By Making its 21st tournament appearance and 20th in a row, the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team will host the first and second rounds of the 64-team NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship at The Walter Pyramid on Friday and Saturday.
“We are surprised to host,” said LBSU head coach Brian Gimmillaro. “They have not chosen us in the past we when were one of the best 16 teams, so I was surprised they picked us this year.”
On Friday, the first round of the championship run, No. 12 Hawaii will face Oregon at 5 p.m., followed by LBSU against No. 24 Pepperdine at 7 p.m.
The second round will take place on Saturday. The winner of the Hawaii-Oregon match will face the winner of the LBSU-Pepperdine match.
Teams that win both matches of the first and second rounds will advance to regional play Dec. 8 and 9. The regional sites include: Austin, Texas; Gainesville, Fla.; Honolulu; and Seattle.
Regional winners will then advance to the semifinals and finals at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., Dec. 14 and 16.
LBSU (25-5) vs. No. 24 Pepperdine (16-11)
Despite a 45-17 record in NCAA post-season play and a 16-0 record at The Walter Pyramid, The Beach will have its work cut out against the Waves.
“I know the coach and the [Pepperdine] players,” Gimmillaro said. “They are the tallest team in the country and they are good at all of their positions.”
Pepperdine has not defeated The Beach since 1984 and the two schools have not played against each other in the NCAA Tournament, but Gimmillaro said the match is the best first round match-up in the tournament.
Junior middle blocker Alexis Crimes, who was selected Big West Player of the Week for the second consecutive week and fourth time this season, will lead the offense.
Crimes is averaging 3.79 kills per game and 1.41 blocks per game this season. LBSU has also received a strong contribution from its first-year middle blocker, Mischa Hasalikova is averaging 2.93 kills per game.
Leading the Waves, sophomore Julie Rubinstein is averaging 3.50 kills per game and middle blocker Sophia Milo is averaging 3.41 kills per game.
Anchoring the Waves’ defense, Kekai Crabbe is averaging 4.88 digs per game and was named to the West Coast Conference first team and WCC Defensive Player of the Year.
No. 12 Hawaii (26-5) vs. Oregon (17-11)
The last time Hawaii and Oregon played a playoff match against each other was in 1984, when Oregon recorded its lone playoff victory in its lone playoff appearance.
Hawaii is 4-0 all-time at The Walter Pyramid. Oregon, on the other hand, beat The Beach earlier this season 3-1.
Of the four teams playing at The Walter Pyramid this weekend, Hawaii is the highest ranked and the only school to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The President’s Office and the Athletic Department will purchase tickets for the first 200 LBSU students to attend the matches. Ticket prices for the matches are $6.
