This Week At Long Beach State (4/4/2011)

Welcome back from spring break students and fans, do we ever have a busy week for you to get back in the Black and Gold swing of things. There are a total of ten home sporting events this week for Long Beach State across four different sports.

Tuesday
It all gets started Tuesday with the Dirtbags vs. San Diego State Aztecs @ Blair Field, 6:30 p.m.

The Dirtbags come home after a series win against Pacific in the opening weekend of Big West Play, and will face an Aztecs club in mid-week action that comes limping in with a 9-19 record, having most recently lost two out of three to Oral Roberts. SDSU is 2-4 in midweek games.

Wednesday 
Men's Volleyball vs. UC Irvine @ Walter Pyramid, 7:00 p.m.

The Black and Blue Rivalry Series is on once again at the Pyramid with LBSU men's volleyball taking on the rival Anteaters. The 'Eaters and 49ers are ranked No. 4 and 5 respectively in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll. The two squads split their previous two matches earlier in the year, with Long Beach coming out on top Jan. 7, 3-1 at the UCSB Elephant Bar Tournament. UCI earned their own 3-1 victory over LB State Feb. 16 at Bren.

Friday
Women's Tennis vs. Oregon Ducks @ Rhodes Tennis Center, 2:00 p.m.
The 49ers and Ducks will take a break from conference play and battle on the hard court. Oregon is 7-11 on the year, and have lost their last five matches. LBSU holds a 13-5 record overall, most recently winning two out of three matches during a Mid-West Road Trip.

Dirtbags vs. UC Davis Aggies @ Blair Field, 6:30 p.m.
Big West play continues for the Dirtbags, taking on Davis in a weekend series. Long Beach State won their series this past weekend against Pacific, and were only denied a sweep of the Tigers because of a three run rally in the ninth of game three. Davis was swept by Fullerton this past weekend, as they were outscored by the Titans 25-2

Saturday
Women's Tennis vs. Cal Poly Mustangs @ Rhodes Tennis Center, 11:00 a.m.
Beach Tennis will tangle with ranked Big West foe Cal Poly in a crucial match for both teams.

Softball vs. Cal State Northridge @ 49er Softball Complex, 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m.
49er softball returns to Long Beach for a Big West showdown with the Matadors. CSUN are 13-20 overall on the year while LBSU boasts a 23-12 record, going 11-3 at home. Erin Jones-Wesley will look to continue her dominant freshman campaign in game 1.

Dirtbags vs. UC Davis Aggies @ Blair Field, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday night should see a packed Blair Field for Troy Tulowitzki bobblehead night. The first 1,500 fans at Blair will receive a replica of the former Dirtbag and now major leaguer. Come early to insure you can take Tulo home with you.

Men's Volleyball vs. UC San Diego Tritons @ Walter Pyramid, 7:00 p.m.
49ers host another MPSF foe Saturday night in the 'Mid.

Sunday
Softball vs. Cal State Northridge @ 49er Softball Complex, 1:00 p.m.

Dirtbags vs. UC Davis @ Blair Field, 1:00 p.m.

Baseball and softball wrap their weekend series with day games on Sunday. 


Hope to see you at the games this week, Go Beach!

Even more Big West Athletes of the Week honored

So many Big West honors, such little time! Coriann Snyder and Klaudia Malenovska were the latest 49ers to garner conference recognition this past week.

Snyder, a freshman 2-Meter helped lead the 49ers to a 3-1 record at the LMU Invitational this past weekend.

No. 10 Long Beach State played four matches at the LMU Invitational, but Snyder was at her best when the team needed it the most, in a win over No. 18 Princeton and a near-upset of the host Lions, ranked No. 6 in the nation.

In the first match of the weekend against the Tigers, Snyder scored a pair of goals as the 49ers defeated Princeton 7-5. The freshman from Porterville, Calif., also scored a pair of goals as No. 10 Long Beach State nearly toppled No. 6 LMU on the road, losing 5-4, leading all scorers. In blowout wins over Sonoma State and CS San Bernardino, Snyder scored an additional goal while the 49ers primarily went to the bench throughout the second half of each contest.

