Long Beach State University
CSUN
Beach Volleyball Topples Top Seed Cal Poly, Falls 3-2 In Thrilling Final At Big West Championship
4/26/2024 5:25:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
Long Beach State defeated CSUN and Cal Poly to make it to the conference finals but ultimately fell to Hawai’i in the final.
LONG BEACH, Calif. —After opening the day with a quick win over CSUN in the final day of the Big West Championship, Long Beach State defeated top seed and tournament favorites Cal Poly to advance to the Big West finals, where they came up just short in a 3-2 defeat to the Rainbow Wahine that came down to the final points.
The Beach (28-9) faced CSUN (16-21) bright and early to start off the second day of the championship tournament. The first flight pair of Malia Gementera defeat their opponents to give Long Beach State its first dual point. The second flight finished shortly after and the fourth pair sealed the deal to get The Beach to the semifinal.
The Mustangs (29-6) were no easy opponents as the team faced them for the third time this season. The first flight pair once again put Long Beach State on the board as they claimed their straight set win. The fifth flight pair of Olivia Narancich and Megan Widener had command of both of their sets to put The Beach up 2-0 in the dual. The Mustangs answered back with wins at the third and fourth flight. The second flight pair of Savannah Standage and Julia Westby had a disappointing first set but came back to win a close second set. Their third set was back and forth but a clean sand kill by Savannah Standage as Long Beach State returned once to the Big West finals.
Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah had a perfect day as they played a dominant match over their opponents. Hagenah had three back-to-back aces in the second set that left their opponents with only 11 points. Long Beach State was on the board first but the third flight pair of Miller and Maidment stole a dual point for Hawai'i (24-11). Savannah Standage and Julia Westby also had a perfect day as they beat their opponents in straight sets. Once again Hawai'i was able to answer back with a win at the fifth flight. The match came down to the fourth flight pair of Christine Deroos and Haley Carrington. They won their first set but dropped the second set. The third set saw The Beach chasing their opponents until Haley Carrington hit a shot down the line to tie the score at 12-12. It was a battle but ultimately Hawai'i grabbed the third set 16-14 to win the championship.
Following the conclusion of an outstanding regular season, No. 7 Long Beach State will wait to see if they will return to the NCAA Postseason for the second straight season as the tournament field for Gulf Shores is announced at 8 a.m. PT on NCAA.com.
#7 Long Beach State 3, CSUN 0
1. Malia Gementera/Taylor Hagenah (LBSU) def. Brown, MayaMay/Griego, Gabriela (CSUN) 21-14, 21-14
2. Julia Westby/Savannah Standage (LBSU) def. Mae, Tasha/Eknoian, Lauren (CSUN) 21-17, 21-12
3. Julia Bazylevych/Lindhardt, Kinley (CSUN) vs. Natalie Glenn/Mo Gibson (LBSU) 14-21, 21-9 UF
4. Christine Deroos/Haley Carrington (LBSU) def. Buckley, Taylor/Rodig, Jillian (CSUN) 21-7, 21-18
5. Livi Narancich/Megan Widener (LBSU) def. Miles, Maleya/Sweeting, Abbey (CSUN) 21-12, 12-11 UF
Order of finish: 1, 2, 4
#7 Long Beach State 3, #5 Cal Poly 2
1. Malia Gementera/Taylor Hagenah (LBSU) def. Ella Connor/Izzy Martinez (CP) 21-19, 21-16
2. Savannah Standage/Julia Westby (LBSU) def. Piper Ferch/Erin Inskeep (CP) 12-21, 21-19, 15-13
3. Quinn Perry/Lindsey Sparks (CP) def. Mo Gibson/Natalie Glenn (LBSU) 21-18, 28-26
4. Logan Walter/Piper Naess (CP) def. Haley Carrington/Christine Deroos (LBSU) 21-16, 21-18
5. Megan Widener/Livi Narancich (LBSU) def. Abbey Reinard/Madison Nichols (CP) 21-15, 21-16
Order of finish: 1, 5, 4, 3, 2*
#11 Hawaii 3, #7 Long Beach State 2
1. Malia Gementera/Taylor Hagenah (LBSU) def. Jaime Santer/Alana Embry (UH) 21-16, 21-11
2. Savannah Standage/Julia Westby (LBSU) def. Kaylee Glagau/Pani Naopleon (UH) 21-16, 25-23
3. Sydney Miller/Anna Maidment (UH) def. Mo Gibson/Natalie Glenn (LBSU) 21-17, 21-18
4. Riley Wagoner/Sydney Amiatu (UH) def. Haley Carrington/Christine Deroos (LBSU) 16-21, 21-15, 16-14
5. Sarah Burton/Caprice Lorenzo (UH) def. Megan Widener/Livi Narancich (LBSU) 24-22, 21-16
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2, 5, 4*
