The road to a 24th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance will be in the sights of the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team when Big West Conference action starts this weekend.
The No. 23 49ers (9-3), winners of the last two Big West titles and a conference-best 10 overall, will face Cal State Fullerton (10-3) at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
LBSU, tabbed as the preseason favorite by the league’s coaches, will try to duplicate last season’s home dominance that resulted in an 8-0 record against conference opponents.
Picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll, CSUF came into Wednesday’s scheduled contest against No. 21 San Diego with six consecutive victories — all 3-0 sweeps. The Titans own the conference’s top attack clip (.280), kills per set mark (14.82) and second-best opposition percentage (.171).
Junior setter Andrea Ragan ranks sixth in the nation with 11.98 assists per set, and directs an offense that owns the nation’s fifth-best kills per set mark (14.82). Senior middle blocker Erin Saddler leads the conference with 4.52 kills per set, which also ranks 11th in the NCAA.
“[The Titans] are experienced in important positions,” LBSU head coach Brian Gimmillaro said.
It’s been a one-sided series between the two teams. The 49ers will bring a 55-match winning streak into the contest, and lead the all-time series, 77-4, dating back to 1966.
The ‘Niners appeared to find a rhythm in Colorado last week, posting a 3-1 record and knocking Colorado State out of the top 15.
Haleigh Hampton led the 49ers with 52 kills and 21 blocks in the four matches en route to conference co-player of the week honors. With the second-best hitting percentage (.416) and highest block total (70) in the league, the 6-foot-7 middle blocker is also the early favorite for the Big West Freshman of the Year award.
“There’s a certain comfort that comes with playing with people for so long,” said Hampton, whose hitting percentage also ranks 16th in the nation and fourth among freshmen. “I know when I’m on the court my teammates will cover for me. We pick up a feel with the way everyone plays.”
Hampton also ranks sixth in the nation with 1.49 blocks per set.
Other notable quick starts include junior outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux, who ranks third in the conference with 3.83 kills per set (180 total).
As a team, LBSU owns the top opposition hitting percentage (.147) in the Big West while maintaining the second-best offensive mark (.265). The 49ers lead the league in total blocks (129) and blocks per set (2.74).
Before jumping into conference action, The Beach will head to Los Angeles and face Loyola Marymount for a 7 p.m. match Friday.
Glance at the other Big West threats
Only the Titans and Cal Poly (10-3) have a better win-loss record than the 49ers through Tuesday’s games.
The Mustangs didn’t wait long to show that they weren’t the same 9-20 team from last season. In its season opener, Cal Poly stunned then-No. 18 Arizona in five sets.
Sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Keddy is off to a strong start with 62 blocks and a .364 hitting percentage. Teammate Kristina Graven ranks fifth in the conference with 3.56 kills per set.
Off to a deceiving start is UC Irvine (4-8), which was picked to finish second in the preseason poll after coming within a victory of the Big West title last season.
The Anteaters have faced a grueling schedule that includes losses to top-25 teams Stanford, Hawaii, San Diego, UCLA and USC. In its eight losses, UCI has won just two sets.
“Irvine is good, they’ve dealt with injuries like we have,” Gimmillaro said.
UCI started the season without the services of Juliane Piggott, a first-team All-Big West honoree last season, because of a back injury.
UC Santa Barbara (6-6), the only Big West school other than LBSU to qualify for last season’s NCAA tournament, is adjusting to volleyball without departed standout Rebecca Saraceno — last season’s conference player of the year.
The Gauchos, led by senior setter Dana Vargas, have allowed a higher hitting percentage (.214) than their own attack (.202).
UC Davis (8-4) and Pacific (7-4) are fourth and fifth, respectively, in the conference but a pair of individuals have emerged among the conference leaders.
Aggies junior middle blocker Betsy Sedlak leads the Big West and ranks fourth in the country with a .495 hitting percentage. Tigers middle blocker Svenja Engelhardt narrowly trails CSUF’s Saddler with 4.51 kills per set.
“You’ve got a [Pacific] team that’s beaten both Arizona schools (Arizona and Northern Arizona), Santa Clara — I mean, those are pretty good wins,” Gimmillaro said. “This is a very, very, very good conference.”
The 49ers will conclude conference play Nov. 19, and will then host three final nonconference matches in the two-day, Mizuno Thanksgiving Tournament to close the regular season.
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