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Long Beach State women’s volleyball defeated Pepperdine at the Walter Pyramid Saturday in a hard-fought match, concluding a busy weekend for the Beach, as they played Washington on Thursday and Washington State Friday.
Long Beach State brought home a much-needed victory against the Waves, 25-14, 8-25, 25-19, 25-16.
“The way that they fought is so special to us. Being able to respond from the loss on Thursday is massively important to us and a great tone going into Big West play,” said LBSU head coach Natalie Reagan.
In the first set, the Beach dominated, winning 25-14. With offensive weapons like Natalie Glenn and Abby Karich, success came easy. Long Beach’s offense was also supported by Kameron Bacon. In the first few plays of the game, Bacon executed an impressive kill on Pepperdine’s overpass, setting the tone for the game. Then, it was Karich who aced her serves, extending the lead further. She ended the game with a game high 14 kills.
Despite Long Beach’s success in set one, the second set belonged to Pepperdine. The Waves’ success mainly came from Birdie Hendrickson and her teammate Ella Piskorz. Hendrickson had 11 kills, while Piskorz had 7 kills. Pepperdine’s offense caused major miscommunications in their opponents, allowing them to win the second set 25-8.
In the third set, the competition was fierce with lively rallies and intense play from both sides. Pepperdine displayed their hitting talent with Hendrickson, Kenadie Patterson, and Chloe Pravednikov. Patterson, a junior from Oakdale, California, had a powerful hit, which extended the lead to 9-7 Pepperdine and energized the bench.
Pravednikov, a 6-3 freshman for the Waves, is a Long Beach native and attended Wilson High School. She fought hard in her hometown, ending the game with 5 kills. However, the Beach won the third set 25-19.
“We flipped the switch…I think we did a really really good job of just knowing that we had more in the tank and more to give. And we knew we were capable of playing a lot better than that and we knew we were capable of winning the match,” said Karich.
In the fourth set, Karich shined, sparking Long Beach’s offense. She finished in crucial moments, extending her team’s lead. The Beach was able to visibly frustrate Pepperdine, as a deadly kill by Ella Lomigora would cause the Waves to call a timeout.
Natalie Glenn was also a key component in the fourth set. Her powerful and fast serves forced her opponents to make simple mistakes. Not only did her serves create opportunities, but she ended the game with ten kills.
Pepperdine and Long Beach both showed grit, as they made diving saves and put their bodies on the line for the win. Although the efforts from Pepperdine were intense, Long Beach won the set 25-16, winning the match.
In the game, Long Beach State struggled with the serve receive. Pepperdine had 7 aces, while Long Beach only had 3.
“Pepperdine was serving very well, there’s a lot of movement on those serves,” said Reagan.
Yet, the Beach’s defense stood strong. Significant defensive players for Long Beach were Kameron Bacon and Ella Lomigora. Bacon had 5 blocks and Lomigora had 4.
“We’re learning a ton. I think good teams learn from their losses and great teams learn from their wins. So there’s a look of take aways for us,” said Reagan.
Long Beach State will begin Big West play on September 26th at UC Davis.
