A total of 20 NCAA Tournament appearances, 44 tournament wins, eight Final Four appearances and three national titles.
Over the years, the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team has had its share of success.
The success of LBSU has become so consistent that it’s expected the squad will make the NCAA Tournament. With that in mind, this season’s expectations didn’t differ from any other, but the play on the hardwood has.
Before the season started, the Big West preseason coach’s poll tabbed The Beach to win the conference and Cal Poly to follow behind.
Now, the Big West standings tell a different story.
Although The Beach and Cal Poly have identical 16-4 overall records, the Mustangs and their unblemished 8-0 conference record lead the Big West.
With a 6-1 conference record, The Beach still has a chance to win the Big West, but time is running out.
Looking at the big picture, it’s safe to say The Beach will make its 21st NCAA Tournament appearance, but unless it keeps its current six-match winning streak alive, they will not win the Big West.
The Beach only has seven conference matches left.
The good thing: The remaining Big West matches will give The Beach the opportunity to make up some ground. The bad thing: Five of the seven matches are on the road.
The Beach is currently on a five-match road trip that will end this weekend with matches against the conference-leading Mustangs and UC Santa Barbara, last season’s Big West co-champions.
The Mustangs have been nationally ranked all season and for the last four weeks have topped off at No. 20. Also, with the Mustangs riding their second best start in school history and a nine-match winning streak, it will be difficult for The Beach to come out on top.
But back to The Beach.
Since October, The Beach is undefeated at 6-0, and will need to extend its rally if it wants to win the Big West. Still, LBSU is expected to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but in the conference, the Mustangs are the favorites.
