Thursday, October 19
Irvine, Calif.
7:00 PM

Long Beach State University

at

UC Irvine

Team
Photo by: John Fajardo

Long Beach State Women’s Volleyball Takes On Local Rivals UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton This Week

10/18/2023 5:20:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

The Beach play UC Irvine on the road in the Black and Blue Rivalry, before hosting Cal State Fullerton at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday

LONG BEACH STATE (12-6, 6-2 Big West) at UC IRVINE (6-13, 4-4 Big West)
Date:
Thursday, October 19
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Arena: Bren Events Center
Live Stats: UCIrvineSports.com
TV: ESPN+
Twitter: @LBSUWVB

LONG BEACH STATE (12-6, 6-2 Big West) vs. CAL STATE FULLERTON (1-16, 0-8 Big West)
Date:
 Saturday, October 21
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Arena: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown
Twitter: @LBSUWVB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com

Long Beach State Women's Volleyball Takes On Local Rivals UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton This Week 
The Long Beach State Women's Volleyball team will face a pair of local rivals this week in UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton. The Beach will tak on the Anteaters in the annual Black and Blue Rivalry on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Bren Events Center. Then on Saturday, Oct. 21, the Beach will host the Titans at the Walter Pyramid at 7 p.m.

Catch All The Action
All regular season Long Beach State home matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+ this season. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ for $9.99 per month ($99.99 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 $12.99 per month (Hulu with ads). Fans can also follow the match on live stats at BeachLiveStats.com.

Staying Social
Follow Long Beach State women's volleyball on Instagram and Twitter at @LBSUWVB. 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. 

In The Rankings
• Long Beach State is 12-6 on the year and 6-2 in Big West play. The Beach are not currently ranked in the AVCA/Taraflex Division I Poll. LBSU boasts an RPI of 50, which is second in The Big West. In the conference standings, the Beach are tied for second place.
• UC Irvine, which is 6-13 overall and 4-4 in Big West action, is not ranked nor receiving votes in the AVCA/Taraflex Division I Poll. The Anteaters are in fifth place in The Big West standings.
• Cal State Fullerton, which brings a 1-16 overall record and an 0-8 conference mark into the week, is not ranked or receiving votes.The Titans are 11th in conference standings.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State brings a 12-6 overall record, and a 6-2 Big West mark, into the week. The Beach have won five of their last six contests.
• During the preseason, the Beach picked up key wins over then-No. 1 Texas, Indiana, and Arizona. LBSU took down the defending National Champion Longhorns in four sets at the Walter Pyramid to open the season. The Beach also picked up a 3-1 win over Indiana marking the program's first win over a Big Ten opponent since 2015. Most recently, Long Beach swept Arizona on the road, which was the first road sweep over a Pac-12 opponent since 1992.
• In addition to the big preseason victories, Long Beach State earned a long-waited win over Hawaii. The Beach downed the Rainbow Wahine in three sets to snap an 11-match losing streak, dating back to 2016, against the Bows. The sweep was LBSU's first such win over Hawaii since 1997.
• As a team, Long Beach State ranks second in The Big West in hitting percentage (.230), assists per set (12.30), kills per set (13.32), and service aces per set (1.74).
• In conference matches, the Beach lead the way with an attack percentage of .277 and a service aces average of 2.00. 
• Junior outside hitter Elise Agi had a monster match at Cal State Bakersfield. She was incredible as she knocked down a career-high 28 kills, while hitting a career-best .431 (28-6-51). She added seven digs and two aces to help the Beach defeat the Roadrunners in five sets. Agi is the Beach's leading scorer as she is averaging 3.36 kills per set on the year, which is good for fourth in The Big West. She also contributes 2.16 digs per set and is second on the team with 0.38 aces per set. Her aces per sets average ranks her third in the conference. 
• Redshirt sophomore setter Zayna Meyer has paced the Beach, distributing 10.03 assists per set to rank second in The Big West and in the Top 50 in the nation. On the year, Meyer has contributed on all sides of the ball with 2.53 digs per set, 0.92 kills per set, 0.58 blocks per set, and 0.29 aces per set. She leads the team with 10 double-doubles on the year.
Natalie Glenn has been unstoppable at the service line as of late. The junior outside hitter leads The Big West and ranks 14th in the nation with 0.55 aces per set. Additionally, she is the team's second-leading scorer as she averages 2.73 kills per set on a .280 attack percentage. She also adds 1.53 digs per set and 0.55 blocks per set. She has racked up seven double-figure kill performances, including a career-high 21-kill showing against Cal Poly. 
Savana Chacon, the team's libero, anchors the backrow with 3.95 digs per set which is good for fourth in The Big West. She also adds 1.25 assists per set. Chacon has led the Beach in digs 13 times this season and has recorded 15 double-digit dig performances.
• At the net, Long Beach is led by junior middle blocker Kameron Bacon who has put up 73 blocks (9 solos, 64 assists) this year to average 1.20 blocks per set which is good for third in the conference. Bacon has led the Beach in blocking 13 times this season.
• Long Beach State will host the inaugural Big West Women's Volleyball Championships this season, which will take place at the Walter Pyramid November 22, 24, and 25. The winner of the championship will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
• This season, Long Beach State has been chosen to finish third in The Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Beach garnered 82 points and one first-place vote coming in just one point behind second place UC Santa Barbara. Hawaii, which collected 100 points and 10 first-place votes, was chosen as the preseason favorite.

