Long Beach State Women’s Volleyball Opens Big West Action With Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara

Friday, September 22

Long Beach, Calif.

7:00 PM

Long Beach State University

Cal Poly

Photo by: John Fajardo

Long Beach State Women’s Volleyball Opens Big West Action With Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara

9/21/2023 3:27:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

LBSU Match Notes

The Beach host the Mustangs on Friday, before welcoming the Gauchos to the Walter Pyramid on Saturday

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

LONG BEACH STATE (6-4, 0-0 Big West) vs. CAL POLY (6-6, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Friday, September 22
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 (6-4, 0-0 Big West) vs. UC SANTA BARBARA (10-2, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Saturday, September 23
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 Women's Volleyball Opens Big West Action With Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara
The Long Beach State Women's Volleyball team kicks off The Big West season this weekend. The Beach will host Cal Poly on Friday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m., before welcoming UC Santa Barbara to the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, Sept. 23 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 6-4 on the year and not currently ranked in the AVCA/Taraflex Division I Poll. The Beach sit in fifth place in The Big West standings
• Cal Poly, which is 6-6, is not ranked nor receiving votes in the AVCA/Taraflex Division I Poll. The Mustangs are currently sixth in The Big West standings.
• UC Santa Barbara, which brings a 10-2 record into conference season, is not ranked no receiving votes.The Gauchos are second in conference standings.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State brings a 6-3 overall record into Big West action. The Beach are on a three-match winning streak and have won four of their last five 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.
• LBSU is coming off an exciting four-set win over New Mexico State at the Wildcat Classic. The Beach took the first two sets over the Aggies 25-19 and 25-16. However, NMSU pushed back in the next two sets taking the third set 27-25, before the Beach won a marathon 35-33 battle to earn the win.
• Following the excitement at the Wildcat Classic, junior libero Savana Chacon was named Big West Defensive Player of the Week. Chacon did a solid job anchoring the defense with 5.00 digs per set over the three contests. Chacon is averaging 4.26 digs per set on the year, which ranks her fourth in The Big West. She has recorded double-digit dig performances in nine of 10 matches thus far.
• Redshirt sophomore setter Zayna Meyer has paced the Beach, distributing 9.94 assists per set to rank second in The Big West. On the year, Meyer has contributed on all sides of the ball with 2.57 digs per set, 0.86 kills per set, 0.63 blocks per set, and 0.34 aces per set. She leads the team with five double-doubles on the year.
• Junior outside hitter Elise Agi is the team's leader in scoring as she averages 3.42 kills per set. Agi has led the Beach in kills on five separate occasions this season, including a career-high 19-kill performance against New Mexico. She has also registered two double-doubles on the season.
• At the net, Long Beach is led by junior middle blocker Kameron Bacon who has put up 35 blocks (4 solos, 31 assists) this year to average 1.17 blocks per set which is good for sixth in the conference. Bacon has led the Beach in blocking six 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 Cal Poly
• Cal Poly opens Big West action on the road against Long Beach State. The Mustangs went 6-6 in the preseason.
• The Mustangs are looking to bounce back after a 3-0 setback against Pepperdine last Saturday.
• As a team, the Mustangs are averaging 12.23 kills per set, while hitting .194.
• Defensively, Cal Poly averages 15.96 digs and 2.49 blocks per set.
• Cal Poly is led by Lizzy Markovska who is averaging 3.09 kills per set on a .160 clip. She also contributes 2.51 digs per set and 0.57 blocks per set, while posting 12 aces.
• Emme Bullis and Samantha Callahan split setter duties for the Mustangs. Bullis leads the way with 5.43 assists per set, while Callahan adds 4.41 assists per set. The duo also contribute from the service line as Bullis has served up 15 aces on the year, while Callahan has posted 14.
• In the backcourt, Joeli Akima is the squad's libero as she has recorded 227 digs to average 4.83 per set.
• Amy Hiatt and Kate Slack patrol the net for Cal Poly. Hiatt leads the team with 58 blocks to average 1.23 per set, while Slack has posted 50 for a 1.06 blocks per set average.
• Leading the team in aces (16) is Tommi Stockham. She contributes on all sides of the ball averaging 2.83 kills per set, 2.74 dogs per set, and 0.38 blocks per set.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Mustangs
Long Beach State and Cal Poly will meet for the 75th time in program history. In the all-time series, the Beach leads the series 47-27. When playing each other in Long Beach, LBSU holds a record of 26-10. Last season, the Beach split the series with the Mustangs as Cal Poly took the first match, 3-1, to open The Big West in SLO, before Long Beach State came out victorious in a five-set battle at the Walter Pyramid.

