LBSU Captures Ninth Conference Title, Advances To NCAA Tournament: Long Beach State (26-6) clinched its league-high ninth Big West Women's Volleyball Championship after sweeping Cal State Fullerton in its final match of the season, improving its record to 13-3 in league play. This is the 49ers' first conference title since tying with UC Santa Barbara in 2005. Along with the conference crown, Long Beach State was awarded the conference's automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament, extending its postseason streak to 22 years. The 49ers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after defeating Pepperdine, 3-1, in first-round action. They eventually fell to No.2-seeded Stanford, 3-0, in the second round.
Big West Conference Announces Volleyball Annual Awards: The 2008 Big West Volleyball All-Conference honors had three different schools receiving the top awards. Cal State Fullerton's Brittany Moore was tabbed 2008 Big West Player of the Year, Long Beach State's Caitlin Ledoux garnered Big West Freshman of the Year accolades and UC Irvine's Charlie Brande collected Big West Coach of the Year honors. Eight teams were represented on the first team with conference champion Long Beach State leading the way with five representatives, the highest 49er total since 1998 when they also tallied five members. Cal Poly picked up three selections, followed by UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton receiving two nods. Cal State Northridge, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific each garnered one All-Big West First Team member.
Leaving A Mark In The Big West Conference: Cal Poly’s Kylie Atherstone concludes her four-year career with a multitude of Big West top 10 marks, including service aces, kills and attack attempts. She tallied 193 service aces to become the school's all-time leader, which ranked her fourth all-time in the Big West Conference. Atherstone's 1,756 kills ties her for 10th all-time in the Big West and her 4,383 attack attempts places her seventh. Teammate Jaclyn Houston owns 551 career block assists to secure the third spot in the Big West record book. Her 1.42 career block average places her seventh in the league. Also concluding her collegiate career with a spot in the conference's record book is UC Irvine libero Devon Sutherland, who has amassed 1,752 career digs to become the Anteater record holder and rank third in the Big West’s top 10. Long Beach State's Nicole Vargas owns 4,695 assists to grab the eighth slot in the conference’s all-time list.
Cal State Fullerton Finds Its Winning Ways: The Cal State Fullerton Titans finished the season with a 17-15 overall record, reaching the 17-win plateau for just the third time in school history. It also marks Cal State Fullerton's fourth winning season since 1976. In conference play, the Titans posted a 9-7 mark to record their first-ever winning conference season. Their nine conference wins is also the most in school history.
UC Santa Barbara Head Coach Kathy Gregory Earns 800th Win: Competing in her 34th season at the helm of the Gaucho squad, head coach Kathy Gregory is one of six coaches in NCAA history to surpass the 800 career win mark. She surpassed the mark with a 3-0 victory against Utah State earlier this year.
LBSU's Gimmillaro Inducted Into AVCA Hall Of Fame: Long Beach State's head women's volleyball coach, Brian Gimmillaro, has been selected as one of three inductees into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame for 2008. During his tenure, the 49ers have won three national championships, advanced to the national semifinals eight times, and have qualified for the NCAA Tournament for 22 straight seasons, a feat matched only by Stanford, Penn State, and Nebraska.
Atherstone Sets New Player of the Week Mark: Cal Poly's Kylie Atherstone collected her 10th and 11th Big West Volleyball Player of the Week accolades this season to own the top spot in the league for most career weekly honors. She entered the 2008 season with nine awards, tying her for first with Danielle Scott (LBSU) and Elsa Stegemann (PAC).
Big West Nabs Eight AVCA All-Region Honors: The Big West Conference earned eight spots on the 2008 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-West Region team, as announced by the AVCA. Big West Player of the Year Brittany Moore (Cal State Fullerton), Kylie Atherstone (Cal Poly), Jaclyn Houston (Cal Poly), Naomi Washington (Long Beach State) and Lauren Kellerman (UC Irvine) were named to the AVCA All-West Region team. This is the second regional accolade for Mustang teammates Atherstone and Houston. UC Irvine’s Kari Pestolesi and Taryn Robertson and Long Beach State’s Nicole Vargas received AVCA All-West Region honorable mention honors.
Big West Represented At 2008 Beijing Olympics: Former Big West athletes Misty May (Long Beach State), Danielle Scott-Arruda (Long Beach State), Tayyiba Haneef-Park (Long Beach State), Jennifer Joines (Pacific) and Heather Bown (UC Santa Barbara) represented the United States of America in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
UC Riverside Head Volleyball Coach Sue Gozansky Announces Her Retirement: UC Riverside Head Volleyball Coach Sue Gozansky announced her retirement today following the completion of her 39th season at the helm of the Highlanders volleyball program. She leaves with a career record of 680-519-16. During Gozansky’s years with the Highlanders, UCR won three National Championships (the AIAW Small College Championship in 1977 and the Division II National Championship in 1982 and 1986) and had a streak of 20 straight playoff appearances. She was voted coach of the year in the CCAA five times (1981, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1996). Gozansky also served as head coach for the UCR men’s volleyball team for five years.