Long Beach State 49ers Volleyball Team Falls To No. 25 San Diego in Four Sets
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State clawed to a tough first set win, but dropped the next three as San Diego topped the 49ers 21-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 Friday night at the Walter Pyramid. Caitlin Ledoux led the 49ers with 16 kills.
San Diego was the first team on the season to hit over .250 against the 49ers, finishing at .281, topping a .242 effort from Long Beach State, led by Haleigh Hampton at .389. San Diego answered with a career night from senior Amy DeGroot, who finished with 18 kills on .351 hitting with 12 digs while middle blocker Chloe Ferrari finished with 11 kills.
Long Beach State capitalized on a rotation error by USD and pushed to take a 10-9 lead. The Toreros answered back, part of 16 ties in a tight-knit, exciting set. The first time that either team had a two-point lead after 5-3 was a 23-21 edge by the 49ers on an Ashley Lee kill. Another dump led to an error from the Toreros, and a Laura Schuck ace allowed the 49ers to close out the set with a 25-21 win.
After stellar .520 hitting in the first set against the Toreros, Long Beach State’s early hitting success began to slip away behind a solid Torero block and errors of their own. Meanwhile, San Diego continued to play with consistency hitting .273 in set two on the way to a 17-12 lead, which would hold the rest of the way to a 25-21 lead with no real 49er challenge.
Out of the break, a quick Ashley Lee kill sparked a 49er push to a 5-1 lead. San Diego recovered quickly though, scoring eight out of nine points to regain the lead at 9-7. The Beach briefly came back on top with an attack error from Ali Troost, but the Toreros pushed out to a 20-16 lead. One final rally for the 49ers, capped by a block from Lee tied the set at 20-20, but that tie was the last at the Toreros scored three straight points to pave the way to a 25-22 win.
With the momentum firmly on the side of San Diego, the Toreros took a 15-12 set four lead on an Oliveira’s second ace. Swapping out Ashley Lee for Ashley Vazquez at setter with the score in the Toreros favor 21-15, the 49ers mounted a small rally returning to their original lineup from the season, cutting the lead to two at 23-21. The damage was done however, as San Diego picked up a crucial sideout to maintain a three-point lead, and closed out the match with a 25-21 victory.
Long Beach State returns to action Saturday night in the Walter Pyramid as the 49ers host Virginia. That match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
