Report by LBSU

Caitlin Ledoux led the 49ers with 13 kills and was one of five Long Beach State players to hit over .300 in a 25-23, 25-21, 25-22 victory on Friday night. Ledoux had an ace and nine digs while hitting .333.

While Ledoux led the 49ers with 13 kills, Long Beach State had a big match from the team’s two middle blockers. Michelle Osunbor had nine kills on .643 hitting with three blocks, and Brittney Herzog had a pair of blocks to go with 10 kills and .471 hitting.

Defensively, the 49ers had 11 more digs than the Aggies over the set, hitting .324 while holding UC Davis to .177 hitting on the night. Libero Lauren Minkel and Ledoux tied for the team lead with nine digs each, while Ashley Lee added 8 digs.

Despite the 49ers prevailing in three sets, the match was close throughout, none more so than the first, which included 14 tie scores and 5 lead changes. Long Beach State took the first significant lead in the match, as Naomi Washington’s first of a career-high three aces put the 49ers ahead 14-11. After an Aggie timeout, UC Davis rallied to tie the score at 14-14, and then eventually take the lead at 18-16 after a double-touch by Ashley Lee. With Long Beach State back in the lead at 22-21, The Aggies scored two points to take the lead at 23-22, but after a Long Beach State timeout, the 49ers scored three straight points to take a 25-23 win in the opener.

Long Beach State never trailed in the second set, moving out from a 4-4 tie to a 9-5 lead. The Aggies recovered to tie the set one last time at 11-11. The 49ers went to Osunbor to break the tie, and a trio of attack errors helped the 49ers take a 17-13 lead. The Beach carried that edge the rest of the way to take a 25-21 win in the second.

In the third, the 49ers opened up a large lead at 11-6 behind aces from Washington and Ledoux. The Aggies cut the lead back to two a pair of times, but late kills from Herzog and Osunbor closed out the match for a Long Beach State win at 25-22.

The 49ers remain on the road for one more match this weekend, taking on Pacific at 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 9.