Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
15-7, 9-0Big West
Cal Poly
13-7, 6-3Big West
Beach Drops Cal Poly, Stays Perfect In Big West Play
10/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
San Luis Obispo, Calif. - Long Beach State kept its momentum going on Saturday night, picking up an important 25-20, 22-25, 25-18, 25-22 road win at Cal Poly. LBSU has now won nine straight matches, improving its overall record to 15-7, with a perfect 9-0 mark in conference play. Cal Poly drops to 13-7 overall and 6-3 in the Big West.
There were plenty of standout performers for the Beach, including senior Nele Barber, who tied for the match lead with 20 kills. Barber hit .347 and had 16 digs, matching the team high. Freshman middle YiZhi Xue had a career-best 13 kills, hitting a match-leading .542 without any errors. Xue also added a career-best three solo blocks in the match.
Sophomore Megan Kruidhof put up her second consecutive double-double, putting down 11 kills while matching her career high with 16 digs. Peyton Grahovac and Ashley Murray each had nine kills, with Murray adding a pair of solo blocks. Setter Missy Owens dished out 50 assists as the 49ers hit .351 as a team. Owens also had a match-high three service aces.
Both teams got out to a blazing start in set one, with the Beach hitting .531 in the frame. Cal Poly wasn't far behind at .467, but with Long Beach not recording a hitting error in the entire first game, it was tough for the hosts to stay in it. Eventually, the Beach was able to pull away, winning six of the final eight points and closing out the win on an Owens dump.
Cal Poly responded to win set two, but had to withstand a late barrage from the Beach. The Mustangs led by as many as seven at 23-16, but LBSU was able to claw within 24-22, surviving four set points before an Alexis Clewis kill gave Cal Poly the set.
The momentum from that late surge may have carried over into the third game, as Long Beach State outhit the Mustangs .314 to .059. The 49ers used a balanced attack while watching the Mustangs commit more hitting errors in the third (9) than they did in the first two sets combined (8).
Set four was an entertaining battle between the two teams, one that saw 15 ties and six lead changes. The teams were neck-and-neck all the way to a 21-21 score, when LBSU delivered the decisive blow. Kills by Xue and Grahovac, followed by a massive solo block from Murray, put the Beach up 24-21 with a timely 3-0 run. Cal Poly withstood one match point, but Grahovac buried a kill on the right side to end the match and keep the Beach unbeaten in conference play.
LBSU returns home for a three-match homestand, starting this upcoming Friday with the Black & Blue Rivalry. LBSU hosts UC Irvine at 7 p.m. Friday, then UC Davis visits Walter Pyramid for another 7 p.m. match the following night.
