49ers gearing up for official season with fall tournaments

Volleyball • Junior outside hitter Robert Tarr looks to lead the 49ers back to the NCAA final four this season. Matt Brown/ CSULB Sports Information

Volleyball • Senior outside hitter Nate Hagstrom appeared in 63 games last season totaling 11 aces, 11 digs and four kills. Matt Brown/CSULB Sports Information

 

By Moria Khou
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer

The 49ers' men's volleyball season doesn't officially begin until January but the team went 4-1 in a tune-up exhibition tournament in Las Vegas last Saturday.

Long Beach State opened the tournament against the Las Vegas All-Stars and defeated the home club in three games (30-15, 30-25, 30-23). In the second match, Long Beach State's "B" squad went head-to-head against USC's "B" squad and won in four games, (18-30, 30-26, 30-24, 30-24). UC Irvine's fate wasn't any better as the 49ers closed out the match in three games, (30-24, 30-22, 30-24). The 49ers' "B" team suffered its only loss in the tournament by the Las Vegas All-Stars. Long Beach State redeemed itself in the final match of the tournament against USC in three games, (30-28, 30-28, 39-37).

Assistant Coach Matt Prosser views the exhibition matches as a good building block for the team.

"USC is going to be a good team," he said. "The games are really important and it's a measuring stick as to where we are at."

Sophomore Justin May from Corona made a big impression on the coaching staff as he scored 32 points against USC in the first match and posted the match winning block in the final game against USC in the final match.

Like Prosser, assistant coach Andy Read held a positive outlook to the games in Las Vegas.

"It's been a good fall, a fall that has seen the team shape an identity, have a few failures but respond with renewed and improved performance next time out," he said. "We are learning how to play the game, and it's great to watch."

The Long Beach State's team consists of a mixture of both young and experienced players.

Junior Tyler Hildebrand was named an All-American in the July issue of Volleyball Magazine and is returning to a team that was No. 2 in the nation last season.

"Experienced players are important to the core of our team, while the young players learn the system," Prosser said. "You can never have too much depth on a team and you're only one injury away from being in the lineup."

Other returning players for The Beach include Nate Hagstrom, Duncan Budinger, Yassir Sliti, Paul Munoz and Robert Tarr.

Also returning at the helm for his fifth season is Head Coach Alan Knipe who was named the 2004 national coach of the year by American Volleyball Coach Association (AVCA).

The key players the 49ers lost from last year's team are David Lee, Scott Touzinsky and Jeff Wooton. All three were All-Americans at Long Beach State as Lee played professionally in Puerto Rico.

The 49ers recently returned from the Can-Am Tournament in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Long Beach State split the four matches against the Canadian teams.

Trinity West closed out the 49ers in three games, (25-23, 25-21, 25-22). Long Beach State bounced back in the second match to defeat Manitoba in four games, (23-25, 25-19,25-16, 26-24). In the third match, the 49ers put Saskatchewan away in four games, (25-18, 25-19, 21-25, 25-16). In the final match of the Can-Am Tournament, Alberta handed the 49ers a defeat in four games, (25-18, 24-14, 23-25, 25-18).

"Now we have played somebody besides ourselves...we have some areas we need to get better at," Read said.

Last season, Long Beach State fell in heartbreaking fashion to Brigham Young University in the NCAA finals. However, unlike the Cougars who lost a lot of players, the 49ers' core remains intact.

The team has its sights on winning it all this season, rather than falling a game short.

"That's always our goal," Prosser said.

The men's volleyball team will be in action this weekend when they host a tournament in The Pyramid all day Saturday.