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Photo courtesy of Long Beach State athletics
In the first match of head coach Tyler Hildebrand’s second season coaching his alma mater, the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team got its signature victory. The Beach hosted defending national champion and current No. 1-ranked Texas in front of more than 3,500 fans in the Walter Pyramid Friday night in the Beach’s first match of the season.
They didn’t just keep it close. They didn’t just compete. The Beach, fought, and they won. They took down the Longhorns in four sets, 25-22, 18-25, 25-16, 25-22, with more than 1,300 students chanting Go Beach as the win wrapped up.
The Beach hit .223 in the match, with sophomore setter Zayna Meyer living up to Hildebrand’s preseason assessment that she’d be one of the best setters in the nation. She got 10 kills with Abby Karich, Hanna Lesiak, and Maura Hayes, with nine from Kameron Bacon and eight from Katie Kennedy. Meyer had 41 assists, eight digs, three kills, two blocks, and two aces.
It was Texas’ first loss since October 19, 2022.
The Beach return to action in the Walter Pyramid on Sunday as they host LMU at 4 p.m. Texas and LMU will face off on Saturday with the Longhorns looking to bounce back from their defeat to Long Beach. We’ll have more from Hildebrand on the victory after the LMU match.
