, a mark that ranks fourth in the Big West in 2015.

• Barber has now recorded a double-double in 13 of 17 matches this season for Long Beach State, and is averaging 3.85 kills per set and 3.08 digs per set, leading Long Beach State in both categories this 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
• Mykah Wilson had her best week of the season since her move to the right side. Totaling 15 kills on the weekend, Wilson hit .519 while also leading the team in digs on the weekend, averaging 3.88 per set and adding a trio of aces. Her nine kills against UCSB were a career high for the freshman.

• Hayley Benson continued to play well in her second week of Big West play. The Big West Defensive Player of the Week last week, Benson is averaging 1.47 blocks per set in conference play, second in the Big West, and is second on the team in kills during league with 2.33 per set, hitting .284.

• Ashley Murray earned All-Tournament honors at the Harvard Invitational. The sophomore middle blocker hit .550 for the tournament, averaging 3.60 kills per set and adding seven blocks over three matches. Murray is fifth in the Big West in hitting at .322, and is second on the team in kills, averaging 2.69 per set for the 49ers.

• The Beach features another freshman in the starting lineup, as Carly Beddingfield has played in all but two sets this season, averaging 2.10 kills per set, good for third on the team behind Barber and Murray.

• The 49ers will have two front row players out for the season with injury, as Sherridan Atkinson and Anete Brinke were each 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 the Beach, and totalled 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 2.97 per set, after being pushed into 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 2.63 digs per set, while Lawmaster is averaging 2.34 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 200, averaging 3.08 per set. Barber's lowest dig total on the year is 6, coming in last weekend's 3-1 win at UCSB.

THIS AND THAT
• The Beach will now have four matches broadcast nationally in 2015. Long Beach State's Oct. 17 match against CSUN will be broadcast on Fox Sports Prime Ticket. The Big West Conference also recently 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 to No. 24 last week. Long Beach State is now ranked for the 289th time in school history - No. 12 All-Time.