April 18, 2014

Huntington Beach, Calif. - Long Beach State grabbed two convincing victories but couldn't get the win that they needed, falling 4-1 to No. 3 Hawai'i in the final set of dual matches on the year for The Beach. LBSU dropped Cal Poly and Irvine Valley 5-0 in the other two dual matches on the day.

Long Beach State opened the day in fine form, cruising to a victory over another Big West foe in Cal Poly, not dropping a set on the way to a 5-0 win over the Mustangs. Hawai'i then took a 5-0 win over the hosts, Irvine Valley, setting up the day's premier showdown between the Rainbow Wahine and The Beach.

Delainey Aigner-Swesey and Bojana Todorovic won in three sets over Katie Spieler and Nikki Taylor, winning 21-18, 18-21, 15-11, but the 49ers were unable to pull out a win in any of the other matches. Tyler Jackson and Janisa Johnson were able to force a tie at 20-20 in the first set with UH's top team Karissa Cook and Brittany Tiegs, but lost 22-20 and then dropped the second set 21-11. The other three matches were consistently close, but Hawai'i prevailed in each to take a key 4-1 victory.

The 49ers rebounded with another 5-0 win, with the closest match coming in the top flight, as Aigner-Swesey and Todorovic dropped Marisa Doran and Kobi Peckich 21-19, 21-14 to stay unbeaten on the day.

Competition in the Big West Challenge continues on Saturday, with a trio of single-elimination brackets of pairs play. Action will begin at 9 a.m. at Huntington State Beach.

With the loss to Hawai'i, Long Beach State is likely on the outside looking in for a team invitation to the third AVCA National Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala., as three teams from the "West" are to be picked. Aigner-Swesey/Todorovic and Jackson/Johnson are both still in the running for a "Best of the Rest" selection into the 16-team pairs championship which will be held concurrently with the team championship in Gulf Shores.

No. 5 Long Beach State 5, Cal Poly 0
1) Delainey Aigner-Swesey/Bojana Todorovic, LBSU def. Jen Keddy/Katie Conroy, CP 21-12, 21-11
2) Tyler Jackson/Janisa Johnson, LBSU def. Morgan Groess/Nicole Kessler, CP 21-11, 21-12
3) Chelsea Cabrajac/Bre Mackie, LBSU def. Kate Walters/Hannah Schleis, CP 21-11, 21-15
4) Jenelle Hudson/Alex Reid, LBSU def. Taylor Gruenwald/Shannon Fouts, CP 22-20, 21-11
5) Ciana Wagner/Morea Wagner, LBSU def. Anna Gorman/Lexi Reddick, CP 21-16, 21-13

No. 3 Hawai'i 4, No. 5 Long Beach State 1
1) Karissa Cook/Britany Tiegs, UH def. Tyler Jackson/Janisa Johnson, LBSU 22-20, 21-11
2) Delainey Aigner-Swesey/Bojana Todorovic, LBSU def. Katie Spieler/Nikki Taylor, UH 21-18, 18-21, 15-11
3) Alyssa Longo/Ginger Long, UH def. Chelsea Cabrajac/Bre Mackie, LBSU 21-16, 21-16
4) London Chow/Olivia Urban, UH def. Jenelle Hudson/Alex Reid, LBSU 21-17, 21-16
5) Mikayla Tucker/Karlee Riggs, UH def. Ciana Wagner/Morea Wagner, LBSU 21-17, 21-17

No. 5 Long Beach State 5, Irvine Valley College 0
1) Delainey Aigner-Swesey/Bojana Todorovic, LBSU def. Marisa Doran/Kobi Peckich, IVC 21-19, 21-14
2) Tyler Jackson/Janisa Johnson, LBSU def. Becky Moodie/Annie Mitchem, IVC 21-15, 21-12
3) Bre Mackie/Makayla Taylor, LBSU def. Alexis Radecki/Kathering Kolodeizi, IVC 21-13, 21-15
4) Jenelle Hudson/Alex Reid, LBSU def. Haley Jones/Shaelyn Perez, IVC 21-9, 21-15
5) Ciana Wagner/Morea Wagner, LBSU def. Emily Daily/Erica Tsujimoto, IVC 21-6, 21-10