Wednesday, November 22
Long Beach, Calif.
4:00 PM

Long Beach State University

vs

UC Irvine

Hanna Lesiak
Photo by: John Fajardo

Long Beach State Women’s Volleyball Set to Take On UC Irvine In First Round Of The Outrigger Big West Championship At The Walter Pyramid

11/21/2023 6:51:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

The Beach open The Outrigger Big West Championship against local rival UC Irvine

LONG BEACH (19-9, 13-5 Big West) vs. UC IRVINE (11-18, 9-9 Big West)
Date:
Wednesday, Nov. 22
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BigWest.org/championshipwvball
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Rob Espero & Madison Fitzpatrick
Sideline Reporter: Chloe Clark
Twitter: @LBSUWVB

Long Beach State Women's Volleyball Set to Take On UC Irvine In First Round Of The Outrigger Big West Championship At The Walter Pyramid
The Long Beach State Women's Volleyball team heads into The Outrigger Big West Championship as the No. 4 seed. The Beach will face No. 5 seed UC Irvine in the First Round on Wednesday, November 22 at 4 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid on the campus of Long Beach State. 

Catch All The Action
All Outrigger Big West Championship matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+. 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 matches on live stats at BigWest.org/championshipwvball.

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 19-9 on the year and finished Big West action with a 13-5 record. The Beach are not currently ranked in the AVCA/Taraflex Division I Poll. LBSU owns an RPI of 70, which is third in The Big West. In the conference standings, the Beach finished fourth and go into The Outrigger Big West Championship as the No. 4 seed.
• UC Irvine, which is 11-18 overall and 9-9 in Big West action, is not ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA/Taraflex Division I Poll. The Anteaters head into The Outrigger Big West Championship as the No. 5 seed.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State brings an 19-9 overall record, and a 13-5 Big West mark into The Outrigger Big West Women's Volleyball Championship. 
• The Beach went 1-1 on the road to close out the regular season. LBSU picked up a dominant 3-0 sweep at UC San Diego, before battling Hawaii in a 3-1 loss on the island. 
• 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.
• On Tuesday, The Big West announced the All-Conference award winners and Long Beach State had five all-conference selections. It marks the first time since 2018 the Beach landed five on the All-Conference team.
• Headlining the All-Conference squad was redshirt sophomore setter Zayna Meyer who was named Big West Setter of the Year, while also earning a nod to the First Team. Meyer became the first LBSU player to win a major Big West All-Conference award since 2014.
• Joining Meyer on the All-Conference Team were teammates Katie Kennedy (1st Team), Elise Agi (2nd Team), Natalie Glenn (2nd Team), and Kameron Bacon (Honorable Mention). 
• As a team, Long Beach State leads The Big West in hitting percentage (.249) and service aces per set (1.79). The Beach ranks second in the conference in assists per set (12.34), kills per set (13.56), and opponent hitting percentage (.174).
• Junior outside hitter Elise Agi had a monster match when the Beach played Cal State Bakersfield on October 6. 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 3.59 kills per set on the year, which is good for fourth in The Big West. She also contributes 2.21 digs per set and is second on the team with 0.41 aces per set. Her aces per sets average ranks her second in the conference. 
• Redshirt sophomore setter Zayna Meyer has paced the Beach to a .249 attack percentage to lead The Big West, distributing 10.13 assists per set to rank second in The Big West and in the Top 60 in the nation. On the year, Meyer has contributed on all sides of the ball with 2.47 digs per set, 0.91 kills per set, 0.51 blocks per set, and 0.30 aces per set. She leads the team with 12 double-doubles on the year.
Katie Kennedy has been solid all season, but has really heated up in conference action. Overall, she is hitting a team-leading .352 which is good for second in The Big West. However, in conference matches only, she is hitting .400 to lead the league. In addition to her efficient output, Kennedy is third on the squad with 2.39 kills per set, while also contributing 0.83 blocks per set and 0.36 digs per set.
Natalie Glenn has been unstoppable at the service line as of late. The junior outside hitter leads The Big West and ranks 21st in the nation with 0.48 aces per set. Additionally, she is the team's second-leading scorer as she averages 2.72 kills per set on a .294 attack percentage. She also adds 1.49 digs per set and 0.61 blocks per set. She has racked up nine double-figure kill performances, including a career-high 21-kill showing against Cal Poly. 
Savana Chacon, the team's libero, anchors the backrow with 3.63 digs per set which is good for seventh in The Big West. She also adds 1.14 assists per set. Chacon has led the Beach in digs 18 times this season and has recorded 19 double-digit dig performances.
• At the net, Long Beach is led by junior middle blocker Kameron Bacon who has put up 109 blocks (13 solos, 96 assists) this year to average 1.14 blocks per set which is good for third in the conference. Bacon has led the Beach in blocking 17 times this season. Earlier this season, she boasted a career-best 9-block showing at UC Riverside on October 26.
• Freshman outside hitter Livi Narancich made her collegiate debut and helped the Beach earn a pair of sweeps over CSUN and Cal State Bakersfield. The product out of San Marcos, Calif., has now made four starts and is averaging 2.29 kills per set on a .357 attack percentage, while also chipping in 1.14 digs per set and 0.57 blocks per set. 
• 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 Outrigger Big West Championship with an 11-18 overall record. The Anteaters finished the regular season with a Big West record of 9-9 to earn a No. 5 seed into the tournament.
• UCI is coming off of a pair of wins to close the regular season. The Anteaters defeated CSUN (3-0) and Cal State Bakersfield (3-1) on the road last weekend.
• As a team, the Anteaters are hitting .197, while averaging 12.33 kills per set on 11.50 assists per set.
• Defensively, UC Irvine has logged 14.36 digs per set in the backrow, while posting 1.69 blocks per set at the net. At the service line, the 'Eaters are averaging 1.23 aces per set.
• Hunter Reidl, a 2023 Big West Honorable Mention selection, is the Anteaters' leading scorer as she averages 2.84 kills per set on a .224 attack percentage. She also adds 0.82 digs per set and 0.47 blocks per set.
• At setter, UC Irvine is paced by freshman Nicole Feliciano's 7.83 assists per set, while Indy DeSmet adds 2.40 assists per set. Feliciano, The Big West Freshman of the Year, also contributes 2.54 digs per set, 0.83 kills per set, and 0.44 blocks per set.
• Anchoring the Anteaters' defense in the backrow is libero Campbell Jensen who has logged 421 digs on the year to average 3.93 digs per set. She also leads the team with 33 aces. Jensen was a 2023 Big West Honorable Mention selection.
• On blocking defense, Ella Gardiner leads the way with 0.77 blocks per set. She also adds 2.06 kills per set on a .293 clip.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Anteaters
Long Beach State and UC Irvine will meet for the 92nd time in program history and for the second time this season. In the all-time series, the Beach leads with a 76-15 overall record. Earlier this season, LBSU earned a 3-0 sweep at UCI on October 19. When playing each other in Long Beach, Calif., the Beach leads 41-4.

