The Beach Return Home to Host CSU Bakersfield, Cal Poly at the Walter Pyramid

Friday, October 28

Long Beach, Calif.

7:00 PM

Long Beach State University

Cal State Bakersfield

Photo by: Diego Devia @Devia.Img

The Beach Return Home to Host CSU Bakersfield, Cal Poly at the Walter Pyramid

10/27/2022 4:44:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

LBSU will play CSU Bakersfield on Friday, Cal Poly on Saturday in second round of Big West Action

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

LONG BEACH (12-6, 7-3) vs. CSU BAKERSFIELD (5-17, 2-8)
Date: Friday, Oct. 28
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUWVB
Tickets: www.LongBeachState.com

LONG BEACH STATE (12-6, 7-3) vs. CAL POLY (11-9, 8-2)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 29
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown
Twitter: @LBSUWVB
Tickets: www.LongBeachState.com

COMPLETE LONG BEACH STATE MATCH NOTES (PDF)

The Beach Return Home to Host CSU Bakersfield, Cal Poly at the Walter Pyramid
After a weekend on the road, the Long Beach State Women's Volleyball team returns to the Walter Pyramid to begin the second round of Big West play as the Beach host CSU Bakersfield and Cal Poly. The Beach and the Roadrunners will face off on Friday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m., before LBSU takes on the Mustangs on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.

Catch All The Action
The Long Beach State-Cal Poly match will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ for $5.99 per month ($59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or on the ESPN App. It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu for $13.99 per month (Hulu with ads) or $19.99 per month (Hulu without ads). The Beach's match against CSU Bakersfield will not be streamed. Fans can follow the action via BeachLiveStats.com.

Staying Social
Follow Long Beach State women's volleyball on Instagram and Twitter at @LBSUWVB respectively. Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Long Beach State by following @LBSUAthletics via Twitter. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at @LBSU.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State brings a six-match winning streak back to the Walter Pyramid as the Beach are 12-6 overall and 7-3 in Big West action.
• The Beach have not lost a match since a 3-1 loss to Hawaii on Saturday, Oct. 1.
• LBSU is currently fourth in The Big West standings as the Beach sit just one game out of second and two games out of first.
• Long Beach is 6-1 when playing at the Walter Pyramid, with the Beach's only loss coming to Hawaii in four sets.
• As a team, the Beach are averaging 13.18 kills per set, while hitting .222 on the year. Additionally, the Beach are averaging 12.24 assists per set.
• Defensively, the Beach have racked up 14.41 digs per set and 2.05 blocks per set, to go along with 1.28 service aces per set on the season.
• This season, Long Beach State has boasted four Big West Players of the Week in Morgan Chacon, Dylan Dela Cruz, Zayna Meyer, and Jaylen Jordan. Meyer is a five-time winner at both Setter (four times) and Freshman of the Week, while Dela Cruz is a three-time winner at Defensive Player of the Week.
• In his first year at the helm, Tyler Hildebrand has revamped the Beach bringing in a whole new coaching staff featuring assistant coaches Cursty Le Roux and Kim Hill, while also adding volunteer assistant coach Jordan Molina to the mix.
• The Big West Conference released the 2022 Preseason Coaches Poll and Long Beach State was picked to finish fourth behind Hawaii, UC Santa Barbara, and Cal Poly.
• Additionally, the Beach had a pair of players named to the Big West Conference Preseason Team in junior Katie Kennedy and redshirt freshman Zayna Meyer.

Scouting CSU Bakersfield
• CSU Bakersfield brings a 5-17 overall record into the week. The Roadrunners are 2-8 in Big West action.
• The Roadrunners have struggled as of late as they are looking to snap a four-match losing streak. CSUB has dropped contests to Cal Poly (3-2), Hawaii (3-2), UC Irvine (3-2), and UC San Diego (3-0).
• The 'Runners have won two Big West matches this season with victories over UC Davis (3-0) and UC Riverside (3-0).
• As a team, CSU Bakersfield is averaging 11.25 kills per set, while hitting .176 on the year. The Runners also average 10.31 assists per set.
• On the defensive end, Bakersfield is averaging 12.26 digs per set, 1.75 blocks per set, and 1.51 aces per set.
• Hayley McCluskey is the team's leading scorer with 2.85 kills per set. She also contributes 1.59 digs per set and 0.41 blocks per set.
• Laura De Pra is the Runners' setter as she has dished out 579 assists to average 7.15 assists per set. Additionally, she has posted 1.68 digs per set and is hitting .303.
• Defensively, Paige Calvin is the Runners' libero as she leads the backrow with 3.70 digs per set.
• At the net, Hana Makonova has posted a team-leading 62 blocks to average 0.78 blocks per set on the year.

