Long Beach State Set to Host Indiana, Washington, and UCLA in Tournament

Thursday, August 31

Long Beach, Calif.

7:00 PM

Long Beach State University

Indiana

Photo by: John Fajardo

Long Beach State Set to Host Indiana, Washington, and UCLA in Tournament

8/30/2023 5:19:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

LBSU Match Notes

The Beach Welcome Indiana, Washington, and UCLA at the Walter Pyramid this weekend

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

LONG BEACH STATE (1-1) vs. INDIANA (3-0)
Date: Thursday, August 31
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: LongBeachState.com

LONG BEACH STATE (1-1) vs. WASHINGTON (2-1)
Date: Friday, September 1
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: LongBeachState.com

LONG BEACH STATE (1-1) vs. UCLA (2-1)
Date: Saturday, September 2
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: LongBeachState.com

Long Beach State Set to Host Indiana, Washington, and UCLA in Tournament
Following an exciting opening weekend in which the Beach knocked off No. 1-ranked Texas, Long Beach State Women's Volleyball will return to the Walter Pyramid for a Week 2 tournament that will feature Indiana, Washington, and UCLA. The Beach open the tournament on Thursday against Indiana at 7 p.m. On Friday, fans will have the opportunity to watch two matches as UCLA and Indiana will square off at 4 p.m., before Long Beach State takes on Washington at 7 p.m. Saturday is also a doubleheader, with Washington playing Indiana at 4 p.m., and LBSU against UCLA 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).

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
• After defeating then-No. 1 ranked Texas in the season opener, Long Beach State is receiving votes in the AVCA/Taraflex Division I Poll. The Beach have accumulated 29 votes in the poll.
• Indiana, which opened the season going 3-0, is currently not ranked nor receiving votes.
• Washington, which owns a record of 2-1, is also receiving votes. The Huskies have garnered six votes in the most recent poll.
• UCLA is 2-1, and is not ranked nor receiving votes.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State opened the 2023 season with a huge win over No. 1 Texas. The victory marked LBSU's first win over a No. 1 ranked opponent since 2001. However, the Beach came back two days later and dropped a 3-0 decision to LMU as Long Beach moves to 1-1 on the year.
• Redshirt junior setter Zayna Meyer did an excellent job last week as she distributed the ball well logging 41 assists and getting three players in double figure kills with the team hitting .223 in the 3-1 win over the Longhorns. Meyer was firing on all cylinders as she added eight digs, three kills, two aces, and two blocks in an all-around solid performance on her way to averaging 8.57 assists, 1.57 digs, 1.00 kills, 0.57 blocks, and 0.29 aces per set for the weekend.
• Making a splash in her Long Beach State debut, graduate studnet Hanna Lesiak recorded a double-double (10 kills, 11 digs) to lead the Beach against Texas.
• The Beach return 13 letterwinners from a year ago, including Big West Second Team selections Meyer and Katie Kennedy. Meyer was also named to The Big West All-Freshman Team.
• In addition to the 13 returners, Long Beach State welcomes 10 newcomers which include seven freshmen and three transfers.
• Also joining the Beach for the 2023 season are assistant coaches Natalie Morgan, Bjarne Huus, and Anthony Wong-Orantes.
• 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 Indiana
• Indiana kicked off the 2023 season with three straight sweeps as the Hoosiers rolled through the Indiana Invitational with wins over New Hampshire, Southern Indiana, and Radfor.
• The Hoosiers return six starters from a year ago including outside hitters Mady Saris, Morgan Geddes, and Candela Alonso-Corcelles, setter Camryn Haworth, and middle blockers Savannah Kjolhede and Kaley Rammelsberg.
• Haworth is the only Hoosier named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team. So far this season, Haworth is averaging 9.33 assists per set, while also contributing 2.00 digs, 0.89 kills, and a team-leading 0.89 aces per set.
• Saris is the team's leading scorer with 3.89 kills per set on a .207 clip. She also adds 0.78 digs, 0.44 blocks, amd 0.33 aces per set.
• Ramsey Gary has anchored the backcourt in the first three matches of the season totaling 34 digs for an average of 3.78 digs per set.
• At the net, Ava Vickers has put up 11 blocks n six sets to average 1.83 blocks per set. With her defense at the net, Indiana is averaging 2.67 blocks per set as a team.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Hoosiers
Long Beach State and Indiana will face off for just the second time in program history. In their only meeting, the Beach downed the Hoosiers in straight sets on August 29, 2008 at the Walter Pyramid. Indiana, meanwhile, is looking for its first win over the Beach.

