For the Winner, Season Will Be Perfect

After a season atop the women’s college volleyball rankings, switching places once, Long Beach State and Penn State will decide who is No. 1 on the court today.

And regardless of which team wins, history will be made.

The 49ers and Nittany Lions, both 35-0, play at 11 a.m. PST at Madison, Wis. in the first NCAA women’s volleyball championship match between two undefeated teams. And although the NCAA doesn’t have enough records to verify it, an official said the combined 70-0 record is probably the best by opposing teams in NCAA history.

“That’s great for the sport,” said 49er Coach Brian Gimmillaro, who was named the American Volleyball Coaches Assn. coach of the year Wednesday. “I didn’t care who we played, as long as we played in the championship match. But this adds to the excitement.”

It will be the final match for several players, including two-time player of the year Misty May, Long Beach’s setter.

“This is a special team,” Gimmillaro said. “They have special abilities and it has a special feel.”

Both teams have had special seasons.

Neither has struggled much. Top-ranked Long Beach, which defeated Florida in the semifinals, 15-2, 15-8, 15-10, has won 67 consecutive games. Penn State advanced with a 15-11, 15-8, 8-15, 15-11 victory over Nebraska.

The 49ers and Nittany Lions have met three times in the past, with Penn State holding a 2-1 advantage.

But the 49ers won the last time they met, in the 1993 championship match at Madison.

But Gimmillaro knows that means nothing now.

“[The Nittany Lions] are a great team,” he said. “But I rarely think of the other team. I trust in our skills and worry about what we do.”

Along with May, Long Beach will need the hitting and defense of senior middle blocker Benishe Dillard. She led Long Beach in kills against Florida.

Penn State is led by first-team All-Americans Bonnie Bremner and Lauren Cacciamani.

Bremner had 13 kills and 44 assists, Cacciamani had 20 kills.

Penn State began the season ranked No. 1 by the AVCA, but Long Beach took over the top spot in the first week of October after Penn State was taken to five games by Illinois. The 49ers defeated Illinois in a regional semifinal.

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NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament

Final Four at Madison, Wis.

TODAY’S FINAL

* Long Beach State (35-0) vs. Penn State (35-0), 11 a.m. PST (ESPN2, 1 p.m.)