Less than a week removed since falling to No. 7-ranked Washington, the No. 23 Long Beach State women’s volleyball team found itself on the receiving of yet another four-set loss to a Top-25 ranked Pac 12 opponent.
Senior outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux would have her best match of the season Thursday, but it wasn’t enough as the 49ers fell to No. 12 UCLA — 25-19, 27-25, 21-25, 25-18 — in the first match of the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Invitational.
Ledoux recorded her first double-double of the year with 18 kills and 14 digs, while Janisa Johnson reached double figures for the second time this season with 12 kills and 19 digs.
The 49ers (2-2) held a 13-12 advantage in blocks on the night, but allowed seven aces from the Bruins (4-0), and were out-hit .169 to .146.
After dropping the first two sets, the ‘Niners rallied with a huge push coming out of the break in the third frame. After two attack errors from UCLA’s Tabi Love, LBSU libero Libby Fontanilla sandwiched a Bruin timeout with two aces as the 49ers jumped out to a 8-2 lead.
UCLA eventually climbed back into the set, however, and took advantage of four LBSU attack errors to take took a 21-19 lead following a kill from Zoe Nightingale. After an LBSU timeout, the 49ers would go on a 6-0 run sparked by an emphatic kill from sophomore middle blocker Haleigh Hampton before a block from Hampton and Ledoux gave them the set.
UCLA responded with a quick start in the fourth with two aces to take a 5-2 lead. Long Beach was able to pull to within one at 9-8 after a block from Serna and Ledoux, but another Bruin ace and a setting error from the 49ers gave UCLA a 15-9 lead. The teams traded service the rest of the way, as the Bruins closed out the match with a 25-18 victory.
Down 9-7 in the first set, LBSU rallied to take a three-point lead following a Janisa Johnson kill and an ace from Libby Fontanilla. UCLA’s top server Bojana Todorovic took the back line after a UCLA timeout and side out, and served the Bruins back into the lead, 16-13, after a kill from Kelly Reeves.
The ‘Niners would pull to within two, but the Bruins countered with a 6-2 spurt to take a 23-17 advantage. The teams sided out the final four points of the set, as a Long Beach service error gave UCLA a six-point victory in the first frame.
A pair of Caitlin Ledoux kills gave the 49ers a 5-4 edge early in the second frame. However, a kill from Sara Sage and back-to-back aces by Todorovic gave UCLA a 9-6 lead.
From there, both teams continued to trade small leads, and with UCLA leading by one, LBSU found Johnson for a pair of kills to take a late lead, 24-23. UCLA held off a set point from The Beach with a Todorovic kill, and while the 49ers returned the favor trailing 25-24 with a block from Delainey Aigner-Swesey and Serna, a Rachael Kidder kill sealed the set for UCLA.
The 49ers will get another chance to grab a win against a ranked opponent on Friday as they will play invitational host No. 10 Hawaii at 10 p.m. (PT).
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.