Scouting UC Irvine
• UC Irvine comes into the match against the Beach with a 6-13 overall record. The Anteaters are 4-4 in The Big West.
• UCI is coming off a solid weekend in which they picked up a pair of sweeps over Cal State Bakersfield and CSUN. 
• As a team, the Anteaters are hitting .194, while averaging 12.62 kills per set on 11.77 assists per set.
• Defensively, UC Irvine has logged 15.00 digs per set in the backrow, while posting 1.53 blocks per set at the net. At the service line, the Anteaters are averaging 1.35 aces per set.
• Hunter Riedl is UCI's leading scorer as she averages 2.88 kills per set on a .238 attack percentage. She also adds 0.71 digs per set and 0.47 blocks per set.
• Nicole Feliciano is the Anteaters' setter as she paces the offense with 7.56 assists per set, to go along with 2.48 digs per set, 0.94 kills per set, and 0.42 blocks per set. She is also second on the team with 16 aces.
• Campbell Jensen anchors the backrow defense as libero with 4.23 digs per set. She also contributes 1.13 assists per set, while leading the squad with 18 aces on the year.
• On blocking defense, Ella Gardiner patrols the net with a team-leading 0.74 blocks per set. She also adds 2.02 kills per set on a .270 attack percentage, while contributing 0.40 digs per set.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Anteaters
Long Beach State and UC Irvine will meet for the 91st time in program history. Overall, the Beach lead the all-time series 75-15. However, the Anteaters won the last meeting, 3-0, on Nov. 19, 2022. After splitting the series last season, Long Beach State is looking to get back on the winning track against UC Irvine.

Scouting Cal State Fullerton
• Cal State Fullerton comes into the week with a 1-16 overall record and an 0-8 Big West mark.
• The Titans have been struggling as they look to snap a 10-match losing streak dating back to Sept. 8 when they picked up a 3-2 win over American University for their lone win of the season.
• The Titans are hitting .128 on the year, while averaging 10.05 kills per set on 9.33 assists per set.
• On the defensive end, Cal State Fullerton averages 13.26 digs per set, 1.56 blocks per set, and 1.16 aces per set.
• Ameena Campbell is the team's leading scorer with 3.07 kills per set. She also contributes 2.57 digs per set and 0.33 blocks per set.
• At setter, Ryleigh Garis has distributed 8.15 assists per set to go along with 1.75 digs per set, 0.39 blocks per set, and 0.30 kills per set.
• In the backrow, Ashley Chacon leads the defense with 2.83 digs per set.
• At the net, Bianca Martinez has put up 44 blocks on the year to average 0.72 blocks per set.

