Long Beach State University Athletics
Friday, September 4
Salt Lake City, Utah
4 p.m. MT
Long Beach State University
1-2,0-0Big West
3
vs
0
Eastern Illinois
1-4,0-0OVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach St. | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Eastern Ill. | 16 | 17 | 21 | 0 |
Women’s Volleyball Opens Utah Classic With Win Over Eastern Illinois
9/4/2026 4:49:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Long Beach State hit over .400 in the sweep of the Panthers.
SALT LAKE CITY – In the first of three matches of the Utah Classic, Long Beach State was in complete control, hitting .402 on the way to a 25-16, 25-17, 25-21 sweep of Eastern Illinois.
Sophomore Sidney Hamaker matched her career best with 14 kills on .478 hitting, and both middles were spectacular in the quick sweep to start the team's time in Utah. Both Kyler Birkelbach and Reagan Hope had nine kills, with Birkelbach hitting .667 and Hope at .600 with just one error between the two.
Long Beach State (1-2) dominated the action in the opening set. The Beach hit .542 in the first, led by sophomore Sidney Hamaker, who hit .875 in the set, making seven kills on eight swings, while Kendal Murphy added four kills and Reagan Hope had three. An ace by Laurel Barsochinni and two kills from Murphy pushed Long Beach State out to a 15-8 lead in the opening set. The run would continue for Long Beach State, pushing all the way to 19-8 on a kill from Hamaker, and the Beach closed out the set with a 25-16 win.
Eastern Illinois (1-4) got off to a better start in the second set, tied 4-4 early, but Long Beach State again established control. A solo block from Murphy got the Beach started on serve, and kills from Hamaker and Murphy along with a block from Murphy and Hope put Long Beach State on top 9-4, forcing an Eastern Illinois timeout. An Anna Jelinek ace kept the momentum going to put the Beach up eight at 18-9, and while the Panthers picked up a few late points on serve, Long Beach State won the second set 25-17 on a kill by Kyler Birkelbach.
Back-to-back kills from Chloe Johnson helped Long Beach State take an early 5-2 lead in the third set, though Eastern Illinois rallied to create the closest set of the match. Chipping away, Eastern Illinois was able to tie the set at 7-7 and then took a lead at 15-14 on a Katie Kopshever kill. Coming out of the media timeout, Long Beach State found Johnson, who bounced a kill, and after an ace from Sidney Hamaker, Johnson found the floor again to take a 17-15 lead. Continuing to sideout, Johnson put away an overpass to set up three match points at 24-21, and a Hope kill wrapped up the sweep, 25-21.
Setter Madi Maxwell finished with 35 assists while leading the team to that .402 hitting mark, and Izzy Mahaffey had double-digit digs for the second time this season, leading the Beach with 11.
Long Beach State continues the tournament Saturday, when the Beach faces the hosts, Utah, at 6 p.m. PT with live coverage on ESPN+.
Sophomore Sidney Hamaker matched her career best with 14 kills on .478 hitting, and both middles were spectacular in the quick sweep to start the team's time in Utah. Both Kyler Birkelbach and Reagan Hope had nine kills, with Birkelbach hitting .667 and Hope at .600 with just one error between the two.
Long Beach State (1-2) dominated the action in the opening set. The Beach hit .542 in the first, led by sophomore Sidney Hamaker, who hit .875 in the set, making seven kills on eight swings, while Kendal Murphy added four kills and Reagan Hope had three. An ace by Laurel Barsochinni and two kills from Murphy pushed Long Beach State out to a 15-8 lead in the opening set. The run would continue for Long Beach State, pushing all the way to 19-8 on a kill from Hamaker, and the Beach closed out the set with a 25-16 win.
Eastern Illinois (1-4) got off to a better start in the second set, tied 4-4 early, but Long Beach State again established control. A solo block from Murphy got the Beach started on serve, and kills from Hamaker and Murphy along with a block from Murphy and Hope put Long Beach State on top 9-4, forcing an Eastern Illinois timeout. An Anna Jelinek ace kept the momentum going to put the Beach up eight at 18-9, and while the Panthers picked up a few late points on serve, Long Beach State won the second set 25-17 on a kill by Kyler Birkelbach.
Back-to-back kills from Chloe Johnson helped Long Beach State take an early 5-2 lead in the third set, though Eastern Illinois rallied to create the closest set of the match. Chipping away, Eastern Illinois was able to tie the set at 7-7 and then took a lead at 15-14 on a Katie Kopshever kill. Coming out of the media timeout, Long Beach State found Johnson, who bounced a kill, and after an ace from Sidney Hamaker, Johnson found the floor again to take a 17-15 lead. Continuing to sideout, Johnson put away an overpass to set up three match points at 24-21, and a Hope kill wrapped up the sweep, 25-21.
Setter Madi Maxwell finished with 35 assists while leading the team to that .402 hitting mark, and Izzy Mahaffey had double-digit digs for the second time this season, leading the Beach with 11.
Long Beach State continues the tournament Saturday, when the Beach faces the hosts, Utah, at 6 p.m. PT with live coverage on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
LBSU
EIU
Kills
50
29
Errors
13
16
Attempts
92
96
Hitting %
.402
.135
Points
61.5
33.0
Assists
46
25
Aces
6
2
Blocks
5.5
2
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Sunday, September 22
Sunday, September 22
Saturday, September 21
Saturday, September 21