Scouting Washington
• Washington, which is receiving votes in the AVCA/Taraflex Division I Poll, is 2-1 to start the year.
• The Huskies opened the season with a 3-2 loss to UTEP, before defeating Southern Louisiana (3-1) and Grambling.
• May Pertofsky leads the team with 3.45 kills per set on a .388 attack percentage. She also adds 1.00 digs per set and 0.55 blocks per set.
• At setter, Molly Wilson leads the way with 7.17 assists per set. Meanwhile, Kayce Litzau adds 4.33 assists per set in that role as well.
• Lauren Bays is Washington's libero as she has logged 57 digs in the backrow to average 4.75 digs per set.
• Defensively, Elise Hani guards the net as she has put up 12 blocks to average 1.00 blocks per set.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Huskies
Long Beach State and Washington will meet for just the eighth time in program history. The closely contested series is led by the Beach, 4-3. Long Beach State won the first four contests, while the Huskies have won the last three. LBSU is looking for its first win over UW since 1998.

Scouting UCLA
• UCLA brings a 2-1 overall record into the Long Beach State Tournament.
• The Bruins opened the season with a five-set loss at LSU, but came back the next day and defeated the Tigers in five before earning a 3-0 sweep at Northwestern State.
• Iman Ndiaye is UCLA's leading scorer as she averages 3.31 kills per set, while hitting .387. She also contributes 1.54 digs and 0.69 blocks per set.
• UCLA platoons two setters in Audrey Pak (6.90 assists per set) and Ashley Mullen (6.33 assists per set). Pak has seen action in 10 sets so far, while Mullen has played in nine.
• Peyton Dueck is UCLA's libero. She has racked up 49 digs in the backrow to average 3.77 digs per set.
• Desiree Becker leads the Bruins in blocking defense as she has posted 16 blocks to average 1.23 blocks per set. Coming in right behind her is Anna Dodson who has recorded 11 blocks for an average of 0.85.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Bruins
Long Beach State and UCLA are familiar foes who have squared off 90 times in program history. The Bruins lead the all-time series 64-26 and have won the last 10 meetings. The Beach, meanwhile, are looking to capture their first win over UCLA since 2008.

