The Long Beach State Beach women's volleyball team is an NCAA Division I women's volleyball team for California State University, Long Beach. They are a member of the Big West Conference and are led by head coach Natalie Reagan.
The team has won five national championships: two AIAW titles and three NCAA Division I titles. The Beach have played in the Big West Conference since the conference began sponsoring women's sports. Long Beach has the Big West regular season six times, most recently in 2014. Long Beach has not won the conference's tournament since it began in 2023.
Long Beach was the very first women's volleyball program to have a perfect season. They did so in 1998, finishing with a record of 36–0, and winning the national championship over Penn State.
The program has boasted a number of notable players; Olympian and 1988 & 1989 National Player of the Year Tara Cross; 1991 National Player of the Year Antoinette White; 1993 National Player of the Year Danielle Scott; and Olympian and 1997 & 1998 National Player of the Year and Misty May.
Program record and history Source: {| class="wikitable" |- !Year !Head Coach !Overall record !Conference record !Conference standing !Postseason
| 1964 | Dr. Frances Schaafsma | 4–4 | — | —
| 1965 | Dr. Frances Schaafsma | 9–3 | — | —
| 1966 | Dr. Frances Schaafsma | 10–2 | — | —
| 1967 | Dr. Frances Schaafsma | 11–1 | — | —
| 1968 | Dr. Frances Schaafsma | 15–2 | — | —
| 1969 | Dr. Frances Schaafsma | 19–9 | — | — | AIAW Nationals: 4th |- | 1970 | Dr. Frances Schaafsma | 24–6 | — | — | AIAW Runner-up |- | 1971 | Ann Heck | 28–5 | — | — | AIAW Runner-up
| 1974 | Dixie Grimmett | 26–7–1 | — | — |AIAW Nationals: 5th |- | 1975 | Dixie Grimmett | 27–6 | — | — |AIAW Nationals: 4th
| 1976 | Dixie Grimmett | 12-8–2 | 4–4 | 5th |AIAW Regionals |- | 1977 | Dixie Grimmett | 17–17–1 | 3–5 | 7th |AIAW Nationals: 5th |- | 1978 | Dixie Grimmett | 23–14–2 | 2–6 | 7th |AIAW Regionals |- | 1979 | Dixie Grimmett | 19–10 | 8–4 | 4th |AIAW Regionals |- | 1980 | Dixie Grimmett | 10–20 | 2–12 | 8th
| 1981 | Dixie Grimmett | 12–21 | 1–11 | 7th
| 1982 | Dixie Grimmett | 8–28 | 0–14 | 8th
| 1983 | Dixie Grimmett | 12–21 | 2–12 | 7th
| 1984 | Dixie Grimmett | 18–15 | 3–11 | 7th
| 1986 | Brian Gimmillaro | 15–17 | 6–12 | 7th
| 2002 | Brian Gimmillaro | 28–4 | 15–3 | 2nd |NCAA First Round |- | 2003 | Brian Gimmillaro | 19–11 | 12–6 | T–2nd |NCAA First Round
| 2006 | Brian Gimmillaro | 26–6 | 12–2 | 2nd |NCAA Second Round |- | 2007 | Brian Gimmillaro | 26–7 | 14–2 | 2nd |NCAA Second Round
Team facts
Head coach 1964–1970: Dr. Frances Schaafsma 1971: Ann Heck 1972–1984: Dixie Grimmett 1985–2016: Brian Gimmillaro 2017–2021: Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer 2021: Sabrina Hernandez 2022–2023: Tyler Hildebrand 2024–present: Natalie Reagan Brian Gimmillaro led Long Beach to all three of their NCAA recognized championships, and has received the National Coach of the Year award twice during his career: once in 1989, and the other in 1998. Upon his retirement, Long Beach has not found a coach with his sustained longevity, currently on their third coach since 2017. Their current coach, Reagan, played at Oregon State during her college career.
League 1966–80: Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) 1981–present: NCAA Division I
National championships 1972: AIAW by defeating BYU 1973: AIAW by defeating Texas Women's 1989: NCAA by defeating Nebraska, 15–12, 15–0, 15–6 1993: NCAA by defeating Penn State, 15–13, 12–15, 15–11, 16–14 1998: NCAA by defeating Penn State, 15–3, 15–10, 13–15, 14–16, 15–12
See also List of NCAA Division I women's volleyball programs
References
External links