Can You Dig It?
Junior libero Savana Chacon has recorded at least 10 digs in 19 of Long Beach State's 28 matches this season. On the year, she is averaging 3.63 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 3.63 digs per set average ranks her seventh 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 3.59 kills per set, she also ranks second on the team and in the conference in aces per set (0.41). 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 18 double-figure kill performances this season, and has led LBSU in kills on 17 separate occasions. Additionally, she has tallied nine 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 10.13 assists per set are good for second in The Big West and in the Top 60 in the nation. She also contributes 2.47 digs per set, 0.91 kills per set, 0.51 blocks per set, while hitting .322 on the year. She currently leads the team with 12 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 21st in the nation with 0.48 aces per set. She registered a career-high six aces at Cal State Bakersfield on October 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 offensively with 2.72 kills per set on a .294 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 12 double-doubles on the year. Meanwhile, junior outside hitter Elise Agi has contributed nine 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 (.281) and service aces per set (1.94). The Beach has been outstanding in both categories throughout the league matches, while also coming in second in assists per set (12.47), kills per set (13.86), and third in opponent hitting percentage (.155).

Undefeated
Long Beach State has hit .300 or higher in 10 matches this season. When hitting over .300, the Beach has recorded a perfect 10-0 record. So far, LBSU has hit over .300 against Alabama State (.429), UC San Diego (.336), Cal State Bakersfield twice (.349 & .395), UC Davis (.404), UC Riverside (.381), UC Irvine (345), Cal State Fullerton (.372), UC Davis (.328), and CSUN (.311). eight of those 10 matches were won in straight sets. While 10-0 is quite a mark, even more impressive, Long Beach State is a whopping 14-0 when winning the first two sets of a match this season. 

'Mid Magic
This season, Long Beach State has recorded 10 wins when playing inside the Walter Pyramid. Even more impressive, the last seven matches the Beach has played at home have been sweeps. The Beach has won the last seven matches 21 sets to none with straight set victories over UC San Diego, Hawaii, UC Davis, UC Riverside, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, and Cal State Bakersfield. 

Next Up
Should Long Beach State defeat UC Irvine in the First Round of The Outrigger Big West Championship, the Beach will advance to the Semifinals to face top-seeded UC Santa Barbara on Friday, Nov. 24 at 4 p.m., at the Walter Pyramid. 
 

Players Mentioned

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