The No. 2 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team extended their home winning streak to 39 and improved to 8-0 in the Big West Conference by sweeping UC San Diego twice last weekend.
The Beach (23-1) rolled to an easy 25-14, 25-22, 25-17 win at Walter Pyramid on Friday, and then went to San Diego for a 25-18, 25-15, 27-25 victory on Saturday. Senior outside hitter Kyle Ensing had a match-high 11 kills on Friday night, while senior middle blocker Nick Amado chipped in six kills and five blocks. Senior outside hitter TJ DeFalco led LBSU on Saturday with a match-high 16 kills.
READ MORE about Kyle Ensing and his relationship with the spotlight.
Softball
Lauren Lombardi, Alyssa Gonzalez, Nichole Fry and Jamie Wren all hit home runs in the weekend series victory at UC Riverside where the Beach (16-19, 3-3) won the first and last game in dominant fashion. Wren is now second in the Big West with 36 RBIs.
Baseball
The Dirtbags (4-26, 0-3) played four ranked opponents last week, and despite gaining some positive momentum with a 14-9 upset of No. 5 Arizona State on Tuesday, they were swept by No. 19 UC Irvine over the weekend. The win over the Sun Devils was their first home loss of the season. Freshman Tyler Porter had a career-high four RBIs in the win, and junior Jake Vander Wal became the first Dirtbags player to draw four walks in a game since 2007.
Women’s Water Polo
No. 12 LBSU (15-12, 1-2) had its winning streak snapped last week with a pair of Big West losses at Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center. The Beach fell to No. 9 UC Davis 10-7 on Friday, and No. 4 Hawaii 15-7 on Sunday. Freshman Orsi Hertzka had four goals on the weekend, and leads LBSU with 62 goals this season.
Women’s Tennis
The Beach (13-4, 5-2) got back to winning ways on the road last weekend with a pair of lopsided victories over UC Davis and Fresno State. Freshman Zara Lennon won all four of her matches.
Track & Field
The LBSU men claimed the Big West Challenge title at UC Santa Barbara last Friday. The women finished second. Seniors Nico Hudson and Josh Carr took first and second place in the men’s field competition. Sophomore Koty Burton won the 110 meter sprint with a personal best time of 14:02.
THIS WEEK AT THE BEACH
THURSDAY
Long Beach State Beach Volleyball vs. No. 2 USC, 1 p.m.
This will be a challenging week for No. 9 LBSU after a week off as the Beach hosts No. 2 USC today, and No. 12 Cal at 11:30 a.m. on Friday. LBSU lost 3-2 at USC last year.
FRIDAY
Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball vs. No. 1 Hawaii, 7 p.m.
Tonight is the first of two Big West Conference matches between the top two teams in the nation. Hawaii handed LBSU its only loss last season, and come into Long Beach undefeated. The No. 1 Rainbow Warriors (25-0) dropped their first set of the season last weekend to UC Santa Barbara after winning 74 straight. The game on Saturday night will also be Senior Night for LBSU.
Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Cal State Northridge, 6 p.m.
The Dirtbags are back at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field this weekend for their first Big West series at home. Cal State Northridge (15-17, 3-3) is led by ace pitcher Isaiah Nunez, who is second in the conference with five wins.
SATURDAY
Long Beach State Softball vs. Cal State Fullerton, 1 p.m.
LBSU is also hosting its first Big West action at home with a doubleheader today, and the series finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Titans (25-14, 5-1) are tied for first in the conference, and are very aggressive on offense. CSUF senior Ari Williams and freshman Alexa Neil are the top two base stealers in the conference.
Long Beach State Track & Field
The entire Beach squad will be at the two-day UC San Diego Trion Invitational this weekend.
