Friday, February 24
Los Angeles, Calif.
10 a.m.
Long Beach State University
vs
Grand Canyon
No. 14 Beach Volleyball Opens Season with Four Ranked Opponents this Weekend
2/23/2023 11:23:00 AM | Women's Beach Volleyball
Long Beach State will play two in Los Angeles on Friday and two more in Malibu on Saturday.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Long Beach State Beach Volleyball team opens their 2023 schedule with four ranked opponents this weekend. The No. 14 ranked Beach will start with No. 6 Grand Canyon and No. 4 USC on Friday before taking on No. 17 Pepperdine and No. 11 California on Saturday.
Friday, February 24 (hosted by USC)
Los Angeles, Calif.
10 a.m. vs. No. 6 Grand Canyon
2:15 p.m. at No. 4 USC
Saturday, February 25 (hosted by Pepperdine)
Malibu, Calif.
9 a.m. at No. 17 Pepperdine
11 a.m. vs. No. 11 California
ABOUT THE BEACH
-- Long Beach State begins the season as the No. 14 ranked team on the AVCA Preseason Poll. It marks the 88th consecutive week the Beach has been ranked as they are just one of a small handful of teams to be in the AVCA rankings every week since its inception back in 2013.
-- The roster returns just nine from last season led by All-Big West Second Team selections Sydney Stevens and Emily Mattoon. Mari Molina, a two-time All-Big West First Team selection and owner of the 15th most individual wins in program history, also returns after missing the 2022 season due to injury.
-- There are 10 newcomers to LBSU this season led by a trio of AVCA Junior All-Americans in Taylor Hagenah, Malia Gementera, and Kate Stoughton. The group also features three Division I transfers in Maggie Walters (UCLA), Megan Widener (Hawai'i), and Natlie Glenn (Minnesota).
THE OFFSEASON
-- While it is considered the offseason, the Beach saw individual action throughout the fall of 2022. The most notable was Malia Gementera, Taylor Hagenah, and Megan Widener flying across the country to compete in the AVCA Fall Championships at Gulf Shores, Alabama. Gementera and Hagenah would finish third in their respective bracket competing against top players from Stanford, LMU, and TCU.
-- Sydney Stevens and Maggie Walters also saw action competing in the USA Volleyball Collegiate Challenge and bringing home silver medals from Huntington Beach.
FRIDAY PREVIEW
-- The Beach begin their season with two top ten opponents on Friday, taking on No. 6 Grand Canyon and the defending national champions, No. 4 USC. Both duals will be played on the campus of USC.
-- GCU went 26-7 overall and made it to their first ever NCAA Championships. In Gulf Shores, they earned the seven-seed but suffered a first round exit. Set for their first year in the CCSA, the Lopes had a trio of student-athletes named to the preseason All-Conference team.
-- USC took home the national championship last season topping Florida State in the final for a 37-1 overall record. However, the roster features a lot of turnover this season with just three of their championship match starters back for the 2023 season.
SATURDAY PREVIEW
-- Following Friday's opener, Long Beach State will head to Malibu for two more ranked matches with No. 17 Pepperdine and No. 11 California. Both duals will be played on Pepperdine's home courts.
-- The Waves finished their 2022 campaign with a 22-12 overall record falling in the West Coast Conference final. Their roster features two All-WCC Preseason Team selections.
-- The Golden Bears ended last season 26-14 overall and qualified for the NCAA Championships after a third-place finish in the PAC-12 Tournament. In Gulf Shores, they suffered a first-round loss to LSU and saw their championship run come to an end.
HISTORY WITH THE OPPONENTS
-- Against GCU, the Beach owns a 4-5 record and has lost the last four meetings.
-- Against USC, the Beach owns a 5-12 record overall and has lost the last 11 matchups with the Trojans.
-- Against Pepperdine, the Beach is 4-24 overall against the Waves, but won their last meeting on Apr. 7 of last season.
-- Against Cal, the Beach is 2-3 overall with losses in the last three meetings with the Golden Bears.
Friday, February 24 (hosted by USC)
Los Angeles, Calif.
10 a.m. vs. No. 6 Grand Canyon
2:15 p.m. at No. 4 USC
Saturday, February 25 (hosted by Pepperdine)
Malibu, Calif.
9 a.m. at No. 17 Pepperdine
11 a.m. vs. No. 11 California
ABOUT THE BEACH
-- Long Beach State begins the season as the No. 14 ranked team on the AVCA Preseason Poll. It marks the 88th consecutive week the Beach has been ranked as they are just one of a small handful of teams to be in the AVCA rankings every week since its inception back in 2013.
-- The roster returns just nine from last season led by All-Big West Second Team selections Sydney Stevens and Emily Mattoon. Mari Molina, a two-time All-Big West First Team selection and owner of the 15th most individual wins in program history, also returns after missing the 2022 season due to injury.
-- There are 10 newcomers to LBSU this season led by a trio of AVCA Junior All-Americans in Taylor Hagenah, Malia Gementera, and Kate Stoughton. The group also features three Division I transfers in Maggie Walters (UCLA), Megan Widener (Hawai'i), and Natlie Glenn (Minnesota).
THE OFFSEASON
-- While it is considered the offseason, the Beach saw individual action throughout the fall of 2022. The most notable was Malia Gementera, Taylor Hagenah, and Megan Widener flying across the country to compete in the AVCA Fall Championships at Gulf Shores, Alabama. Gementera and Hagenah would finish third in their respective bracket competing against top players from Stanford, LMU, and TCU.
-- Sydney Stevens and Maggie Walters also saw action competing in the USA Volleyball Collegiate Challenge and bringing home silver medals from Huntington Beach.
FRIDAY PREVIEW
-- The Beach begin their season with two top ten opponents on Friday, taking on No. 6 Grand Canyon and the defending national champions, No. 4 USC. Both duals will be played on the campus of USC.
-- GCU went 26-7 overall and made it to their first ever NCAA Championships. In Gulf Shores, they earned the seven-seed but suffered a first round exit. Set for their first year in the CCSA, the Lopes had a trio of student-athletes named to the preseason All-Conference team.
-- USC took home the national championship last season topping Florida State in the final for a 37-1 overall record. However, the roster features a lot of turnover this season with just three of their championship match starters back for the 2023 season.
SATURDAY PREVIEW
-- Following Friday's opener, Long Beach State will head to Malibu for two more ranked matches with No. 17 Pepperdine and No. 11 California. Both duals will be played on Pepperdine's home courts.
-- The Waves finished their 2022 campaign with a 22-12 overall record falling in the West Coast Conference final. Their roster features two All-WCC Preseason Team selections.
-- The Golden Bears ended last season 26-14 overall and qualified for the NCAA Championships after a third-place finish in the PAC-12 Tournament. In Gulf Shores, they suffered a first-round loss to LSU and saw their championship run come to an end.
HISTORY WITH THE OPPONENTS
-- Against GCU, the Beach owns a 4-5 record and has lost the last four meetings.
-- Against USC, the Beach owns a 5-12 record overall and has lost the last 11 matchups with the Trojans.
-- Against Pepperdine, the Beach is 4-24 overall against the Waves, but won their last meeting on Apr. 7 of last season.
-- Against Cal, the Beach is 2-3 overall with losses in the last three meetings with the Golden Bears.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
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