Long Beach State Pulls Out Gritty Five-Set Win Over Fresno State

Saturday, September 15

Long Beach, Calif.

7:00 PM

Long Beach State University

8-5

Fresno State

8-5

Fresno State

Long Beach State

Photo by: Photo by John Fajardo

Long Beach State Pulls Out Gritty Five-Set Win Over Fresno State

9/15/2018 10:43:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Four players reached double-figures in the victory

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

WATCH: Hear what @LBSU_WVB head coach Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer, Allison Martinez, and Tyler Spriggs had to say about the team's victory over Fresno State #GoBeach #LBNation

https://t.co/4CFnzhofHy via @LBSUAthletics
— LBSU W. Volleyball (@LBSU_WVB) September 16, 2018

Box Score (PDF) | Photo Gallery of LBSU Women's Volleyball Alumnae Ceremony

LONG BEACH – The Long Beach State women's volleyball team closed out the preseason with an exciting and gritty 3-2 [25-22, 19-25, 25-13, 19-25, 15-12] victory over Fresno State to wrap up the Mizuno Invitational Saturday night at the Pyramid.

The Beach head into Big West Conference action next week with an 8-5 overall record, while the Bulldogs move to an identical 8-5 on the year.

Long Beach State put on a show in front of the women's volleyball alumnae from the 1972, 1973, 1993, and 1998 championship teams. All four squads were honored in a pre-game reception, prior to the start of the match, and between the second and third sets.

The five-set contest saw four Long Beach State players reach double-figures as Allison Martinez and Tyler Spriggs led the way with 12 kills apiece. The 12 kills from Martinez mark a new career-best for the freshman who hit a career-high .733 (12-1-15) as she dominated offensively.

Joining Martinez and Spriggs in double digits were YiZhi Xue and Kashauna Williams who added 10 kills each to help the Beach post a .226 attack percentage. The offense was paced by setters Mina Andjelkovic and Carly Aigner-Swesey who dished out 25 and 24 assists, respectively.

On the other side of the ball, the Long Beach State defense shined as well. Gigi Alex posted a career-high 17 digs at libero, while Emma Kirst added seven blocks. The Beach finished the match with 15.0 total team blocks – the most they've accumulated this season.

While Long Beach State turned in a number of solid efforts, Fresno State boasted a 20-kill effort from Taylor Snover.

The Beach and the Bulldogs battled each other throughout the match as the two team totaled 25 ties and 11 lead changes over the two-hour contest. The first set saw 15 ties alone, before the Beach finished the frame on a 3-0 run to win, 25-22.

Fresno State got out to a 3-0 lead in the second set and never trailed as the Bulldogs hit .273 and held the Beach to their lowest offensive output of the match (.132). The Bulldogs would go on to win, 25-19, evening the match at one set apiece.

Long Beach State would regain its edge after taking the third set, 25-13. The Beach broke a 4-4 tie on a kill off the hands of Martinez which kicked off a 3-0 run giving LBSU a lead it would not relinquish. From there, the Beach utilized several scoring runs to lead by double digits (21-11) before cruising to a 12-point victory.

The Bulldogs started the fourth set on a 5-1 run, but the Beach chipped away at the lead and evened the score at 16-all after Martinez knocked down another kill. The two teams traded leads a few times before the Bulldogs came away with the 25-19 win, forcing a fifth and deciding set.

That deciding set saw the Beach jump out in front, 4-1, before the Bulldogs fought back and tied it 8-all. Long Beach State, however, showed its determination and rattled off three-straight points to take an 11-8 lead and never look back. The Beach held the edge for the next several points and closed out the match on an ace by Alex giving LBSU a 15-12 win.

Long Beach State will open conference action on Tuesday, September 18 when it hosts UC Riverside at 7 p.m. inside the Walter Pyramid. The match will be televised on ESPN3.