The Beach Host Cal Poly, Play At UC Santa Barbara This Week

Thursday, October 24

Long Beach, Calif.

7 p.m.

Long Beach State University

Cal Poly

Photo by: John Fajardo

10/23/2024 3:17:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

LBSU Notes

Long Beach State and Cal Poly face off on Thursday at the Walter Pyramid at 7 p.m., before LBSU goes up aganist UCSB on the road on Saturday at 7 p.m.

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

LONG BEACH STATE (12-6 | 6-2) vs. CAL POLY (13-6 | 6-2)
Thrusday, October 24 • 7:00 p.m. • Long Beach, Calif. • Walter Pyramd
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats
Live Stream: ESPN+
Talent: Matt Brown
X: @LBSUWVB

LONG BEACH (12-6 | 6-2) @ UC SANTA BARBARA (8-12 | 4-4)
Saturday, October 26 • 7:00 p.m. • Santa Barbara, Calif. • The Thunderdome
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Live Stream: ESPN+
X: @LBSUWVB

The Beach Host Cal Poly, Play At UC Santa Barbara This Week
The Long Beach State Women's Volleyball team welcomes Cal Poly to the Walter Pyramid on Thursday, October 22 for a 7 p.m. match, before traveling up to UC Santa Barbara to go head-to-head with the Gauchos on Saturday, October 24 at 7 p.m.

Catch All The Action
Both matches this week will be live streamed on ESPN+. Fans can follow live stats via StatBroadcast.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 not currently ranked in the AVCA Division I Poll. The Beach are 12-6 overall this season and 6-2 in Big West action. In the most recent RPI Rankings, LBSU comes in 52nd and is second among Big West competition.
• The Beach have a competitive schedule as they faced four teams that are either nationally ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA Rankings during the preseason in No. 1 Pitt, No. 11 Oregon, No. 13 Arizona State, and Washington which is receiving votes. Against opponents who are ranked or receiving votes, Long Beach State is 0-4
• Cal Poly is 13-6 on the year and 6-2 in conference play. The Mustangs are unranked in the AVCA Poll.
• UC Santa Barbara is not nationally ranked as the Gauchos enter the week with an 8-12 overall record to go along with a 4-4 Big West mark.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State split the weekend with a five-set loss to UC Irvine and a sweep of Cal State Fullerton. The Beach improved to 12-6 overall and 6-2 in Big West action.
• Interim Head Coach Natalie Reagan is back for her second season overall at Long Beach State, but in her first at the helm. She earned her first-career win on Thursday, September 5 in a four-set victory over Northwestern. The win kicked off a four-match winning streak for the Beach.
• The Beach turned in a solid preseason as they strung together four-straight victories, marking the first time LBSU went on a four-match winning streak during the preseason since 2015.
• Reagan is joined on the sidelines by Associate Head Coach Bjarne Huus who is in his second season, as well as Assistant Coach Jordan Molina who returned to LBSU for his second year after serving as a Volunteer Assistant Coach during the 2022 season. In his first year with the Beach, Blake Omartian also serves as an assistant coach.
• The Beach are currently tied for second place in The Big West Standings along with Cal Poly as both teams own an identical 6-2 conference record.
• During the preseason, the Beach earned a key victory over Washington State (3-0) as it was the first time in program history LBSU defeated WSU when playing in Long Beach, Calif. The sweep was also the first time an opponent handed the Cougars a straight-set loss this season.
• Senior outside hitter Natalie Glenn recorded her team-leading seventh double-double against Cal State Bakersfield as she posted 11 kills and 11 digs in LBSU's four-set win. She is the Beach's leading scorer with 3.09 kills per set, while hitting .295.
• Freshman Madi Maxwell is making a name for herself as the freshman opposite was named Big West Freshman of the Week (week of 10/14) for her excellent performances over CSUN and Cal State Bakersfield. Against the Roadrunners, she registered her first collegiate double-double (12 kills, 11 digs) and served up a career-high five aces.
• Zayna Meyer has paced the Long Beach State offense at setter as she has distributed 8.59 assists per set to rank sixth in The Big West. Additionally, Meyer contributes 1.88 digs, 1.02 kills, 0.69 blocks, and 0.22 aces per set on the year.
• Sophomore middle blocker Ella Lomigora has been solid all season as she leads Long Beach State with a .349 attack percentage, which comes in third the conference. She is second on the squad in blocking defense with a 0.88 blocks per set average which is good for ninth in the league. During the preseason, Lomigora set two new career-highs as she tallied a career-best 10 blocks against Northwestern, becoming the first LBSU player to reach double-digit blocks since 2018. She went on to lead the Beach with a career-high 12 kills on a career-best .857 (12-0-14) hitting percentage against Washington State.
• Senior middle blocker Kameron Bacon has been excellent on both sides of the ball this season contributing a team-leading 1.28 blocks per set to come in second in The Big West. She has won Big West Defensive Player of the Week on two separate occasions.
• At libero, the Beach have utilized both redshirt freshman Sarah Vellucci and senior Jenna Giambi. Giambi is averaging 2.25 digs per set, while Vellucci adds 0.97 digs per set.
• This season, Long Beach State has been chosen to finish third in The Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Beach garnered 83 points and two first-place votes coming in just two points behind second place Hawaii, which garnered 85 points and three first-place votes. Cal Poly collected 94 points and five first-place votes and was chosen as the preseason favorite.

