Oct. 9, 2009
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - Sophomore outside hitter Caitlin Ledoux recorded a match-high 13 kills while senior middle blocker Brittney Herzog tallied 10 kills and .471 hitting to lead 20th-ranked Long Beach State to a 25-23, 25-21, 25-22 sweep of UC Davis in a Big West Conference women's volleyball match at Upper Hickey Gym Friday night in front of 522 fans.
The Aggies slip to 12-7 for the season and 3-2 in conference. The 49ers improve to 11-3 overall and remain unbeaten in Big West action at 4-0.
For UC Davis, freshman Allison Whitson put down 11 kills against just two errors to pace her team offensively. Junior Melanie Adams served up three aces, sophomore Katie Denny contributed on three of her team's four blocks, and senior libero Avreeta Singh picked up 10 digs.
Long Beach State hit .469 in a speedy 25-23 first-set win that lasted just 24 minutes. Herzog hit 4-for-7 with no errors for the 49ers, while Whitson landed six kills to help the Aggies hit .324 for the frame. Senior Naomi Washington served up an ace amidst a 6-1 run that propelled the Beach to a 14-11 lead. However, the Aggies eventually erased that deficit, taking an 18-16 lead behind back-to-back kills from juniors Adams and Kayla Varney.
Sophomore Betsy Sedlak provided UC Davis with a late 23-22 lead when she covered the 49er block, then smacked a LBSU overpass into the near court. That proved to be the last Aggie score in the set, as Ledoux and Herzog scored kills in a 3-0 finish.
The Beach continued the momentum into the second set, crafting an early 9-5 lead before Aggie sophomore Katie Denny's solo block capped a comeback to 12-12. The 49ers pulled away in the late stages, as Schuck's ace highlighted a 3-0 run to 17-13. Osunbor landed a tip over the UC Davis block, then followed up with a block as part of four unanswered to bring the LBSU lead to 21-16. Osunbor later scored on an offspeed swing to set up a 24-20 set point.
Washington posted two kills, a block assist and an ace to send the 49ers to a 16-10 lead in the third before Adams served up two aces in a four-point Aggie comeback to 16-14. The Beach never relinquished its lead, however, claiming match point on Herzog's kill at 24-21, then completing the sweep on Osunbur's shot two points later.
Long Beach State has now won seven straight matches in a stretch that includes a 3-0 upset of then-No. 7 UCLA.
UC Davis returns to action on Saturday night with a home conference match against Cal State Fullerton.