Can You Dig It?
Junior libero Savana Chacon has recorded at least 10 digs in 15 of Long Beach State's 18 matches this season. On the year, she is averaging 3.95 digs per set. Chacon kicked off the season with 14 digs against then-No. 1 Texas. She turned in her best showing with a career-high 29-dig performance against Washington on Sept. 1. In The Big West, Chacon's 3.95 digs per set average ranks her fourth in the league.

Killing Machine
Junior Elise Agi has been an asset to the Beach so far this season. In addition to being Long Beach State's leading scorer with 3.36 kills per set, she also ranks second on the team in aces per set (0.38). Her offensive output has been solid, but on Oct. 6 at Cal State Bakersfield, she exploded with a career-high 28 kills, while hitting a career-best .431 (28-6-51). She has now recorded nine double-figure kill performances this season, and has led LBSU in kills on nine separate occasions. Additionally, she has tallied six double-doubles on the year.

Setting the Tone
Redshirt sophomore Zayna Meyer has been a steady force for Long Beach State throughout the season. The 6-foot-1 setter has paced the Beach offense and turned in an all-around solid showing in each outing. Her 10.03 assists per set are good for second in The Big West, while she also contributes 2.53 digs per set, 0.92 kills per set, 0.58 blocks per set, while hitting .388 on the year. She currently leads the team with 10 double-doubles this season.

Aces Wild
Junior outside hitter Natalie Glenn has been consistent in her serving and attacking game as of late. She leads The Big West and ranks 14th in the nation with 0.55 aces per set. She registered a career-high six aces at Cal State Bakersfield on Oct. 6 to tie her for fifth all-time in Long Beach State's single-match record book. In addition to her powerful serve, Glenn also contributes offensive with 2.73 kills per set on a .280 hitting percentage.

Double-Double Toil and Trouble
This season, Long Beach State has had three players record at least one double-double in a match. Redshirt sophomore setter Zayna Meyer leads the way with 10 double-doubles on the year. Meanwhile, junior outside hitter Elise Agi has contributed six double-doubles, and graduate student Hanna Lesiak has recorded one. 

The Best in the (Big) West
In Big West matches this season, Long Beach State leads the conference in hitting percentage (.277) and service aces per set (2.00). The Beach has been outstanding in both categories throughout the league matches, while also coming in second in assists per set (12.55), kills per set (12.68), and third in opponent hitting percentage (.156).

Undefeated
Long Beach State has hit .300 or higher in five matches this season thus far. When hitting over .300, the Beach has recorded a perfect 5-0 record. So far, LBSU has hit over .300 against Alabama State (.429), UC San Diego (.336), Cal State Bakersfield (.349), UC Davis (.404), and UC Riverside (.381). Four of those five matches were won in straight sets, as the Roadrunners were the only team LBSU needed five sets to beat. Three of those five matches in which Long Beach State hit .300 or higher came in three of the last four matches.

'Mid Magic
This season, Long Beach State has recorded seven wins when playing inside the Walter Pyramid. Even more impressive, the last four matches the Beach has played at home have been sweeps. The Beach has won the last four matches 12 sets to none with straight set victories over UC San Diego, Hawaii, UC Davis, and UC Riverside.

The Long Beach Connection
When Long Beach State faces Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, there will be three very familiar faces sitting opposite the Beach bench. The Titans are led by Head Coach Nicole Vargas Polster who played at Long Beach State from 2005-08. Vargas Polster's assistant coaches are none other than LBSU volleyball alums Andrew Sato, who played for the men's volleyball team from 2013-17, and Sabrina Hernandez who was part of the women's volleyball team from 1989-92.

Next Up
Long Beach State will close out the month of October on the road. The Beach will play UC Riverside at the SRC Arena in Riverside, Calif., on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m., before taking on UC Davis at the Pavilion in Davis, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m.
 

Players Mentioned

OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
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