 

Sophomore Malenovska earned Big West recognition after completing her first full week of competition, and won four matches for Long Beach State as the 49ers defeated Louisville before getting nipped by No. 30 Pepperdine 4-3.

Malenovska remained unbeaten in singles play, improving to 4-0 by winning two matches at No. 2 singles. First, Malenovska defeated Louisville's Mandy Brown 6-0, 6-3, before taking down Pepperdine's Ale Granillo 6-3, 6-4.

Malenovska also paired with Anais Dallara to win twice in doubles against both teams, helping the 49ers win the doubles point in each of their matches last weekend. The pair topped Fellerhoff/Shine of Louisville 8-5 before clinching a 2-1 doubles win against Pepperdine with a win over Issara/Zalameda 8-6.

Athlete of the Week: Deborah Armstrong

Long Beach State senior, Deborah Armstrong, won her second Student-Athlete of the Week honor on the season as she won her 174th career match (against Colombia), making her the school’s all-time leader in victories.

Armstrong is a finance major, originally from England, who has been recognized with numerous accolades on the court since High School. Her High School World Junior ranking was 238, and she competed in 2006 Wimbledon Junior Championship. She has continued to impress since setting foot on the Long Beach State campus where she has received Big West honors every season.

Deborah came into the season 30 wins behind Hannah Grady for the all time combined (singles and doubles) category. Deborah has lead the Women’s team to an impressive 10-3 record on the season, while accumulating her own fantastic statistics and leaving her mark on school history by besting Grady’s record with 9 schools left to face this season.

During her interview with the Black and Gold Insider last month Deborah stated, “to bleed black and gold is to fight for every game and stay out on the court as long as it takes.” This past week’s performance proves that she will continue to do just that, while setting school records.

Athlete of the Week: Deborah Armstrong

Very quietly, the Long Beach State tennis team has become one of the most dominant and successful programs in school history. Over the past ten years, Beach Tennis has won seven Big West Titles and been a part of the NCAA tournament seven years as well. 

Leading this year's team is senior Deborah Armstrong. The Newcastle, England native was named to the All Big West Honorable Mention team last year, and is already off to a strong start to her 2011 campaign. This past week, Deborah tied the Long Beach State school record with 83 career doubles wins. She also had two wins in singles play, leading to a perfect 4-0 weekend and team wins over LMU and Cal State Fullerton. 

Deborah took some time out from dominating the tennis court to answer a few questions for the Black and Gold Insider.

Black and Gold Insider: How does it feel to be named LBSU Athlete of the week?

Deborah Armstrong: It feels good to be named Athlete of the week. There are so many great athletes at LBSU who compete hard every weekend too and it is nice to see that my hard work is recognized!

Your last doubles victory tied you as the all time leader in doubles wins at Long Beach State, what is it like to set a record like that, and what kind of approach do you need to take in doubles matches to be successful?

Deborah Armstrong: It means a lot to me to have tied this record.  I have been really lucky to have had awesome partners while I've been at LBSU so I have really enjoyed my doubles experience here. I think to be successful in a doubles match you need to have good communication with your partner and be able to pick each other up when things aren't going well.  

What has your experience been moving from England to the US and playing tennis here at Long Beach?

Deborah Armstrong: It's been an amazing experience! Living over here was a lot to get used to at first but I love California now.  Playing tennis here has also been a great experience! I've really enjoyed being on a team with people from all over the world and I'm really grateful that I get the chance to compete every weekend in amazing weather in such a nice place.  

What do you think has led to the success that Beach Tennis has had recently, and what do you guys need to do to keep getting even better?

Deborah Armstrong: I think that everyone on the team is really determined to do well this season and to prove how good we are as a team.  We have all worked hard over the fall to improve on different things from last season and it has been paying off recently.  

What does it mean to Bleed Black and Gold?

Deborah Armstrong: To bleed black and gold is to fight for every game and stay out on the court as long as it takes.