Dante Estrada | Long Beach Current
After a season of defying expectations and battling it out with the premier teams of the Big West, Long Beach State women’s volleyball looks to take the conference title and receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Hosting the tournament at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid, No. 3 seed LBSU will first take on No. 6 seed UC Irvine in the first round on Wednesday, Nov. 26, with the winner advancing to the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 28.
Awaiting them should be the No. 2 seed: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
If LBSU reaches the final on Saturday, Nov. 29, they will face the last remaining squad from the other side of the bracket, who will most likely be the top-seeded UC Davis, against whom The Beach went 1-1 this season.
To pull off the upset in the final rounds, The Beach will rely heavily on the arm of two-time Big West Offensive Player of the Week and six-time Freshman of the Week, Logan King.
LBSU’s star redshirt freshman opposite ranks third in the Big West in kills per set this season at 3.62, and has delivered in critical matchups with Big West juggernauts.
King racked up 21 kills against Cal Poly in a win on Oct. 4, and most recently nailed 16 kills in a crucial Gold Mine upset over UC Davis.
King’s connection with LBSU star sophomore setter Madi Maxwell, the three-time Setter of the Week who ranks third in assists per set in the conference with 9.3, will need to catch fire for The Beach to emerge from the tournament as champions.
A key advantage in LBSU’s favor is a major home-court advantage as the tournament hosts.
LBSU was a perfect 9-0 at home against Big West opponents this season, and was just 4-4 on the road.
The cream of the crop of Big West women’s volleyball has seen some stark home vs. road splits this season, such as Cal Poly being undefeated at home but 5-4 on the road in conference play.
While it may seem far-fetched, this column predicts the homecourt advantage at the Pyramid will push The Beach past its powerhouse conference foes, beating two higher seeds in the Mustangs and Aggies in the final rounds to take the conference crown.
A senior at CSULB, Timothy Hessen serves as the Sports Editor of the Long Beach Current. First joining the Current as a copy assistant editor as a junior, Timothy has written about sports in several different publications, including the Long Beach Current, the Coast Report and the Laguna Beach Independent. After graduation, Timothy hopes to pursue a career in journalism or public relations, with the long-term goal of either covering or working for an NFL or NBA team.