Unbeaten 49ers Reach NCAA Volleyball Final

Balanced. Deep. Efficient.

All those words describe the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team, but maybe the best one of all is unstoppable .

The 49ers continued their unimpeded march through the NCAA tournament with a 30-27, 30-25, 30-20 victory over Arizona in the semifinals Thursday night at Cox Arena.

Long Beach (33-0) is one victory away from its fourth NCAA championship and second undefeated season. Only Stanford stands in its way in Saturday’s title match. Stanford defeated Nebraska, 31-29, 30-28, 30-21, in the other semifinal.

No one has stopped the 49ers, who have lost only six games all season and none in five postseason matches. “I’m not so much thinking about a perfect season right now,” senior setter Keri Nishimoto said. “We are just concerned with staying in the moment.”

Arizona (25-5) wasn’t rattled in its first final four appearance. It just didn’t have an answer for 6-foot-7 senior outside hitter Tayyiba Haneef.

Haneef, an All-American for the first time, had a match-high 21 kills. Many came at sharp angles, leaving the Wildcats no chance to counter.

“Tayyiba was tremendous,” Long Beach Coach Brian Gimmillaro said.

Outside hitter Brittany Hochevar also played a key role against the Wildcats. The junior had 10 kills, but her jump serves did more damage.

Hochevar gave the 49ers their first real cushion in the match. She had a kill for their first point in the second game and then had consecutive service aces. Long Beach got two more points on her serve for a 5-1 lead, which was enough to keep Arizona at bay.

“I felt like I hit a groove,” she said. “That is key for a jump serve. If you feel the rhythm, then you’re able to rally off that many points. Granted, my teammates were able to keep me back there by putting away the open passes and terminating when [Arizona] did send it back.”

Down, 24-18, Arizona staged a brief three-point rally thanks to a Long Beach hitting error and kills by Jill Talbot and Shannon Torregrosa. Cheryl Weaver ended that rally with a tip over the Wildcat block for a point and a block that restored a five-point lead.

“We just couldn’t get over the hump and take the reins in the match,” said Talbot, a San Diego native who was held to seven kills in 18 swings. “We couldn’t take control.”

The 49ers pulled through in the first two games without running their offense consistently. They were much sharper in the final game. Long Beach had 19 kills and five errors in 30 swings for a .467 percentage. Overall, the 49ers outhit Arizona in kills (54-42) and percentage (.384 to .216).

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NCAA Volleyball Championships

At Cox Arena, San Diego State

Semifinals: Long Beach State (33-0) def. Arizona (25-5), 30-27, 30-25, 30-20; Stanford (32-2) def. Nebraska (31-2), 31-29, 30-28, 30-21.

Final: Saturday, Long Beach State vs. Stanford, noon, ESPN2.