From LBSU reports

Eleven 49er blocks helped Long Beach State defeat UC Riverside in three sets 25-18, 25-15, 25-22. Naomi Washington led the 49ers with 11 kills, while Jocelyn Neely had nine kills on .318 hitting.  The sweep win sets up a winner-take-all match against UC Irvine tonight at 7pm in the Pyramid.

The 49ers were strong overall defensively. In addition to the 11 blocks, the 49ers held the Highlanders to .107 hitting and had three players in double-figure digs. Libero Lauren Minkel led the team with 16 digs, while Caitlin Ledoux had 12 and Laura Schuck added 10.

After falling behind early, Long Beach State took a 5-4 lead on a Ledoux solo block, the first of four blocks in the set. The 49ers would continue to push from there, taking a 13-8 lead on a Brittney Herzog and Ashley Lee block, leading to a UC Riverside timeout. The break stopped the 49er run, but Long Beach State held that cushion for the rest of the match, eventually winning 25-18 after a Shelby LeDuff service error.

The 49ers never trailed in the second set, scoring four straight points to open the set. UC Riverside cut the 49er lead to one at 5-4, but kills by Brittney Herzog and Caitlin Ledoux put The Beach ahead 10-5. The 49ers’ eighth block of the match a solo by Herzog gave Long Beach State a 14-6 lead, and Long Beach State finished out the set with no further threat from the Highlanders, winning by ten at 25-15.

The final set was the closest of the three, as the Highlanders held the lead as late as 8-7. Long Beach State rallied at that point, eventually taking a 15-11 lead after a Neely kill, and held that four-point cushion until a pair of attack errors from the 49ers led to a four-point run for UCR to tie the set at 19. Three straight Highlander errors put the 49ers back out on top 22-19, and Ashley Lee closed out the match with her third kill in a 25-22 set three victory.