The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2026-27 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
The good times kept rolling for Long Beach State (22-4, 13-2) on Saturday night, as the Beach swept Cal Baptist (7-19, 3-11) in the first ever meeting between the programs at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
The Beach got stronger as the match went on, which was reflected in the final score of 25-19, 25-17, 25-15. It’s the fifth time this season an LBSU opponent has failed to reach 20 points in any set.
LBSU held Cal Baptist to just .038 hitting on the night, and had a balanced offensive attack. Sidney Hamaker led the way with a match-high 11 kills to go with three aces, and Madi Maxwell once again filled up the stat sheet with 10 kills, 13 assists, eight digs and five blocks.
“Our offense did a good job moving the ball around and getting some one-on-ones, which was really key for us late in the game,” said LBSU head coach Natalie Reagan. “And then shutting them down on defense, our blockers, 14 blocks is a heck of a night. So good on both sides of the ball. Still some room for growth, but I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Saturday’s victory makes it 10 wins in a row for the Beach, their longest winning streak since earlier this season–also 10 in a row. Not since 2002 has Long Beach State had two double-digit winning streaks in the same season.
Fittingly, the last Long Beach State team to win 10 matches in a row was also the last to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament, back in 2014. When asked if she believes she’s coaching an NCAA Tournament team, Coach Reagan didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah, absolutely. This team is really special and really unique, and I think you’re already seeing a lot of the depth from this team,” Reagan said. “We talked to our leadership group this week, after we had some adversity and some different things go on with the road trip last week, and coming out the other side of that, I have full belief that we’re able to win the Big West and move on to the NCAA Tournament and go deep in the tournament. Communicating that to our leadership crew, they looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘Us too, Coach.’ and that’s exactly what you want to hear and believe from your group.”
With Long Beach currently ranked No. 51 in the RPI, the team will almost certainly need to win the Big West Tournament, which will be hosted by Cal Poly Nov. 25-28. The Beach will certainly be among the favorites, and still have a shot to be the No. 1 seed if the host Mustangs falter in the final week of the regular season.
LBSU’s latest 10-match winning streak has coincided with a lineup change, bringing sophomore setter Kinga Ziolkowska into a larger role, running a 6-2 system with Maxwell. When Maxwell rotates to the front row, she’s used as a hitter while Ziolkowska sets the ball, and it’s been yielding great results so far. Maxwell has averaged 2.63 kills per set over the last 10 matches, reaching double figures four times.
“There’s so many things about the 6-2 offensively that I love, and I think defensively there’s some things that it adds too,” Reagan explained. “But having three attackers in the front row at all times is very, very powerful, and our (back-row quick sets are) only getting better. So four attackers in a lot of rotations, and then freeing up Madi Maxwell to swing. You guys see her swing, she’s one of the best in the Big West. So having that as a tool for us full-time has been really helpful.”
CBU’s best moments on Saturday were at the start of the match as they raced out to a 4-0 lead with a pair of service aces from Avery Barber. The Lancers briefly led 5-0 before Reagan challenged a call at the net, which was overturned to make it a 4-1 CBU lead. Long Beach eventually used a 9-2 run to lead 13-9 and never looked back, holding the visitors to -.028 hitting in the first game.
Hamaker took over in set two with six kills in that game alone, and the Beach never trailed in the third set, ending the night on a 7-2 run. Maxwell executed a perfect dump shot on the last touch of the match to record her 10th kill and give the Beach their 22nd victory, matching their total from last season.
LBSU remains at home to close the regular season next weekend, hosting UC San Diego on Friday at 7 p.m. and UC Irvine on Saturday at 6 p.m.
