NINERS FACE PEPPERDINE IN MPSF PLAYOFFS PDF VERSION of this RELEASE 17-12, 11-11 MPSF
Home: 10-5 • Away: 5-6 • Neutral: 2-1
No. 8 AVCA Quickly:
The No. 8 ranked men's volleyball team (17-12, 11-11) clinched the 8th and final MPSF Playoff spot with its victory over UCSB on April 11. LBSU will face #1 seed Pepperdine on Saturday, April 19 on the Pepperdine campus in Malibu. Match time is set for 7:00 p.m. Fans can listen to the game, via the Pepperdine Athletics Site:
http://www.pepperdine.edu/athletics/yahoo.mvb.htm
MPSF 1st Round Information:
Top-ranked Pepperdine will host No. 8 seed Long Beach State in a first round Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Tournament match at Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday night beginning at 7 p.m.
Head coach Marv Dunphy's team, 22-4 overall and 19-3 in MPSF play, secured the regular season conference title and the top seed for the league's post-season tournament with a 30-25, 30-19, 30-24 victory over No. 3 ranked Brigham Young last Saturday night in Malibu.
Long Beach State is currently 17-12 overall and finished eighth in the final MPSF standings with a league record of 11-11.
Ticket prices for Saturday night's match are $10 for adults and $5 for children and students with valid ID cards. Recapping the Week:
vs. UC Santa Barbara 4/11
The No. 8 ranked Long Beach State men's volleyball team clinched an MPSF playoff berth with a 3-0 sweep over the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, Friday night at the Robertson Gym. Game scores were 30-24, 30-23, 30-22. Long Beach State finished the regular season at 17-12 /11-11 MPSF, while the Gauchos fell to 9-20 / 4-17 MPSF. With the victory, The Beach will more than likely nab the No. 8 seed.
Scott Touzinsky led Long Beach State with a match-high 18 kills. This was the 28th time in 29 matches that Touzinsky has posted double-digits in kills this season. Duncan Budinger and David Lee recorded 12 kills each to round out the top 49er scoring. Freshman setter Tyler Hildebrand registered his 1,500 assist of the season after posting a match-high 47 (1,542). Paul Munoz posted a match-best 10 digs. As a team, LBSU hit for a .467 clip, registering 52 kills on 90 total attempts (10 errors). Adam Ulfers led UCSB with 14 kills in the losing effort. The Beach never hit below .433 in all three games.
vs. CS Northridge 4/9
The No. 8 ranked Long Beach State men's volleyball team defeated the No. 7 ranked Cal State Northridge Matadors, 3-2 in the final home match of the season, on Wednesday evening. Game scores were 31-33, 30-28, 30-28, 24-30, 15-11.
Long Beach State improved to 16-12, 10-11 MPSF, while CS Northridge dropped to 17-11, 11-10 MPSF.
Robert Tarr and Scott Touzinsky led the Niners with 19 kills each. Jeff Wootton (18 kills), Duncan Budinger (13 kills), and David Lee (16 kills) rounded out the top 49er scoring. Paul Munoz recorded a career-best 20 digs as well, while Tyler Hildebrand set a match-best 82 assists. Nils Nielsen led CSN with a team-high 18 kills. Joe Nargi (10 kills), Brian Waite (16 kills), Stan Douglas (10 kills), and Tamer George (11 kills) all paced the Matador scoring.
News & Notes
Touzinsky Slams # 1,000:
Junior Scott Touzinsky became just the 12th player in school history to record 1,000 or more kills in a career after posting a career-best 32 kills versus Pacific on Thursday night (4/3). Touzinsky has compiled 1,079 career kills, and leads the team this season averaging 4.66 kills per game and five double-doubles.
Hildebrand Closing on Record:
Setter Tyler Hildebrand broke the 1K assist mark at the Beach Bash, and moved past Jason Stimpfig for No. 2 all-time for a frosh, registering his 1,000th assist vs. Penn State (3/15). He tallied 158 assists in two matches vs. UOP and Stanford (April 3 &4), including a personal-high 88 versus the Tigers on 4/3. His 1,542 assists this season are are currently the second highest in the program's history for a freshman (Chris Seiffert - 1,578 (‘97); Tyler Hildebrand - 1,542 (‘03); Jason Stimpfig - 1,043 (‘90). They are the only freshmen in school history to record 1,000 or more assists.
