By The Long Beach State women’s volleyball team is back in the mainland and looking to get back in the win column Tuesday 7 p.m. against Cal State Fullerton. The 49ers are coming off a loss against Hawaii, but have had some success at home this season boasting a 6-2 record at the Walter Pyramid.
The team has dropped four of its last five games, creating a riff between many players on the team.
“It’s been frustrating lately because of our losing streak, we have gone away from each other and have been struggling to find ways to win,” junior outside hitter Megan Kruidhof said.
To bring the team back together, head coach Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer printed out copies of “Power of a Positive Team” for the team to read.
This week there was one quote the she focused on after the Hawai’i loss to bring the team back on track.
“There’s a reason why all great teams have a great culture. Its because culture is the living and breathing essence of what a team believes, values, and does. Team culture is the written and unwritten rules that say how a team communicates, connects, thinks, works and acts.”
Fullerton (6-14, 0-7 Big West) is without a win in conference play, giving Long Beach a good chance to bounce back strong. Senior outside hitter Tyler Spriggs leads the 49ers with 2.69 kills per set while junior outside hitter Hailey Harward is averaging 2.60.
The Titans are lead by senior outside hitter Madeline Schneider and junior outside hitter Felicia Marshall. Schneider is averaging 3.27 kills per set for the Titans, while Marshall is averaging 2.78. The two have been able to rack up kills, but Fullerton has not been able to translate it into wins.
Following the match against Fullerton, Long Beach will look to protect home court Friday and Saturday against UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly.
