It was a down-and-up Friday for the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team in the Pyramid on the first day of the Mizuno Thanksgiving Classic.  The 49ers fell to TCU in four sets in the day’s first match before knocking off UNLV in the nightcap; play will continue on Saturday.

Reports by LBSU:

LBSU Defeats UNLV 25-19, 25-21, 25-27, 25-23

Showcasing a lineup with four players that had played in less than 10 sets during the season, Long Beach State nonetheless came away with the win in a 25-19, 25-21, 25-27, 25-23 victory Friday evening.

Ashley Lee had a career-high tying four kills to go with five kills, 49 assists and a team-high 16 digs, and the 49ers were led offensively by Naomi Washington and Caitlin Ledoux respectively with 24 and 19 kills. However, the 49ers utilized Taylor Cook, Sarah Clause and Jessica Thomas in the starting lineup and had Janisa Johnson play in the back row in a shift from the usual rotation. Clause finished with nine kills and a pair of aces to lead the newcomers, while Jessica Thomas finished with 12 digs.

The 49ers took an early 7-5 lead after a pair of aces from Lee and Sarah Clause. A second ace from Lee, a third in the set put the 49ers ahead 13-8, and The Beach held that lead through most of the set. The Rebels scored three straight point to take cut the lead to 22-19, but Long Beach State answered with three straight points its own, finishing the set on a second Clause ace at 25-19.

A Ledoux kill put the 49ers in front 8-7 after UNLV opened an early lead in the second set. Long Beach State continued to push, taking a 15-12 lead after another Ledoux kill, and moved out by four points after a Washington kill. Lee’s third ace of the mtach put the 49ers ahead by five at 21-16 and led to a UNLV timeout. The Rebels scored four straight points, to cut the 49er lead to one, ending with an ace by Kela Lau Hee, but the 49ers answered back with a pair of blocks from Clause and Jessica Thomas, taking the second set by a 25-21 score.

Two early kills from Naomi Washington paced the 49ers to a 5-3 lead in set three, but UNLV rallied to tie the set at 6-6 and took an 8-7 lead after a Kelsey Keeler kill. UNLV continued to push, taking a 12-9 lead after another Keeler kill in the Rebels largest lead of the match to that point. The 49ers rallied to tie the set at 14-14 after a Washington kill, and retook the lead following a Rebel attack error. Another UNLV error put the 49ers on top 23-21. UNLV held off two match points to tie the score at 24-24, and after another LBSU match point, an Erin Greenwood and Samantha Noland block gave UNLV a 26-25 lead, and an ace by Amanda Alles closed out the comeback third set win for the Rebels.

In the fourth set, both teams traded points through the first half of the set, with neither team gaining any advantage through a 13-13 tie. Tied 16-16, UNLV got a point off of a Maurer ace and a Keeler kill to take an 18-16 lead. With a 21-18 UNLV edge, Long Beach State rallied to tie the set at 21-21 with a Clause kill, and The Beach took the lead after a Ledoux back-row kill at 23-22. Clause then closed out the match with her ninth kill in a 25-23 win.

The Mizuno Thanksgiving Classic continues Saturday, as Long Beach State plays two matches and hosts two more. Action in the Walter Pyramid will start at Noon, when the 49ers host the Lions of LMU, and finishes with Senior Night in the evening, as Long Beach State honors its two senior, Naomi Washington and Brittney Herzog.

TCU Defeats LBSU 15-25, 29-27, 25-15, 29-27

Long Beach State controlled the first set, but after a close loss in the second set, TCU rebounded to win three straight sets in a 15-25, 29-27, 25-15, 29-27 in the first of four matches for the 49ers this weekend.

Long Beach State hit .231, led by 22 kills from Caitlin Ledoux and 20 kills from Naomi Washington, but TCU answered by hitting .342, and hitting over .390 in the final three sets to take the win.

TCU took the early momentum in the first set, as Long Beach State burned both of its timeouts as the Horned Frogs moved out 6-3 following a Kourtney Edwards kill. The 49ers recovered after the second timeout, and a Ledoux kill completed the comeback, giving the 49ers an 8-7 lead. Michelle Osunbor helped the 49ers push to a three-point lead at 12-9, and a Ledoux kill led to a TCU timouet at 15-11. Jocelyn Neely added a kill to give LBSU a six point lead at 18-12, and The Beach closed out the set 25-15.

An Ashley Lee kill concluded a four-point run for The Beach, putting the 49ers on top at 4-2. The Horned Frogs stuck around, eventually coming back to retake the lead at 11-10. Long Beach State climbed back on top, but TCU again regained the lead after an Edwards block to lead 19-18. Long Beach State hit Ledoux for a trio of kills out of a 49er timeout to help Long Beach State take a 21-19 lead. Kristen Hester put away a kill to tie the set at 21-21, part of 18 overall ties in the set. Long Beach State fought off a first set point, and got a chance to close out the set at 25-24 after an Ashley Lee ace. However, TCU came away with the sideout, and finally finished off the set after the 49ers fought off a few more set points at 29-27 on a block by Edwards and Megan Munce.

Two TCU blocks helped the Horned Frogs take a 6-2 lead in set three, and the Horned Frogs controlled the play throughout, eventually taking a 13-5 lead on the way to a 25-15 victory in the third set.

That momentum continued in the fourth set, as the Horned Frogs again used a pair of early blocks to pace TCU to a 7-4 lead. Long Beach State came back to tie the set at 9-9 after a Washington-Lee block, and a Washington kill gave the 49ers the lead at 10-9. Laura Schuck’s first ace gave the 49ers a 16-13 lead, but TCU came back to tie the set at 16, and an Irene Hester kill put the Horned Frogs on top once more at 17-16. TCU took a 21-19 lead after Lauren Otto kill, but Long Beach State fought back to tie the set five more times, fighting off four match points before succumbing 29-27.

The 49ers return tonight for an additional match against a Mountain West school, hosing UNLV at 7 p.m. The Walter Pyramid will play host two to four more matches on Saturday, starting at Noon when the 49ers host LMU.