By snoadmin
Caitlin Ledoux’s senior season with the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team has been one of the most frustrating and rewarding of her career.
This year was lining up to be the senior’s best, and maybe one of the most storied individual seasons ever put together by an LBSU player. But an injury that kept her out for six matches halted those chances.
Ledoux suffered two stress fractures in her left shin in a five-set loss to Oregon State on Sept. 10. In her absence, The Beach posted a respectable 4-2 record (3-2 in Big West Conference play).
Since her return on Oct. 8, though, the ‘Niners’ are a perfect 5-0 and sit atop the Big West standings with a two and a half match lead. The 49ers have looked a lot more composed since Ledoux’s return, and it’s not just a coincidence. The Beach star has always been counted on to be cool, calm and collected in pressure situations.
“As you get older, you get calmer as a player,” she said. “I feel like I am a very calm player; I have always been told that.”
Ledoux is not the only player that The Beach has lost to injury for an extended period of time this season. Fifth-year captain-to-be Michelle Osunbor is out for the season after having surgery on her patella tendon over the summer.
Junior outside hitter Jocelyn Neely, who head coach Brian Gimmillaro said was going to be a key piece of the 49ers attack, is also out due to injury.
Coach Gimmillaro said the loss of Ledoux was magnified because she, along with libero Lauren Minkel, are the two seniors that he could count on to keep the young players focused when things went awry.
“First, Caitlin is one of the better players in the country, and she’s started since she’s been a freshman,” he said. “The loss of Caitlin was bigger because of the loss of Michelle. We ask so much of Caitlin; she’s our team maturity.”
Ledoux amassed numerous records and accolades during her three-plus years as a 49er. In her first season, Ledoux was named Big West Freshman of the Year and was also a First Team All-Big West selection.
In her sophomore year, Ledoux only added to her list of accomplishments. She earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and All-Region Honorable Mention, while being named First Team All-Big West for the second consecutive year.
Last season, Ledoux repeated as an AVCA Honorable Mention. She was selected as First Team All-Region and was the only junior to earn three straight All-Big West First Team selections.
The biggest accomplishment for Ledoux came in a win over UC Santa Barbara last Saturday. Ledoux became the fifth player in the history of LBSU women’s volleyball to reach 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs for her career, joining Olympian Tara Cross-Battle (2,767 kills, 1,578 digs), Antoinette White (1,717/1,052), Nichelle Burton (1,381/1,057) and Christine Romero.
Ledoux flashed a glowing smile when asked about the milestone.
“It’s pretty awesome,” she said. “Long Beach has a reputation for having such great players who we all aspire to be like, and to be in the record books with them is really cool.”
Gimmillaro said he’s not one for statistical production, but rather the intangible elements his players bring to the game, especially Ledoux.
“I think the numbers say something, but they don’t tell the whole story,” he said. “[Caitlin’s] significance to this program can’t be measured in numbers.”
With nine games remaining in the Big West and Ledoux inching closer to full strength, the coaching staff and her teammates will be looking to her to lead them to another Big West title.
Her leadership and experience are second to none, and, as coach Gimmillaro said, Ledoux will succeed in anything she plans to do once she puts LBSU in the rearview.
“Caitlin will be a really successful employee, student and will be successful in relationships; whatever those may be,” Gimmillaro said. “The purpose of sport is to help develop those [leadership qualities] and Caitlin understood that and has embraced that.”
Ledoux and the ‘Niners will try and extend their winning streak to seven matches when they host UC Riverside at the Walter Pyramid on Friday at 7 p.m.
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