49er Fall Sports Update

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Women’s soccer captured a national ranking at No. 23 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of American poll, which was released October 4. The 49ers also hold the No. 3 slot in the West Region, behind Pepperdine and Santa Clara. This weekend Long Beach State will play their first Big West Conference game against the Cal State Fullerton Titans at George Allen Field Sunday, October 9 at 3:00PM.

In other news, senior Nadia Link is among 24 collegiate and young professional players who will be evaluated by U.S. Women's National Team head coach Pia Sundhage for possible call-ups to training camps heading into the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Vancouver in January. She received a late invitation to train with the U.S. U-23 Women's National Team, Oct. 2-7, at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

MEN’S WATER POLO

Men’s Water Polo will begin Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) on Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 5:00PM against the University of Southern California. The Trojans are currently ranked as first in the MPSF, the 49ers are currently ranked thirteenth, so this will be a good indication where the 49ers will shape up against the rest of the conference this upcoming season. Men’s water polo currently holds a 11-3 record, and it is the best start since 2007. Action for men’s water polo will continue Saturday, October 8, 2011 against the California Golden Bears at the campus pool. Game time is set to start at 2:00PM.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Women’s tennis had a strong representation at the ITA All-American Tournament this past weekend at the Riviera Tennis Club. This tournament is invitation only, where all the best players in Division I compete. Anais Dallara who plays number one for the women’s team received an invitation to the pre-qualifying round of the tournament. Dallara's run through pre-qualifying and qualifying ended as the senior fell 6-3, 6-3 to #42 Marianne Jodoin of Fresno State in the Round of 64 in qualifying. Dallara continues the tournament this week through the backdraw.

The women’s tennis team also showed great success at the UNLV Fall Invitation two weeks ago. Anna Jeczmionka finished with a victory of Ginet Pinero of New Mexico State, taking the flight two singles title with a 6-1, 6-3 win on Sunday, finishing the first weekend 3-0 in singles action. Also winning their flight in doubles, Sarah Cantlay and Rachel Manasse beat Pavlovic/de Lanleay of UNLV by an 8-2 margin to earn Long Beach State's second main draw victory of the day. This weekend the team will travel to Fullerton to compete in the Fullerton Invitational. With a solid showing at the UNLV Fall Coach Jenny Hilt-Costello hopes to continue to build on the momentum with her players.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

With a tough start in Big West play, the women’s volleyball team looks to reestablish their Big West presence after a 3-0 shutout against the UCI Anteaters this past Tuesday. They take on the Cal State Fullerton Titans at the Walter Pyramid Saturday, October 8, 2011. With senior captain and key player Caitlin Ledoux still out with an injury, the rest of the team is looking to step up and rise to the occasion. A relatively young team has been led by Sophomore Haleigh Hampton, she registered nine kills with no errors on .500 hitting to lead the 49ers to victory against UCI on Tuesday. Women’s volleyball returns to Long Beach this weekend and first serve is set at 7:00PM Saturday, October 8, 2011.

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