Long Beach Going Back to Final Four

Defending national champion Long Beach State earned its seventh berth into the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship with a 15-4, 15-7, 15-13, victory over No. 13 Texas A&M; in the Mountain Regional finals on Friday night at Honolulu.

The 49ers will try to become the fifth team to repeat as national champion next week at the Stan Sheriff Center in Hawaii. They will be making their third consecutive appearance and will be seeking their fourth national title.

“I’m very proud of this team and how our seniors played (Friday) to get us this far,” Long Beach Coach Brian Gimmillaro said. “It’s even sweeter when you do something you’re not supposed to do. When people say you’re not coming back (to the NCAA Championships) because you lost too much, it’s a great feeling to see these women respond so greatly and be able to carry the team to another final four berth.”

After spending most of their energy on a grueling semifinal match against host Hawaii on Thursday, Texas A&M; could not get started.

Brandy Barratt led a balanced Long Beach attack with 17 kills in earning all-region honors. The regional’s most outstanding player Cheryl Weaver had 12 kills and a match-high 22 digs. For Texas A&M;, Celia Howes put together a 17-kill, 18-dig performance, and Summer Strickland added 13 kills and 19 digs.

Also named to the all-region team were Long Beach’s Tayyiba Haneef, Hawaii’s Veronica Lima and Colorado State’s Courtney Cox. Long Beach will meet Stanford, winner of the Pacific Region, in the semifinals Thursday.