University of Missouri
Long Beach State
No. 13 Volleyball Swept Up By The Beach
8/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 25, 2006
LONG BEACH, Calif. - In front of 2,009 Long Beach State fans, the No. 13 Missouri (1-1) volleyball team fell to the 49ers (1-0) in a sweep, 30-16, 30-18, 30-27. The young Tiger squad succumbed to 14 blocks by The Beach, hitting only .016 as a team. The loss snaps the Tigers' 12-match winning streak on the road against unranked opponents.
Long Beach State, who came into the match in the top-25 in RPI from a year ago and receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches' Poll, jumped out early and never looked back. Sophomore Quincy Verdin led the 49ers with 12 kills.
For Mizzou, senior Nicole Wilson moved up to the Tiger all-time top-three in blocks, adding six to grab a new career total of 322, passing former Tiger Lisa Boyd. Junior Tatum Ailes grabbed 13 digs, while Jessica Vander Kooi added a team-high nine kills.
In game one, Mizzou fell into the quicksand early as a four-point run put the 49ers up 12-5. The Tigers tried to respond, but a six-point span by LBSU took them to a 10-point, 18-8 lead. Mizzou came back with five of the next six points, including a three-point span that contained three Vander Kooi kills, to close within a manageable six at 19-13. But, the 49ers used their quickness and physicality to take 11 of the next 14 rallies to win by 14. Mizzou as a team hit a miserable -.024 hitting percentage.
The second game saw The Beach jump to a 4-0 lead, carrying the margin to 15-11. The Tigers managed just seven points over the next 22 rallies to fall 30-18. Mizzou was outhit in the stanza .360 to .000.
To start game three, Mizzou went up four at 12-8, scoring on three blocks in the run. However, The Beach came back with an 11-3 run with a 6-0 run at the tail-end to go up four a 19-15. Mizzou continued to be down six at 27-21, but a service run by true freshman Julianna Klein (Keota, Iowa) gave the Tigers a fighting chance as with an ace, added with a Nicole Wilson block and kill put Mizzou within two at 27-25. The 49ers closed the book winning three of the next five points.
Mizzou plays Villanova on Saturday to end their run at the Long Beach State Tournament.
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