Long Beach State University
Grand Canyon
No. 5 Long Beach State Splits The Day With Two Ranked Opponents
4/5/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Beach Volleyball
Malibu, Calif. - No. 5 Long Beach State avenged a heartbreaking 2016 loss with a 5-0 sweep of No. 12 Grand Canyon, but came up just short of the perfect day as the Beach couldn't quite get past No. 2 Pepperdine in the team's second 3-2 loss to the Waves this season.
Long Beach State (18-4) had its postseason hopes dashed in the first year of the NCAA championship last season with a loss to Grand Canyon (14-6), but this season, the Beach had no thoughts of a slip-up in a 5-0 sweep. Nele Barber and Rachel Nieto became the fifth pair in school history to record 20 wins in a season with a 21-11, 21-15 win in the top flight over Tjasa Kotnik and Molly Turner to get the Beach off to a quick start.
Anete Brinke and Hailey Harward followed with a 21-12, 21-19 win in the third flight over Rebecca Conrad and Jessica Stansfield, and Jenelle Hudson and Megan Kruidhof followed with a 21-16, 23-21 win over Tyanna Roy and Emily Reinking to clinch the win.
Sasha Karelov and Kobi Pekich won in straight sets over Hannah Towne and Jordyn Sanchez 21-15, 21-6 at No. 2, and then Morea Wagner and Heather Weiss finished off the sweep by recovering from a first set loss to Jessica Clark and Kelli Iverson, winning 17-21, 21-15, 15-13.
In Long Beach State's second crack at Pepperdine (15-1) this season, Hudson and Kruidhof once more led the way for the Beach cruising to a 21-9, 21-13 win over Nikky Lyons and Gigi Hernandez to give the 49ers a 1-0 lead in the match behind 16 kills from Hudson.
The Waves bounced right back however. Britt Howard and Corrinne Quiggle stayed with just one loss on the year after defeating Karelov/Pekich 21-15, 21-14 at No. 2, while Deahna Kraft and Anika Wilson beat Wagner/Weiss 21-11, 21-17 at No. 4, meaning that the Beach needed to win both remaining matches to claim the upset.
In the top flight, Delaney Knudsen and Maddy Roh would top Barber/Nieto 21-18, 21-19 to seal the win for the Waves, while Brinke/Harward battled for a 21-19, 27-25 victory over Skyler Caputo and Heidi Dyer. Anete Brinke finished with 26 kills in that match, leading the way for the Beach.
Long Beach State will play four more matches this weekend at Ocean Park in Santa Monica as part of the Battle of the Beach. Saturday, the 49ers will face Washington before taking on No. 8 Arizona in an important match with postseason implications. The Beach will then close out the weekend with rematches against Concordia and No. 3 UCLA on Sunday.
#5 Long Beach State 5, #12 Grand Canyon 0
1) Nele Barber/Rachel Nieto, LBSU def. Tjasa Kotnik/Molly Turner, GCU 21-11, 21-15
2) Sasha Karelov/Kobi Pekich, LBSU def. Hannah Towne/Jordyn Sanchez, GCU 21-15, 21-16
3) Anete Brinke/Hailey Harward, LBSU def. Rebecca Conrad/Jessica Stansfield, GCU 21-12, 21-19
4) Morea Wagner/Heather Weiss, LBSU def. Jessica Clark/Kelli Iverson, GCU 17-21, 21-15, 15-13
5) Jenelle Hudson/Megan Kruidhof, LBSU def. Tyanna Roy/Emily Reinking, GCU 21-16, 23-21
#2 Pepperdine 3, #5 Long Beach State 2
1) Delaney Knudsen/Maddy Roh, PEP def. Nele Barber/Rachel Nieto, LBSU 21-18, 21-19
2) Britt Howard/Corinne Quiggle, PEP def. Sasha Karelov/Kobi Pekich, LBSU 21-15, 21-14
3) Anete Brinke/Hailey Harward, LBSU def. Skyler Caputo/Heidi Dyer, PEP 21-19, 27-25
4) Deahna Kraft/Anika Wilson PEP def. Morea Wagner/Heather Weiss, LBSU 21-11, 21-17
5) Jenelle Hudson/Megan Kruidhof, LBSU def. Nikki Lyons/Gigi Hernandez, PEP 21-9, 21-13
