Aug. 30, 2010

Long Beach, Calif. -

Complete Volleyball Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK:
No. 23 Long Beach State 49ers (4-0, 0-0 Big West) vs.
Florida A&M Rattlers (0-3, 0-0 MEAC)
Date: Friday, September 3
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Austin, Texas

No. 23 Long Beach State 49ers (4-0, 0-0 Big West) at
No. 2 Texas Longhorns (2-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Date: Saturday, September 4
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Austin, Texas

NEXT WEEK:
No. 25 San Diego Toreros (1-2, 0-0 WCC) at
No. 23 Long Beach State 49ers (0-2, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Friday, September 10
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Walter Pyramid

Starting Out
Moving to No. 23 in the country after an outstanding opening weekend, the 49ers hit the road for the first time and will get a shot to shock the nation, traveling to Austin, Texas for the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational. Long Beach State starts off with a 2 p.m. match against Florida A&M, and then the 49ers will get another shot at No. 2 Texas, a team that the 49ers almost upset last season. The Longhorns host the 49ers in a match that begins at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both matches can be followed live at www.longbeachstate.com through live audio, and the Saturday match will feature Gametracker.

Beach Baden Classic
Long Beach State was the big winner over the opening weekend at the Baden Classic, a five-team tournament hosted by LBSU. The 49ers and No. 25 Saint Mary's were the class of the action, each entering the final match undefeated where the 49ers outlasted the Gaels. Long Beach State held their four opponents in the tournament to .094 hitting, while hitting .319 themselves and winning 12 of their 14 sets. In the final match, the 49ers turned to junior Caitlin Ledoux, who led The Beach with 26 kills, while Janisa Johnson had 21 kills and 26 digs and Haleigh Hampton had 21 kills and 12 blocks, part of a breakout weekend for the latter pair.

All-Tournament Team
Ledoux, who led all hitters in the tournament was named the Baden Classic MVP, while the 49ers topped all other teams with four players named to the All-Tournament Team. While Ledoux is a familiar veteran to 49er fans, the other three players named were getting their first extensive playing time, as freshman middle blocker and freshman setter Haleigh Hampton and Ashley Vazquez were both picked by the media, as was sophomore Janisa Johnson, who saw time in just six sets in 2009.

Ledoux's Opening Honor
Junior outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux was named the Big West Player of the Week, earning the first honor for the 2010 season. Ledoux led the 49ers to a perfect 4-0 record on the weekend, including a victory over No. 25 Saint Mary's. Her biggest match came in the most important of the weekend, as Ledoux led all hitters with 26 kills against No. 25 Saint Mary's to help the 49ers enter the Top 25 this week. She hit .308 against the Gaels and also added eight digs. Ledoux is the first player honored in the 2010 season by the Big West, and this award marks the third time that Ledoux was named the Big West Player of the Week. She earned the honor once in both 2008 and 2009.

Scouting Florida A&M
Using primarily foreign players, the Rattlers are a MEAC power, having won the conference nine times. Florida A&M has a 0-3 record so far this year, however, after having lost their two top hitters from 2009 to graduation. Pamela Barrera is the team's most effective hitter at.362 so far on the year, and the sophomore hit .361 last season.

Long Beach State vs. the Rattlers
The 49ers have a 2-1 all-time record against FAMU in limited action. The first tilt between the teams came in 1999 in the NCAA Tournament, when the 49ers won in three sets. The Rattlers then picked up a huge upset in 2005, topping the 49ers in the Walter Pyramid at the Thanksgiving Tournament in four sets. The last time the team's met was in 2008 in a tournament hosted by Florida, where the 49ers won 3-1 after dropping the initial set.

Scouting Texas
Texas continues to maintain its place as one of the top teams in the nation. After appearing in the national championship game last season, the Longhorns rank No. 2 in the nation and received five first place votes in this week's poll. The Longhorns have lost their top player from 2009 in Destinee Hooker, but still return outside hitter Juliann Faucette and middle blocker Rachel Adams, who combined for 57 kills in the team's first two matches.

Long Beach State vs. the Longhorns
The 49ers hold a 3-1 all-time series lead over the Longhorns, but nearly each match has been memorable. After a neutral-site win in 1988, the 49ers defeated Texas on the way to the National Championship in the NCAA Tournament in 1998. The 49ers then hosted Texas for the first time in 2003, a 3-1 win. Texas' first win against Long Beach State came last season, as the No. 2 Longhorns visited the Walter Pyramid, and the 49ers nearly pulled off a shocking upset behind the play of Caitlin Ledoux, who had 20 kills and 19 digs. The 49ers took the first two sets before eventually falling 22-25, 20-25, 25-18, 25-23, 15-9 to Texas.

Poll Position
The 49ers, after sitting just outside the Top 25 in the first poll of the season, rejoined the elite this week, ranking at No. 23 in the nation. The 49ers face another Top 25 team this week in No. 2 Texas, and have two other Top 25 team's on the schedule in Colorado State and San Diego. Three other teams on the 49ers schedule received votes this week, including two Big West schools in Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara.

Breakout!
With two starters from 2009, Ashley Lee and Jocelyn Neely, out of the lineup, the time was ripe for a number of new players to step up for Long Beach State in the opening weekend, and four players answered the call. Sophomore Janisa Johsnon was the biggest surprise. After seeing limited action in six sets during 2009, Johnson had a huge week for LBSU, making 50 kills and 59 digs over four matches. Among the freshman, Haleigh Hampton had a great start, making 26 blocks and 45 kills while hitting .457 for the 49ers, and Ashley Vazquez handed out 157 assists in her first weekend of action, starting at setter. Also seeing time was Delainey Aigner-Swesey, who made 12 kills while making limited swings.

Record Watch
Selected as an Honorable Mention All-America in 2009 after being named the Big West Freshman of the Year in 2008, Caitlin Ledoux is primed for another big season. With 64 kills during the first week of the season, Ledoux has 868 career kills, and should soon become the 16th 49er to reach 1,000 career kills this season.Following one season at setter after two on the right side, Ashley Lee ranks 10th in career assists at Long Beach State with 1,404, and should move up that chart quickly as well. Additionally, both Lee and Lauren Minkel should reach the career top 10 in digs during the 2010 season.

23 And Counting
Long Beach State punched their ticket for the NCAA Tournament with a 3-2 win over UC Irvine on Nov. 21, extending their postseason appearance streak to 23 in a row and 24 overall. The 49ers made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in head coach Brian Gimmillaro's first year, 1985, and have made it every year since after missing in 1986. Long Beach State's 23rd consecutive tournament is matched by only three programs in the nation in Stanford, Nebraska and Penn State and only one of those programs, Penn State, has been led by the same coach for all of those appearances, as Brian Gimmilllaro has for the 49ers.

This and That Haleigh Hampton's .615 (9-1-13) hitting was the highest percentage for a 49er in her first match since Mariko Crum in 2003 (8-0-13) ... Lauren Minkel is actually the team's hitting percentage leader, a perfect 1.000 (1-0-1) after a dig wasn't touched on the far side ... as a libero, that mark could last awhile since she is not allowed to attack ... With 21 kills and 26 digs against St. Mary's, Janisa Johnson became the first 49er since Jenn Snyder to have a 20-20 in those two categores (Snyder, 20 kills, 23 digs, 10/10/97 at UCSB) ... 18 more wins in 2010 will give Brian Gimmillaro 700 in his career ... Only seven active coaches have reached 700 wins, and only 13 have ever reached that distinction ... also on pace to reach that mark next year are Karen Chisum (Texas State, 697) and Mary Wise (Florida, 689), both just ahead of Gimmillaro's 678 career victories.