They may be new to Stanford, but the freshmen on the No. 2 Stanford women’s volleyball team are veterans of the game. On Saturday, three rookies helped their team to a three-game sweep of No. 19 Long Beach State in the Cardinal’s season opener.

Junior outside hitter Cynthia Barboza, a Long Beach native, returned to her hometown for the first time in a Stanford jersey and spearheaded the Cardinal attack, while two freshmen hailing from Southern California — Alix Klineman and Cassidy Lichtman — started their collegiate careers in front of friends and family as well. Junior libero Jessica Fishburn is also from the Los Angeles area.

Returning from USA National Team duty over the summer, Barboza and junior middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo led the team’s offense, with senior setter Bryn Kehoe at the helm. The trio, all returning All-Americans, were ably supported by three newcomers: outside hitter Klineman, right-side hitter Lichtman and defensive specialist Gabi Ailes.

Though stepping into the major hole left by the graduation of four seniors who played in three Final Fours and won the Cardinal a championship, the freshmen did not miss a beat. They will surely make their presence felt as Stanford — ranked behind only defending national champion Nebraska — looks forward to December’s Final Four in Sacramento. This past weekend’s sweep of the 49ers was a good first step toward that goal.

Long Beach State came out firing in the first game, but missed its first two serves to keep the score close. The 49ers built a slim lead, which they managed to hold until the midway point of the game, when Stanford finally tied the score and built a lead on a seven-point service run by Akinradewo. Stanford put the game away, 30-26, on a miss by the 49ers.

Long Beach again took the first point in the second game, but the Cardinal quickly jumped out in front. Trailing by only three at 12-9, Long Beach fell back down the stretch and the Cardinal pushed its lead into double digits. Long Beach battled back and held off several game points, but Stanford sealed the 30-19 win on a tip by senior middle blocker Franci Girard.

For the third time in a row, the 49ers scored first in the final game. Neither team could build a lead larger than two points thereafter, until Stanford finally pulled away to win by three. In the closest finish of the match, Stanford finally clinched the win on a missed Long Beach serve.

Barboza led Stanford’s offensive charge with 18 kills on the evening at a .484 clip. She also tied with Kehoe with a team-high 10 digs. Kehoe dished out 45 assists with the team hitting .427 overall.

The Stanford middle attack was perfect — Akinradewo and Girard hit error-free with 10 and nine kills, respectively. Klineman and Lichtman chipped in seven and six kills, respectively.

Last year’s Big West Co-Player of the Year Alexis Crimes had 20 kills for Long Beach, but also garnered nine errors. Quincy Verdin hit a team-high .542 with 15 kills for the 49ers, while Long Beach libero Talaya Whitford notched a match-high 14 digs. After dropping both matches on the weekend, the 49ers fell to No. 24 in Monday’s poll.

The Cardinal will play on the road once again next weekend at the Diet Coke Classic in Minneapolis, Friday through Sunday. The Stanford women first meet No. 12 San Diego, then host No. 9 Minnesota and finally No. 23 Ohio.