The Series: The Beach vs. The CSU Bakersfield
Long Beach State and CSU Bakersfield will face each other for the seventh time in program history and for the second time this season. Overall, the Beach lead the all-time series, 4-2. Earlier this season, LBSU defeated the Roadrunners, 3-0, in Bakersfield. When playing CSUB in Long Beach, Calif., the Beach are 2-1.

Scouting Cal Poly
• Cal Poly currently owns an 11-9 overall record and is 8-2 in Big West action.
• With an 8-2 league record, the Mustangs are sitting in a tie for second place in The Big West standings with UC Santa Barbara as both are a game out of first.
• The Mustangs are coming off a 3-1 loss at UC Irvine last Saturday, which snapped a six-match winning streak for Cal Poly.
• This season, Cal Poly is hitting .231 with 12.72 kills per set, while averaging 11.68 assists per set.
• Defensively, the Mustangs average 14.26 digs per set, 2.55 blocks per set, and 1.57 aces per set on the year.
• Tommi Stockham leads both the Mustangs and The Big West in kills per set with 3.74, while hitting .199. She also adds 2.32 digs per set.
• At setter, Emme Bullis sets the tone with 9.62 assists per set to go along with 2.45 digs per set.
• In the backrow, Maia Dvoracek leads the way with 3.26 digs per set. She has served up a total of 56 aces this year to average 0.57 per set, a mark that leads The Big West.
• On blocking defense, Meredith Phillips as posted 96 total blocks (15 solo, 81 assists) to average a team and conference-leading 1.30 blocks per set.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Mustangs
Long Beach State and Cal Poly will meet for the 74th time in program history and for the second time this season. Overall, the Beach lead the all-time series 46-27, however, earlier this year, the Mustangs picked up a 3-1 win over the Beach in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The Mustangs have won the last three meetings with the Beach, as LBSU is looking for its first win over Cal Poly since 2019. When playing in Long Beach, Calif., LBSU leads the series over Cal Poly, 25-10.

Beach Player Notes
• Redshirt freshman setter Zayna Meyer has been very efficient since making her collegiate debut. She has recorded a team-leading 11 double-doubles and has led the Beach in assists in every match this season. She has also led the squad in blocks on seven separate occasions. A four-time Big West Setter of the Week winner, Meyer is averaging 10.21 assists per set to lead The Big West. She also adds 2.51 digs per set, 0.93 kills per set, 0.80 blocks per set, and has notched 16 aces, all while hitting .331.
• Morgan Chacon, a redshirt junior outside hitter, is leading the Beach with 3.74 kills per set, a mark that is good for second in The Big West. Chacon recorded a career-high 26 kills against No. 19 Oregon and reached the mark again last week at UC Riverside. On the year, she has registered 20-plus kills in five matches this season and has recorded double-figure kills on 16 occasions. Chacon has notched a double-double on five separate occasions.
• Jaylen Jordan had a career performance at UC San Diego as she tallied a career-high 22 kills and a career-best 13 digs for her first-career double-double. She has recorded seven double-figure kill performances on the year, two double-doubles, and has led the Beach in scoring twice. Jordan is averaging 2.71 kills per set on the year, to go along with 2.27 digs per set, and 0.40 blocks per set.
• Sophomore middle blocker Kameron Bacon has been solid this season on both sides of the ball as she averages 1.02 kills per set on a .200 attack percentage, while coming in second on the squad with 0.84 blocks per set.
• Tia Chavira, one of LBSU's team captains, has been seeing more playing time as her solid leadership skills are an asset on the court. Additionally, she has come in to serve and has led the Beach on several scoring runs which have led to Long Beach State's six-match winning streak.
• Savana Chacon, a sophomore defensive specialist, has been an asset to the Beach this season. She leads LBSU in service aces as she has racked up 33 to average 0.43 which ranks her in the top three in the conference. Chacon also averages 2.18 digs per set after having logged a career-high 18 digs against CSUN. She has accumulated six double-figure dig performances this season and has led the Beach in digs twice.
• Freshman middle blocker Rhiann Sheffie made her collegiate debut at UC Riverside last week. In the match, she saw action in two sets and finished with a pair of kills.
• Kailia Lopez has been a key component to Long Beach State this season. The sophomore has come off the bench in 16 matches this year, with one start. She is averaging 0.28 digs per set to go along with 0.06 assists per set, and 0.10 service aces per set.
• Nicole Hoff made her season debut on Thursday, Oct. 20 at UC Riverside. The defensive specialist came into the match and promptly logged eight digs to help the Beach to a 3-2 win over the Highlanders.
• Katie Kennedy, another of LBSU's team captains, has shown her versatility this season as the 6-foot-1 junior has seen action at both middle blocker and opposite. After pouring in a career-high 23 kills against CSUN, Kennedy matched her career-high the next weekend at UC San Diego. She has now recorded 11 double-figure scoring matches on the year and is averaging 2.74 kills per set on a .268 clip. She also adds 0.64 blocks per set.
• Senior libero Dylan Dela Cruz has certainly made the most of her senior year at Long Beach State. The local product logged a career-high 34 digs at UC San Diego becoming the first LBSU player to record at least 30 digs in a single-match since 2010. On the year, Dela Cruz has posted 17 double-digit dig showings, seven 20-plus dig performances, and two 30-plus dig matches. She is averaging 4.26 digs per set to rank third in The Big West.
• Victoria O'Sullivan has played in 28 sets for the Beach this season and has started in six matches. She registered a season-high 15 kills off the bench at UC Riverside to bring her season average to 2.54 kills per set, while hitting .250.
• Sophomore defensive specialist Jenna Giambi has returned to the Beach and has done a solid job coming off the bench in six sets this season. She is averaging 0.67 digs per set thus far.
• Senior middle blocker Callie Schwarzenbach has been a force on both sides of the ball this season. Her 0.99 blocks per set leads the Beach and ranks in the top 10 in The Big West. Meanwhile, she leads the team with a .301 attack percentage to rank seventh in the league. At Cal State Fullerton, she racked up a career-high 17 kills, bringing her season average to 1.63 kills per set.
• Natalie Glenn is a sophomore outside hitter and is currently the Beach's second leading scorer with 2.46 kills per set. She contributes on both sides of the ball adding 2.14 digs per set and 0.46 blocks per set.

