From LBSU reports

Led by Quincy Verdin’s 14 kills, No. 24 Long Beach State picked up a quick road win over UC Riverside, defeating the Highlanders 25-18, 25-16, 25-15. Verdin finished with just two attack errors on 25 total attempts, hitting .480 for the match.

Verdin’s control of the match started quickly, dominating the first set as she had six kills on seven swings with no attack errors, leading a LBSU attack that hit .407 in the opener.  UC Riverside took an early lead, and opened up a three point cushion at 14-11 behind a number of Kelly Fink kills. The Highlanders held the lead until 16-15, but The Beach answered with six straight points behind Caitlin Ledoux’s serving, including an ace from the freshman. From there, the 49ers had control of the set, Herzog-Highmark block to end set 25-18.

Long Beach State’s dominance continued through the rest of the night. After taking their first lead of the second set at 7-6, Long Beach State went on a huge run eventually taking an 21-7 lead. Naomi Washington’s four blocks in that stretch helped the 49ers keep the serve, despite UC Riverside coach Sue Gozansky burning both of her timeouts. Letting up towards the end, the 49ers still won set two 25-16 with just 10 kills, taking advantage of 11 Highlander errors.

Set three contained more of the same. Once Long Beach State grabbed the lead, again at 7-6, the 49ers capitalized on the momentum from a UC Riverside rotation error on the way to a 16-11 lead. Setting Ledoux heavily through the remainder of the match, the 49ers closed out their time in Riverside with a 25-15 win.

Long Beach State returns home for three matches next week, including two Big West matches. The 49ers start with their next-to-last non-conference game, hosting Notre Dame on Tuesday, Oct. 21. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid.