I first met Ella Clark before she laced up her new LBSU sneakers in 2010. How could you not want to meet a tall gal with curly blond hair, an intriguing English accent and with this answer to the question, “In two words, what do you like best about basketball?”: “Blocking shots.”
On the weekend, the Beach gals executed the best they had all season although in fairness the opposition was Columbia of the Ivy League who wins mostly in spelling bees and science fairs. The Beach bunch never trailed enroute to its third-straight victory, 79-50. It was their first 20-point win since a 76-56 triumph over Western Michigan a year ago and improved their current win streak to a season-long three games and a 7-5 record heading into Big West play.
Ms. Clark is feeling better these days after an assortment of neuromuscular issues led to a medical red shirt last year. The holiday season also brought added inspiration with parents in the Pyramid stands (her mom was a nationally noteworthy athlete herself; Dad was a coach and her brother a British Olympian).
Clark played in every game as a true freshman and began her block party setting the 49er freshman record with 55 swatted shots. That mark also ranks ninth in Long Beach State’s single-season history. Her other efforts included 6.7 points average, 4.1 rebounds and a great first game with a season-high 10 rebounds and five blocks in the home opener vs. Oregon. This year she is on another hot pace for blocks, 21 in her first dozen games and four vs. Columbia. Against the Lions she also added six assists and joining with another 6-3 Niner on the low post. Devon Hudson makes for powerful twin towers on defense.
That Big West part of the schedule starts Thursday when revenge-minded Cal Poly checks in at 7PM followed by a visit from UCSB on Saturday at 4PM.
Meanwhile the cash cow of 49er sports, men’s basketball, finally got those highly anticipated two transfers into the lineup, Tony Freeland and Keala King. The Beach bunch had a pretty short bench during the non-conferences half of the season. It took a while to get the chemistry going and knock the rust off but the 49ers prevailed in their Big West opener against Pacific, 67-63. Most useful was big man Freeland who scored 15 points in 35 minutes, returning regulars Mike Caffey and James Ennis each added 19 for the 49ers and King chipped in with five rebounds and provided defensive pressure.
Down 35-28 in the second half, Ennis hit a 3-pointer to energize a 12-3 run that got the team back in the game. After the three, Ennis stole the ball at the top of the key and raced away for a reverse jam to cut the lead to two points, and a 3-pointer by Caffey gave the 49ers their first lead of the game with six minutes gone in the second half. Big Dan Jennings provided the muscle and with four players in double-figures the future is looking pretty bright at least for home games.
Certainly, though the rubber hits the road during road games such as the pair that is coming up in Big West play this weekend, at Cal Poly on Thursday before facing UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. For the gasoline-challenged in the fandom, the Saturday game against the Gauchos will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Prime Ticket.
Finally, the turn of the New Year brings back men’s volleyball who will swat things around at the UCSB tourney this weekend. The team was pre-season picked sixth but will enjoy the leadership of Coach Alan Knipe who returns from his Olympic chores.
Sill a cult sport with less than two dozen teams playing nationally, men’s volleyball goes at a fast pace. The poll results in order were:
- UC Irvine 143
- BYU 134
- Pepperdine 113
- Stanford 110
- UCLA 94
- Long Beach State 85
- USC 83
- Cal State Northridge 61
- UC Santa Barbara 55
- Cal Baptist 49
- Pacific 35
- Hawaii 30
- UC San Diego 22.
Stay tuned for the spring sport reports on baseball, softball, tennis and the rest.—DR. DAN
—Photo: Sophomore Ella Clark on the Path to Become the Best Blocker in LBSU women’s basketball. Photo courtesy of John Fajardo, LBSU Athletics.