Closing in on 1,000
Redshirt junior outside hitter Morgan Chacon is closing in on a milestone 1,000 career kills. The Crown Point, Ind., native has logged 284 kills this season to bring her career total to 972. With 10 matches remaining, Chacon is just 28 kills away from the impressive feat.

Can You Dig It?
Senior libero Dylan Dela Cruz had a career night at UC San Diego as she logged a new career-best 34 digs to best her previous career mark by 10. With that performance, she became the first Long Beach State player to record 30-plus digs in a single match since Lauren Minkel recorded 32 digs against Pacific on October 9, 2010. With 34 digs in a single match Dela Cruz now moves into a tie for third place in the Long Beach State Record Book as she trails Heather Laudato who recorded 40 digs on November 27, 2004 against Notre Dame, and Tara Cross who notched 39 digs on October 3, 1986 against Hawaii. Dela Cruz has now accumulated 324 digs on the year to average 4.26 digs per set, which ranks her third in The Big West.

It's Been a While...
Long Beach State had several players reach new career-highs in a five-set match against CSUN on Saturday, October 8. One of those players, redshirt freshman Zayna Meyer logged a new personal-best for herself with 62 assists. By doing so, she also became the first LBSU player to record at least 60 assists in a single match since 2011 when Erin Juley registered 64 assists at Cal Poly on October 21, 2011. Meyer's career-high of 62 stood for just six days, before she bested that by two with a 64-dig performance at UC San Diego on Friday, October 14. Additionally, as a team Long Beach State finished the five-setter against CSUN with a total of 77 kills, marking a new season-high for the squad. It also marked the first time since 2013 the LBSU women's volleyball program recorded 70 or more kills in a single match. The last time the Beach did so was on November 29, 2013 with a total of 72 kills against UC Santa Barbara.

Setting the Tone
Redshirt freshman setter Zayna Meyer has done a solid job this season setting the offensive tone for the Beach. She has accumulated 776 assists to average 10.21 assists per set, which leads The Big West. As a team, LBSU is hitting .222 thanks to Meyer's efforts. While she does an excellent job at setter, the Wheaton, Ill., native also contributes 2.51 digs per set, 0.93 kills per set, and 0.80 blocks per set, while hitting .331. She has also recorded a team-leading 11 double-doubles this season.

Next Up
Long Beach State will welcome Cal State Fullerton to the Walter Pyramid on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m., before traveling to Honolulu, Hawaii to take on the Rainbow Wahine on Friday, Nov. 4 at 10 p.m. (PT).