Oregon State
2-8
Long Beach State
10-3
OSU Volleyball Falls at Long Beach State, 3-0
September 20, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
LBSU out-hit OSU, .330 to .141, to record 20 more kills (48-28) than the Beavers. The 49ers also edged the Beavers in assists, 39-26, and digs, 52-30. The Beavers recorded more service aces (4-1) as well as more blocks (9-5).
“We've had a tough preseason,” Oregon State head coach Taras Liskevych said. “I feel that the two things we need to improve are our effort and attitude – every player controls that – to be like we had in the second set. You have to sustain that the whole match. We'll work very hard to get that going once Pac-12 play begins. I think it's partly the youth, but partly also everyone getting a gut check that you have to play the game with grit.”
Redshirt junior outside hitter Katelyn Driscoll led OSU offensively with nine kills and a pair of blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Mary-Kate Marshall had seven kills, a service ace and a pair of blocks. Redshirt freshman Kory Cheshire chipped in four kills on .400 hitting with four total blocks and seven digs, while redshirt senior middle blocker Haley Clarke recorded five kills (.357) and two blocks.
“I thought our captain Haley Clarke played very well,” Liskevych said. “She came out with a good attitude, blocked well and attacked well. We need that from every player.”
Setting duties were split by redshirt freshman McKenna Hollingsworth, who tallied 17 assists with a pair of service aces and as many blocks, and redshirt junior Dana Backlund, who registered five assists. Freshman libero Kayla Ellis finished with eight digs.
After OSU took the opening point of the match, LBSU went on a 5-1 run to take a 6-2 lead to begin the first set. The 49ers extended their lead to five at 11-6, and then to six at 17-11 before taking the opening frame, 25-16.
Following an early 6-3 second set advantage for OSU, LBSU went on a 3-0 run to tie the frame at six apiece. The score was then tied at seven and nine, before the Beavers went on a 6-2 run to take a 15-11 lead at the media timeout. The 49ers responded following the timeout to take a 20-19 lead, and won five of the next seven points to go up 2-0 with a 25-21 win in the second set.
After taking an early lead in the second frame, OSU fell behind 8-3 to open the third set. Although the Beavers chipped away at the lead, LBSU went back up by five at 21-16, and won the final four points to seal the match in three sets.
“You have to get after it every point no matter who the opponent is,” Liskevych said. “It's begin to show that it's wearing thin on us because we've had the toughest preseason since I've been here. Now we just need to turn lemons into lemonade - it's a new season as we head to Pac-12 play. People are going to think that we're not up to the task and we need to be up to the task and play every point hard.”
The Oregon State volleyball team returns to action on Thursday, Sept. 24 for its first matchup of conference play as well as its first home match of the season, as the Beavers are set to host the Oregon Ducks at Gill Coliseum. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m. PT, and will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks.
For more information on the Oregon State volleyball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeavsVolleyball, by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateVolleyball or on Instagram at Instagram.com/OregonStateVolleyball.
