A night after letting a 2-0 lead turn into a five set thriller, the 49ers turned a 2-0 lead into a convincing sweep.
Long Beach State held Cal Poly to .106 hitting and extended its own winning streak to six matches in a 25-21, 25-19, 25-15 sweep of the Mustangs Saturday night. Naomi Washington and Caitlin Ledoux each had 12 kills to lead The Beach.
Junior setter Ashley Lee guided the 49ers with one of her best matches of the season, leading the team with 16 digs and 26 assists while adding three blocks and four kills for the 49ers. Washington was the team’s leading hitter at .370, while Brittney Herzog added seven kills for Long Beach State.Long Beach State took the first set despite getting outhit by Cal Poly courtesy of some solid defense for the 49ers. Ahead 8-7, the 49ers scored four straight points on a pair of Ledoux kills to take a five-point lead and would hold that edge until the end of the set. Ahead 20-16, Cal Poly made a push to cut the lead to one at 20-19, but a service error by Megan McConnell gave Long Beach State a sideout and the 49ers score the final three points of the set to take a 25-21 win.
In set two, the 49ers opened an early four point lead at 7-3, and would hold the lead for the remainder of the set, holding the Mustangs to .091 hitting overall. The Mustangs cut the 49er lead to two after a McConnell kill at 12-10, but with the score at 16-13, Long Beach State made a huge run started with a Lauren Minkel ace to take a 22-13 lead, scoring seven straight points. Cal Poly staved off a trio of set points but an Ashley Leekill finished off the set at 25-19.
The 49ers then closed the door with a very solid set three, holding the Mustangs again under .100 hitting at .074 but increasing their own percentage to .370. Trailing 7-9 early, the 49ers took a 12-9 lead behind a Ledoux service ace and a Herzog kill. Ahead by the same three point cushion, a Washington kill gave the 49ers a four-point lead at 17-13, and then Washington nearly served out the match as Long Beach State took a 24-13 lead, winning 25-15.
Asked if the sweep meant something, coach Brian Gimmillaro shrugged, “a win is a win is a win. How you win is only important next week during practice because that’s when you decide if you’re getting better.”
After taking the two home matches this week, Long Beach State returns to the road for three matches. The 49ers head north to take on UC Davis and Pacific starting on October 9, and then travel across town to UC Irvine to take on the Anteaters.
Reports From LBSU