Heading into the final week of conference play, No. 23 Long Beach State sits a top the Big West leaderboard with a 12-2 record. The 49ers' two-match advantage over Cal Poly (10-4) and UC Irvine (10-4) guarantees them at least a share of the 2008 Big West title, the program's ninth championship. In addition to at least a share of the conference crown, Long Beach State has also secured the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of tiebreakers versus Cal Poly and UC Irvine, marking their 22nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
In order to gain sole possession of the 2008 Big West title, Long Beach State must win at least one of its final two contests at Cal State Northridge (11/21) and Cal State Fullerton (11/22). The 49ers, who are 6-3 on the road this season, defeated both teams in front of a home crowd at The Walter Pyramid earlier this season.
To keep their hopes alive for a share of the Big West title, Cal Poly and UC Irvine must win their final two matches of the season. That task could be a little tricky since Cal Poly and UC Irvine square off Saturday night at Crawford Court. A day before the Mustangs-Anteaters showdown, Cal Poly travels to the Student Recreation Center to face UC Riverside, while UC Irvine entertains UC Santa Barbara. Both teams beat their upcoming opponents earlier this season and the Mustangs downed the Anteaters, 3-1, in their previous matchup. Cal Poly is looking for its third straight title, while UC Irvine is on a quest for their first Big West Championship.
Cal State Fullerton, who posted their first-ever above-.500 conference record, and Pacific are tied for fourth in the conference with a 9-6 record. With a school record nine conference victories, Cal State Fullerton hosts Long Beach State for its final Big West match of the year. The Tigers are looking to improve on their dismal 2-9 road record with a league contest at UC Davis. Both matches are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. starts on Saturday, Nov. 22.
The Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara (6-8) travel to UC Irvine for a Friday night contest before returning to The Matadome Saturday for a battle with UC Riverside. Dropping four straight contests, UC Santa Barbara needs to win its final two conference matches to secure a .500 conference mark.
In just their second season in the Big West Conference, UC Davis has tripled their overall win total from last season with a 12-16 record. The Aggies' four conference wins also bested their conference total from a season ago, 1-15. This week they host their northern California rival, Pacific, in their final contest of the year.
UC Riverside hosts Cal Poly Friday at 5:00 p.m. to close out the home portion of its schedule. The following night the Highlanders make a trek to the central coast to take on UC Santa Barbara in their final match of the 2008 season. With eight overall victories, UC Riverside has already surpassed its win total from last season (6).
After picking up its first conference win since Oct. 18, Cal State Northridge welcomes Long Beach State to The Matadome for its final contest of the season. The Matadors are 1-8 in the familiar confines of their home court.