By snoadmin
Junior outside hitter Janisa Johnson guided a balanced team effort to lead the No. 22 Long Beach State women’s volleyball team past the University of Maryland Baltimore County — 25-15, 25-12, 25-15 — in its second match of the day at the Walter Pyramid on Friday at the Mizuno Invitational.
Johnson paced LBSU with 13 kills on .684 hitting, while senior captain Caitlin Ledoux added 11.
Four 49ers had six kills while the team hit .405 to top .400 in both matches on the day. Sophomore setter Ashley Vazquez finished with 32 assists, two kills, and four digs, while Johnson tied for the team lead with libero Lauren Minkel by recording eight digs.
The 49ers took an early 5-3 after a cover from Johnson that got sent back to her for the kill. UMBC rallied to go back on top at 7-6, but the 49ers recovered to take a 9-7 lead on a kill by sophomore Haleigh Hampton.
LBSU was able to push the lead to 16-12 after a kill from Ledoux and a block by Alma Serna and Johnson. The run continued with another block by Serna and Delainey Aigner-Swesey as the 49ers took an 18-12 lead. The 49ers cruised from there, and took a 25-15 win in the first set behind four first-set kills from Johnson.
Two early blocks from Hampton led The Beach to an early 5-1 lead in the second frame, and the blocking continued to be a key for the 49ers as they took a 10-3 lead following a block from Serna and Johnson. Ledoux put away a pair of kills as the ‘Niners extended their lead to 19-9. A Vazquez dump in a long rally helped the 49ers take a 24-12 lead before Ledoux closed out the set with her seventh kill of the match.
The third set was the closest early, but a crafty tip followed by a hard kill from Johnson sparked a rally that gave the 49ers an 8-5 lead after a block by Serna and Vazquez. UMBC was able to pull back to within one at 10-9 after a block by Hannah Schmidt and Dalton Tolliver.
The 49ers, however, answered back with two straight points, and returned to a three point cushion after a kill from Ledoux. Behind strong serving from freshman Tyler Jackson, The Beach took a 17-12 lead. An ace from Libby Fontanilla led to another small run for the 49ers before they took the match with a 25-15 third-set victory.
In an earlier match, the No. 7 University of Washington dominated Prairie View A&M in three sets — 25-5, 25-7, 25-9.
The Mizuno Invitational will continue tomorrow when Washington will play UMBC at Noon, followed by a match between the Retrievers and Panthers at 5 p.m. The final match of the day at 7 p.m. where the 49ers will host the Huskies.
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