Scouting UC Santa Barbara
• UC Santa Barbara boasts the best record in The Big West as the Gauchos cruised through the preseason with a 10-2 overall record.
• The Gauchos opened the season on a four-match winning streak with three-straight sweeps over New Mexico State, Denver and North Florida followed by a five-set win at Pepperdine.
• Following a 3-0 sweep against Oregon, the Gauchos won their next five contests, before falling to Drake in straight sets.
• UCSB is coming off a 3-1 win over Ohio last Saturday.
• The Gauchos are hitting .230 on the year with 12.91 kills per set and 11.86 assists per set.
• Defensively, UC Santa Barbara is averaging 14.95 digs per set, 2.50 blocks per set, and 1.59 aces per set.
• Michelle Ohwobete is the Gauchos leading scorer with 3.77 kills per set on a .267 attack percentage. She also adds 2.30 digs per set and 0.48 blocks per set. She is also tied for second on the team lead with 14 aces on the year.
• Grace McIntosh and Milan Rex split setter duties as McIntosh leads the way with 5.75 assists per set. Rex averages 4.06 assists per set.
• Libero Mcall Peed leads the Gauchos with 4.95 digs per set, while also adding 1.20 assists per set. She leads the team with 18 service aces on the season.
• Andi Krelling is UCSB's blocking leader as she has put up 56 blocks (7 solo, 49 assists) to average 1.27 blocks per set. Additionally, Krelling averages 1.39 kills per set, while hitting .305.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Gauchos
Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara will meet for the 116th time in program history. In the all-time series, the Beach leads 74-41, however the Gauchos won the last meeting between the two teams. When playing each other in Long Beach, Calif., the Beach lead the series with the Gauchos 37-12. Last season, the two teams split the series as LBSU took the first match, 3-1, at the Walter Pyramid, before falling 3-1 to the Gauchos up in Santa Barbara, Calif.

The Beach in Big West Openers
Long Beach State owns a 26-14 record in Big West opening matches. The Beach have lost their last two conference openers; both three set sweeps to Cal Poly. When opening the conference season at home, the Beach are 14-3. When playing Cal Poly in the conference opener, Long Beach State leads 4-3.

Career Move
Junior libero Savana Chacon has recorded at least 10 digs in nine of Long Beach State's last 10 matches. On the year, she is averaging 4.26 digs per set. Chacon kicked off the season with 14 digs against No. 1 Texas. She turned in her best showing with a career-high 29-dig performance against Washington. Most recently, she logged 19 digs against New Mexico State at the Wildcat Classic, en route to averaging 5.00 digs per set at the tournament which garnered her her first-career Big West Defensive Player of the Week award. Chacon's digs per set average ranks her fourth in The Big West.

Killin' It
Junior Elise Agi has adjusted to transferring to Long Beach State seamlessly. She has seen action in eight of LBSU's 10 matches, earning a start on three separate occasions. She is currently LBSU's leading scorer with 3.42 kills per set. Agi is coming off of a career performance where she led the Beach with a career-high 19 kills, 10 digs, and five blocks in a 3-1 win over New Mexico State. This season, she has led the Beach in kills on five separate occasions and has recorded two double-doubles.

Setting the Tone
Redshirt sophomore Zayna Meyer has been a steady force for Long Beach State during their tough preseason slate. The 6-foot-1 setter has paced the Beach offense and turned in an all-around solid showing in each outing. Her 9.94 assists per set are good for second in The Big West, while she also contributes 2.57 digs per set, 0.86 kills per set, 0.63 blocks per set, while hitting .323 on the year. She currently leads the team with five double-doubles this season.

50th Anniversary Celebration
On Friday night, Long Beach State will celebrate the 1972 and 1973 AIAW Women's Volleyball National Champion teams. Fifty years ago, in their inaugural season, the Beach were led to their first National Championship title in Women's Volleyball by legendary head coach Dixie Grimmett. In 1972, the Beach cruised to a 33-0 overall record defeating BYU in the Championship match to capture the program's first-ever National Title. The following season in 1973, Grimmett's squad posted a 33-2 overall record defeating Texas Women's University en route to winning back-to-back National Championships.

Next Up
Long Beach State continues Big West action as the Beach host UC San Diego and Hawaii on Thursday, Sept. 28 and Friday, Sept. 29, respectively. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. The match against the Tritons will be broadcast on ESPN+, while the Beach and the Rainbow Wahine match will be televised on ESPNU.