Long Beach State University
UCLA
Long Beach State Drops Two Matches On The First Day Of The Battle For LA
2/28/2025 5:51:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
No. 8 Beach Volleyball faced two top 10 opponents on the first day of the tournament.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Competing in the Battle For LA, a tournament pitting some of the best teams in the country against each other over two days in Los Angeles, No. 8 Long Beach State lost two matches against No. 1 UCLA and No. 6 Cal Poly, the second in a tight 3-2 decision.
No. 8 Long Beach State (2-1) fell to No. 1 UCLA (6-1) during the first match of the day. The fourth flight of Natalie Glenn and Savannah Standage played three close sets against the Bruins and fell just short. A similar story occurred at the first flight. Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah played hard against their opponents but lost a back and forth third set.
Malia Gementera and Taylor Hagenah were able to grab a dual point for the Beach as the All-American duo had a close first set and pulled away to win a dominant second set over Piper Ferch and Erin Inskeep. No. 6 Cal Poly (1-1) were able to grab the win by taking flights two, three and four in straight sets. Megan Widener and Demi Wagdy battled in two sets against the Mustangs. They held the lead in the first set but were down in the second. The lead went back and forth until the last few points. The Beach was down 17-20 but rallied three points to tie the set at 20-20. Megan Widener hit a kill to push the Beach to match point. Wagdy tooled the block to end the game.
The Beach will finish the Battle for LA tomorrow at Merle Norman Stadium. They will face No. 3 USC at noon and No. 16 University of Washington at 2 p.m.
#1 UCLA 5, #8 Long Beach State 0
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Sally Perez/Maggie Boyd (UCLA) def. Taylor Hagenah/Malia Gementera (LBSU) 19-21, 21-14, 15-13
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Peri Brennan/Natalie Myszkowski def. Julia Westby/Skyler Germann (LBSU) 21-16, 21-11
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Kensie Brower/Ensley Alden (UCLA) def. Mo Gibson/Brook Birch (LBSU) 21-12, 21-15
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Alexa Fernandez/Kaley Mathews (UCLA) def. Natalie Glenn/Savannah Standage (LBSU) 17-21, 22-20, 15-13
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Sophie Moore/Harper Cooper (UCLA) def. Megan Widener/Demi Wagdy (LBSU) 21-12, 21-16
Order of finish: 2, 4, 5*, 1, 3
#6 Cal Poly 3, #8 Long Beach State 2
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Taylor Hagenah/Malia Gementera (LBSU) def. Piper Ferch/Erin Inskeep (CP) 24-22, 21-14
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Izzy Martinez/Logan Walter (CP) def. Julia Westby/Skyler Germann (LBSU) 21-18, 21-10
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Madi Nichols/Quinn Perry (CP) def. Mo Gibson/Brook Birch (LBSU) 21-19, 21-13
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Ella Connor/Katie Clevenger (CP) def. Natalie Glenn/Savannah Standage (LBSU) 24-22, 21-17
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Megan Widener/Demi Wagdy (LBSU) def. Summer Witherby/Lindsey Sparks 21-18, 22-20
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*, 1, 5