Beach Player Notes
• Abby Karich is a junior transfer outside hitter from the University of Utah. The local product, out of Los Alamitos High School made her Long Beach State debut last weekend and logged 10 kills against then-No. 1 Texas. On the year, Karich is averaging 2.00 kills per set and 0.96 digs per set.
• Zayna Meyer is Long Beach State's redshirt sophomore setter who did an excellent job piloting LBSU to a 3-1 victory over No. 1 Texas last weekend. In that match, Meyer distributed 41 assists, while also adding three kills, eight digs, two blocks, and a pair of aces. For the year, she is averaging 8.57 assists per set, 1.57 digs per set, and 1.00 kills per set.
• Talia Lee is an incoming freshman outside hitter who hails from Provo, Utah and prepped at Timpview High School. She helped the Thunderbirds capture the UHSAA 5A State Championship in 2020 and 2022 and was a two-time All-State First Team selection.
• Jaylen Jordan returns to the Beach for her redshirt sophomore season. In her rookie year, she averaged 2.39 kills and 2.15 digs per set over 54 sets played as an outside hitter.
• Junior Kameron Bacon earned the start at middle blocker last week and put up a total of seven blocks. She is leading the Beach with 1.00 blocks per set, while also contributing 1.86 kills per set on a .231 clip.
• Tia Chavira came off the bench in both matches last week and provided the Beach with a spark as her leadership was exactly what LBSU needed to defeat the No. 1-ranked Longhorns.
• After playing four years at Northwestern as an outside hitter, Hanna Lesiak made her Long Beach State debut against No. 1 Texas and promptly scored a double-double (10 kills, 11 digs). Lesiak was solid for the Beach as she finished the weekend averaging 2.29 kills and 1.86 digs per set.
• Savana Chacon got the start at libero to start the 2023 season for the Beach and made the most of it. She logged a pair of double figure dig performances with 14 digs against No. 1 Texas and 10 versus LMU to average 3.43 digs per set on the year.
• Rhiann Sheffie saw limited action in her freshman season a year ago, but returns to the Beach as a sophomore middle blocker who is averaging 1.67 kills and 0.50 blocks per set.
• Milani Lee is an incoming freshman setter who comes to LBSU after prepping at Saugus High School. The 2022 Foothill Player of the Year had a solid prep career as she was named CIF Player of the Year in 2022. That year, she helped SHS capture the Foothill League and CIF Championship, all while finishing her career with more than 2,047 assists to average 8.5 assists per set.
• Kailia Lopez is a versatile junior who plays outside hitter and defensive specialist. She has also come off the bench numerous times as a serving substitution. Lopez has seen action in 123 sets over two seasons and has served up 21 aces, while logging 36 digs.
• Nicole Hoff earned a start at defensive specialist last Friday against No. 1 Texas and came back two days later in a substitution role. Hoff is a gritty player who brings an added lift to Long Beach State's performance whenever she's on the court.
• Katie Kennedy, a 6-foot-1 middle blocker/opposite, has started at middle the last two matches. She has shown her versatility by averaging 2.48 kills, 0.86 blocks, and 0.29 digs per set, while hitting .237 on the year.
• Tatum Hoff saw limited action in her freshman season in 2022 as the outside hitter made her collegiate debut in the season finale against UC Riverside.
• Livi Narancich is a two-sport athlete at Long Beach State having played on the Beach Volleyball team last year. She is now using her talents in the indoor game as an outside hitter, a position she played at San Marcos High School where she was a three-time All-League selection in her final three years of high school.
• Grace O'Reilly comes to Long Beach State from Springfield, Mo., where she played opposite at Springfield Catholic High School. The 6-foot-1 freshman was named the Southwest Missouri Player of the Year in 2022 and was a three-time All-State selection in both volleyball and track and field.
• Sarah Velluci is a freshman libero from Novi, Mich. She holds the all-time kill record at Novi High School with 1,189 and was the first player ever at NHS to record more than 1,000 career kills and digs.
• Jenna Giambi came in off the bench in both matches last week and logged a total of eight digs, two assists, and a kill in six sets.
• Junior outside hitter Elise Agi made her Beach debut last week and posted 1.00 kills per set, 1.00 digs per set, and 0.33 blocks per set.
• Ella Lomigora is a freshman middle blocker from Tempe, Ariz., who comes to the Beach after prepping at Corona Del Sol High School. She helped her tam capture the Arizona Interscholastic Association 6A Conference High School Girls Volleyball State Championship. That year she was named Offensive Player of the Year.
• Maura Hayes came out swinging against No. 1 Texas as the junior opposite knocked down a career-high 10 kills in the contest. Two days later, she posted two blocks at the net against LMU.
• Jaida Harris comes to LBSU as a freshman outside hitter who prepped at Lake Mead Christian Academy. She was named Female Athlete of the Year four times, All-League twice, and was named Offensive Player of the Year three times.
• Natalie Glenn made two starts at outside hitter for Long Beach State last weekend and came away averaging 1.00 kills, 2.75 digs, and 0.25 blocks per set.

Next Up
Long Beach State continues the preseason next week and will get its first road test of the year. The Beach will travel to Nebraska to take on Omaha on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 5 p.m., before facing the No. 4 ranked Huskers on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 5 p.m.