Online Forty Niner: v8n21: 49er "Dream Team" comes home

Fifteen of the most elite 49er volleyball alumni, including three Olympians, twelve All-Americans, and four national players of the year, the "Dream Team," will grace The Pyramid at 7:30 p.m. as they take on the current 49er squad in an exhibition match.

Fresh off the plane from Sydney, Australia are Olympic indoor volleyball players Tara Cross-Battle and Danielle Scott, members of the U.S. team that lost to Brazil in the bronze-medal match.

"Tara (Cross-Battle) and I agree that it should be fun," Scott said. "I look forward to seeing how good Long Beach is this year, challenge them and hopefully we are not too jet lagged to school them a bit."

Also playing is beach volleyball player Misty May, who, along with partner Holly McPeak, lost in the quarterfinals to Brazilian bronze-medal winners Adriana Samuel and Sandra Pires. "I think it's going to be real exciting to get all the past players back in the gym, especially players I watched over the years," May said. "Antoinette (White) was my club coach, and it will be fun to see her again, because I have not seen her in ages."

The aforementioned, along with Antoinette White, are all former national players of the year for The Beach.

Among the "Dream Team" players are fourteen championship rings (1989-four, 1993-five, and 1998-five).

"It's kind of a dream of mine to see all of these players on the same court at the same time," said Head Coach Brian Gimmillaro. "If you're a volleyball player and you have a chance to play against legends of the game, it's a once in a lifetime thing, it's something to remember."

The current 49er squad (9-4 overall, 1-3 Big West), has dropped to No. 18 in the country in the AVCA poll and No. 15 in the Volleyball Magazine poll after Saturday's loss to Pacific.

The 49ers are led by middle blockers Cheryl Weaver (3.96 kills per game), and Tayyiba Haneef (3.86 kills per game). Setter Brittany Hochevar has paced The Beach this season with 567 assists and 29 service aces on the year.

"We're going to try to beat them. We're going to compete to beat those old people," Gimmillaro said with a laugh. Tickets are still available, and LBSU students will be admitted for free with ID.