No. 24 Long Beach State’s time in the NCAA came to an end Saturday in a 25-15, 25-21, 25-15 loss against host Stanford. The No. 2 Cardinal hit .319 in the win, while Long Beach State was held to .115 hitting.

The 49ers had two players with double-digit digs, as libero Iris Murray led the team with 14 digs and freshman Lauren Minkel added 14. Offensively, The Beach was led by Quincy Verdin, who tied for the team lead with 8 kills on .217 hitting.

Stanford controlled the early action, moving out to an 11-3 lead before Long Beach State was able to establish a rhythm. However, damage was done, and behind solid hitting from the Cardinal middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo and outside hitter Cynthia Barboza, Stanford took a 25-15 win while with a hitting percentage of .452.

The second set was much closer, as the 49ers did a better job of limiting the Cardinal offense, holding Stanford to .273 hitting. However, despite the 49ers efforts, Long Beach State still had trouble with the Stanford block, which stymied the 49ers chances in a close set. The 49ers grabbed their first lead of the match at 16-15 after a Brittney Herzog kill, but a three-point run put Stanford back into the lead, which they held for a 25-21 win.

Set three contained more of the same for the 49ers, as problems hitting into the Stanford block, along with more consistent hitting for Stanford continued to unsettle 49er chances despite improved defense. The Cardinal moved out to an 8-3 lead prior to a Long Beach State timeout, and took the match with a 25-15 set three win, finishing with 9 blocks total.            

The 49ers end the 2008 season with a record of 26-6, and finished the year ranked in the final regular season poll. Long Beach State’s postseason banquet will be held on Dec. 15, honoring its three seniors, Nicole Vargas, Quincy Verdin and Iris Murray along with Debbie Green, who is retiring after 23 seasons as an assistant coach with the 49ers.  Check back at LBPostSports.com for coverage of the event.