An impressive .373 hitting percentage that led Long Beach State to a 3-0 record at the Pioneer Classic lifted Alexis Crimes to her first Big West Player of the Week honor of the season. This honor is Crimes' sixth weekly accolade of her distinguished career, tying her with LBSU alumni Misty May for seventh-most in the history of the conference.

In the first match of the two-day tournament, Crimes fired a .364 clip against host Denver, while collecting two service aces and four blocks. Against Washington State she increased her hitting percentage to .371 on 35 attempts (19 kills, 6 errors). The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., native added three service aces, five digs and five blocks to her total.

Crimes saved her best performance for last, as she hit .377 and tied a career-high 27 kills in the upset win over No. 17 Ohio. In the 3-2 win, she led the team in kills, while ranking second with six blocks (2 solo, 4 assist). After hitting over .350 in all three contests over the weekend, Crimes was tabbed Pioneer Classic Most Valuable Player.

The 3-0 week extended Long Beach State’s win streak to four as they open conference play this weekend when they travel to the central coast to take one nationally-ranked Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. The 49ers face the Mustangs Friday and the Gauchos Saturday, with both matches slated for 7:00 p.m.

Others nominated: Lauren Kellerman, UC Irvine; Kristin Jackson, Cal Poly; Johanna Hilbers, Pacific; Angie Mitchell, UC Riverside; Rebecca Saraceno, UC Santa Barbara.