Bruins
win coveted playoff spot
By
Kim Oswell
Online Forty-Niner
Sports Editor
Momentum from the win against UC Irvine Thursday was not enough to carry Long
Beach State as they fell to UCLA Saturday in the deciding game for a ticket
to the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship.
The Beach swept UCI in three games Thursday with scores of 30-26, 30-20, 30-23.
Before Thursday, UCI was 16-0 at home and had not lost a game in the Bren Center
since Jan. 27. The No. 1-ranked Anteaters had a 21-match win streak, but sophomore
Norm Hutton and the 49ers were unstoppable.
“
I keep staying aggressive and it’s working for me,” Hutton said.
Hutton had 22 kills for a .562 attack percentage. Senior Robert Tarr had 15
kills and senior Duncan Budinger had a match-high nine blocks and six kills.
Senior Tyler Hildebrand tallied 46 assists and seven digs.
“
We are excited we won the match,” said LBSU Head Coach Alan Knipe. “The
seniors led by example. Our seniors have been through a lot.”
UCI did not hit above a .194 attack percentage in all three games and totaled
36 kills against 57 from LBSU. The kill leader for UCI was Jayson Jablonsky
with 12 and Matt Weber followed with eight.
“
We knew tonight was going to be a battle,” said UCI Head Coach John Speraw. “Hutton
had an exceptional night again.
They played better than we did tonight. The experience for us is very valuable.”
The Beach scored first in all three games and Hutton had two service aces in
the third game. The win against UCI allowed LBSU to advance to Saturday’s
game against UCLA. The Bruins knocked Pepperdine out of the way in three games
in an earlier match Thursday.
The Beach started strong against UCLA Saturday by scoring first and winning
the first game 30-24. The Bruins fought back and won the next three games 30-28,
30-23, 30-24. Long Beach state defeated No. 5-ranked UCLA in two out of three
matches during the season.
“
I think both teams came out and played with a lot of energy,” Knipe said. “They
played aggressive even when they made mistakes. It didn’t surprise me
the way the match played out.”
Hutton had a career-high 27 kills in the match and Tarr had 12 kills. Hildebrand
had 48 assists and two kills in his final game as a senior.
“
While I was here, I knew I ended up in a great place,” Hildebrand said. “I
don’t really have any regrets. I wish the season could have ended up
different.”
LBSU had the edge in the first game with a .348 attack percentage compared
to .147 by the Bruins. Hutton and Tarr each had four kills in the first game,
contributing to the 55 total kills on the night.
The second game was close and was point-for-point the whole way, with UCLA
scoring and LBSU immediately reciprocating to keep the score tight. LBSU trailed
UCLA throughout the third and were down 18-20 when a timeout was called, but
the 49ers never reclaimed the lead.
UCLA scored first in the fourth on a service error by LBSU and won 30-24 to
secure the playoff spot. The 49ers had just .172 attack percentage compared
to .481 by UCLA. The offensive leaders for the Bruins were Steve Klosterman
with 16 kills, Paul George with 16 kills and Nick Scheftic with 13 kills. UCLA
also had 10 service aces and hit .366 as a team. UCLA recorded 27 service errors
while LBSU had 20.
“
UCLA gave us a much different level of intensity than Irvine,” Knipe
said. “The level of play was like a championship should be. At the end
we played our best volleyball when we needed to. As a coach, I am extremely
proud of these guys.”
The UCI Bren Center was filled with fans from both schools who were there to
support men’s volleyball. The LBSU band, cheer team and mascot were present
to promote spirit thanks to the Beach Pride Center. However, the Bruins did
not send their band or cheer team and the 49er band taunted the Bruins’ sidelines
throughout the match.
The 49er volleyball lost in similar fashion to men’s basketball in the
Big West tournament only a few weeks prior. Both teams played well throughout
the season, but could not come through when it mattered in the championship
game.
The Bruins advance to the championship spot in Pennsylvania next weekend.
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