Scouting Cal Poly
• Cal Poly comes into the match against Long Beach State with a 13-6 overall record.
• The Mustangs are currently 6-2 in conference play.
• Last week, Cal Poly swept UC Santa Barbara, before suffering a straight set loss to Hawaii.
• As a team, the Mustangs are hitting .249, while averaging 13.15 kills per set on 11.90 assists per set. Cal Poly also has collected 14.84 digs per set, to go along with 1.94 blocks per set, and 1.63 aces per set.
• Tommi Stockham leads the offensive attack for the Mustangs as she averages 3.70 kills per set on a . 238 attack percentage. She also leads the team with 26 service aces to avergae 0.39 aces per set.
• At setter, Emme Bullis paces the Cal Poly offense with 10.60 assists per set to go along with 2.34 digs per set.
• Elif Hurriyet is the Mustangs' libero as she holds down the backrow defense with 3.31 digs per set.
• At the net, Breklyn Pulling has put up a team-leading 55 blocks to average 0.83 blocks per set. She also contributes 2.26 kills per set on a .344 attack percentage.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Mustangs
Long Beach State and Cal Poly will meet for the 76th time in program history. In the all-time series, the Beach leads the series 48-27. When playing each other in Long Beach, Calif., LBSU owns a 27-10 record. The Mustangs won the last meeting against Long Beach State.

Scouting UC Santa Barbara
• UC Santa Barbara heads into the week with an 8-12 overall record and a 4-4 mark in Big West action.
• The Gauchos suffered a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Cal Poly on the road last weekend, before bouncing back with a straight set win over Hawaii the next day.
• As a team, UCSB is hitting .202, while averaging 12.87 kills per set on 12.01 assists per set. The Gauchos also have collected 14.29 digs per set, to go along with 1.95 blocks per set, and 1.44 aces per set.
• Eva Travis leads the Gauchos with 3.00 kills per set, while hitting .190.
• The Gauchos' primary setter is Harper Hall who has distributed 5.55 assists per set. Also having seen action at setter this season are Grace McIntosh (4.63 aps) and Michelle Zhao (3.96 aps). Hall also leads the team with 2.22 digs per set.
• On blocking defense, the Gauchos are led by Andi Krelling's 0.83 blocks per set. She also adds 1.67 kills per set, while hitting .332.

Ella Enchanted
Sophomore middle blocker Ella Lomigora has been on-point all season. The 6-foot-2 product out of Tempe, Ariz., is second on the team in blocking defense (0.88 blocks per set) and leads squad in hitting percentage (.349). Those marks are good for ninth and third in The Big West, respectively. Lomigora posted a career-high 10 blocks against Northwestern, becoming the first LBSU player to reach double-digit blocks since 2018. Then she went on to lead the Beach with a career-high 12 kills on a career-best .857 (12-0-14) hitting percentage against Washington State.

Mad Max
Freshman opposite Madi Maxwell had a breakthrough performance at Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday, October 12 as she served up a career-high five aces, while recording her first collegiate double-double (12 kills, 11 digs). For her efforts, she won Big West Freshman Player of the Week for the first time on her career. On the season, she averages 1.53 kills, 1.50 digs, and 0.31 aces per set.

Bacon Sizzles
Senior middle blocker Kameron Bacon has been unstoppable at the net this season. She leads the Beach and ranks second in conference with 1.28 blocks per set on the year. She has won Big West Defensive Player of the Week honor twice this year, and for the fourth of her career.In addition to her strong blocking defense, Bacon contributes 1.39 kills per set on .214 attack percentage.

The Best in the (Big) West
Long Beach State has four players who rank in the top 10 in The Big West statistics wise. Natalie Glenn comes in second in the conference wiith 0.42 aces per set, while placing seventh in points per set (3.79), eighth in kills per ser (3.09), and 10th with a .295 hitting percentage. Additionally, Ella Lomigora ranks third in the league in hitting percentage (.349) and ninth in blocks per set (0.88), while Kameron Bacon is second in The Big West in blocks per set (1.28), and Zayna Meyer ranks sixth in assists per set (8.59).

Next Up
Long Beach State hosts a pair of home contests agaisnt UC Riverside and UC Davis on Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2, respectively. The LBSU-UCR match is set for 7 p.m., while the Beach-Aggies contest will begin at 3 p.m. The match against UC Davis will be broadcast live on ESPN+.