49ERS DOWN BALL STATE, 3-1
LONG BEACH, CA -- The No. 4 ranked Long Beach State men's volleyball team topped the Ball State Cardinals, 3-1, on Friday night at The Pyramid. Game scores were 30-24, 31-33, 30-24, 30-27.
Long Beach State improved to 13-7 on the season, while Ball State dropped to 10-6.
Five players led the 49ers in double-figure kills, including Jeff Wootton, who posted a match-best 19 kills for a .455 hitting percentage. Scott Touzinsky added 18 kills and six blocks, while David Lee contributed 16 kills, five digs, and seven blocks. Duncan Budinger and Robert Tarr combined for 23 kills to highlight the top 49er scoring. As a team, LBSU hit over .403 for the match, making it the fourth time in five matches that they have hit .400 or better. Tyler Hildebrand, the nation's leader in assists per game, registered a match-high 68. Josh Zuidema led Ball State with a team-high 15 kills in the losing effort. Matthew Denmark and Zoran Grabovac chipped in with 12 and 11 kills, respectively.
Wootton helped the 49ers take advantage early over Ball State, registering seven kills in the first frame for a .545 hitting percentage. Tarr added six kills, while Hildebrand posted 20 assists, to give Long Beach State the 30-24 game one victory. As a team, LBSU recorded 22 kills for a .444 attack percentage (22-6-36). Zuidema and Josh Lee led Ball State with three kills in the frame. BSU only managed 11 kills in the set and a .242 attack percentage.
A Ball State service ace would give the Cardinals a 33-31 game two victory. Denmark posted six kills in the frame, while Zuidema added five. Despite committing seven attack errors, BSU managed to post a .385 hitting percentage, behind 22 kills in the set. LBSU continued to hit over .400 in the frame (.429) behind Wootton, who had four kills, raising his match total to 11. Lee added four kills as well.
LBSU would regain the upper-hand in the match, after taking game three, 30-24. Wootton added five kills, while Touzinsky chipped in with three. By the end of the third game, four LBSU players had double figures in kills (Wootton, Touzinsky, Lee, and Tarr). Ball State plagued itself by committing seven attack errors (13-7-31) for a .194 hitting percentage.
Long Beach State would close out the Cardinals, 30-27 in the fourth and final frame.
The 49ers will take on Penn State at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow night at The Pyramid.
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