After an unexpected sweep loss to Santa Barbara on Halloween, the 49ers get to come home, where hopefully they’ll find a less ghoulish result—tonight they host Pacific at 7pm, and tomorrow the first-place UC Davis Aggies, also at 7pm.

Presuming the 49ers get a victory against a 6-5 Pacific team that’s just 2-4 on the road in conference—and given that they’ve already lost to the Tigers this season, that’s certainly not a given—the match against Davis would essentially be for first, since the Niners are currently a game and a half back of the Aggies, who they’ve already defeated this year.

For more info, check out the team’s official release below, and of course check back tonight and Saturday night for full coverage—we’ll be shooting a video highlight on Saturday, as well.

Conference Clashes

Long Beach State returns home for a pair of important Big West matches this weekend. The 49ers start with Pacific on Friday, November 6 at 7 p.m. and will try to avenge an earlier loss to the Tigers on the road. The Beach will then play host to the first-place UC Davis Aggies in a match that has major postseason implications. That match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 7. All three matches will be shown live on Big West.tv, and Gametracker and live radio will be provided through www.longbeachstate.com.

Project: Projections

The race for the Big West championship continues to boil down to four teams, with Long Beach State right in the thick of things. UC Davis leads the Big West with a 9-2 record, while UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State are just behind with three conference losses. UC Irvine had a tough week last week, losing on the road to both Pacific and UC Davis to fall to 7-4, two full games behind the Aggies. However, with three weeks to play, all four teams have a legitimate shot to claim the Big West title, while Pacific, at 6-5, still has a outside chance.

Central Coast Recap

The 49ers saw two very different outcomes in their final major road trip of the season. The Beach started out with a very successful match, ending Cal Poly’s streak of five-set matches in a 25-22, 25-20, 25-22 sweep of the Mustangs in Mott Gym. The 49ers hit .343 overall behind 14 kills from Naomi Washington, who hit .480 overall as the team also played well defensively, making 45 digs. The following night, however, saw UC Santa Barbara defeat the 49ers in Long Beach State’s first three-set loss of the season.

Scouting Pacific

Pacific has been much tougher at home than on the road this season, posting an 8-2 record in the Spanos Center but going 4-5 on the road, including a 2-4 mark in Big West games on the road. Pacific is one of the best serving teams in the nation, leading the league with 1.64 aces per set, and has 143 total on the year, with five players accounting for 20 or more, led by Svenja Engelhardt with 35. Engelhardt also leads the team in kills at .328 per set, just ahead of Mallori Gibson with 3.22 per set.

Long Beach State vs. the Tigers

Long Beach State has a 32-26 lead in what has been a tight series through out its length dating back to the first meeting between the teams in 1978. The 49ers and the Tigers have split the last four meetings two and two, with each team prevailing in the home matches. Last year in the Walter Pyramid, Long Beach State hit .255 behind 12 kills from senior Quincy Verdin in a 3-0 win over the Tigers, as The Beach won 25-22, 25-19, 25-22. This year, the 49ers fell in four sets against the Tigers, as Pacific got 20-plus kills from both Engelhardt and Gibson, despite 20 kills from Naomi Washington for The Beach.

Scouting UC Davis

UC Davis’ 2009 success has been one of the surprise stories of the year. Picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll, the Aggies are currently in first place with three weeks to play, boasting a 9-2 record and an overall ledger of 18-7. After losses to LBSU and UC Irvine early in league play, UC Davis has won six straight conference games to take first place. Alison Whitson leads the Aggies at 3.45 kills per set, while Kayla Varney averages 2.91 for second-most on the squad.

Long Beach State vs. the Aggies

Long Beach State has never lost to UC Davis, extending their record to 10-0 over the Aggies with a three-set win in a hostile Hickey Gym earlier in the season. Caitlin Ledoux had one of her best matches of the season in the 25-23, 25-21, 25-22 win, leading the team with 13 kills and nine digs while hitting .333 with an ace. Ashley Lee handed out 42 assists over the three-set match, making eight digs.

Watching Washington

Senior Naomi Washington is making a case for a second All-American selection after receiving an Honorable Mention nod last season. Washington leads the 49ers in kills with 295, averaging 4.04 per set, and is one of three players in the Big West averaging over four kills per set. She also leads the squad with 15 aces, and has 38 blocks on the season as well.

Highlight Package

All three of Long Beach State’s returning All-Big West players are having another outstanding year, and The Beach has a number of additional players that are potential candidates for postseason honors. Naomi Washington and Caitlin Ledoux are each averaging more than three kills per set, and Ledoux adds solid defense with 192 digs so far on the year. Middle blocker Brittney Herzog leads the team in hitting .295, and Ashley Lee is having a nice season at setter with 67 kills to go along with 744 assists. Additionally, Jocelyn Neely has strong potential to be an all-freshman team member with 1.56 kills per set.

Project Safe Night

Long Beach State will be hosting Project Safe Night Presented by the Women’s Resource Center on November 6 against Pacific. Project Safe is a campus and community prevention program also providing resources and support for survivors of domestic, relationship, sexual and stalking violence. A list of items needed by domestic service agencies may be obtained by clicking here.

From LBSU report