Season Highs:
The 49ers set season-highs (for a five-game match) in kills (94), hitting pct. (.387), and assists (92) versus Pacific on April 3.
Budinger's Clip is the Best:
Freshman Duncan Budinger's .463 hitting percentage (thru 29 matches) is currently the highest attack percentage for a freshman (in a single season) in school history (Brett Winslow - .445 (‘98); Dustin McCappin - .440 (‘00). Budinger also set a season-best .857 attack percentage vs. UCSB on April 11 (12-0-14).
Budinger Sets Record:
Duncan Budinger's .857 attack percentage at UCSB on April 11 (12-0-14) tied the second highest attack percentage for a single match in school history (Knipe: .857 vs. UCSD, 2/7/92).
Lee Ties Knipe for All-Time Pct.
Registering a .480 hitting percentage this season, David Lee has moved up to a tie for 4th place all-time for career hitting percentage at .412, tying head coach Alan Knipe. Furthermore, Lee's .480 hitting percentage is currently the second highest for a junior (in a single season) in school history (Matt Prosser -.489 (‘00); David Lee - .480 (‘03); Brett Winslow - .460 (‘90). Lee tops the MPSF in hitting percentage this season as well.
Wootton's Way:
Junior co-captain Jeff Wootton established new career-bests in kills (29), and hitting percentage (.533) in the 3-1 victory over Stanford on 1/11. Wootton (29-5-45) finished the match with nine digs and five block assists. This season, Wootton has recorded double-digits in kills 20 times. In fact he has had 20 or more kills five times this season. He scored his first double-double of the season after registering 22 kills and 10 digs versus USC on Jan. 28, and has four on the season. He registered his 700th career kill versus Pepperdine on March 20, and is averaging 3.39 kills per game this season.
Triple Threat:
Jeff Wootton, Scott Touzinsky, and David Lee have combined for 1,202 of the team's 1,892 total kills this season (64%).
Fab Fresh:
Head coach Alan Knipe is receiving solid contributions from his three freshman in the line-up. Duncan Budinger has filled up the middle, averaging 2.24 kills per game. He set a personal-best 15 kills in the 3-1 victory over Stanford on 2/14, and is second on the team with a .463 hitting pct. He set a new high with eight block assists vs. CSUN on 4/9. Tyler Hildebrand has been a steady force at the setter position, averaging 15.12 assists per game, and a conference-best 14.79 assists per game (as of 4/10). Hildebrand also set a personal-best 88 assists versus Pacific on April 3, and recorded a new career-high six blocks vs. CSUN on 4./9. Knipe inserted freshman Robert Tarr into the line-up for the first time this season versus UOP on 2/12. Tarr recorded a double-double with 17 kills and 11 digs in his LBSU debut. Tarr then recorded 21 kills and five digs versus Stanford the following night on 2/14. Tarr is averaging 3.70 kills and 1.44 digs per game, and has recorded double-digits in kills 13 times.
Touzinsky Joins Elite Company:
Scott Touzinsky, who has recorded at least one or more service aces in 18 out the 29 matches this season, joined Brent Hilliard as the only other player in Long Beach State history to record 100 or more service aces. Touzinsky, who has 30 aces this season, has compiled 116 career aces, 16 away from tying Hilliard.
Can You Dig It?
Paul Munoz tied a career-best 20 digs vs. CS Northridge on Apr. 9. He has posted double-figures in digs six times, a team-best.
Leading the Nation:
Moreover, Hildebrand ranks No. 1 in the Nation (as of 4/10) in assists per game (15.12).
Other Nat'l Leaders (As of 4/10):
David Lee ranks No. 5 in Hitting Pct. (.479) ... Duncan Budinger ranks No. 13 (.448) ... Scott Touzinsky ranks No. 7 in kills per game (4.63)...Lee ranks No. 16 in blocks per game (1.19).
MPSF Extras:
As a team, LBSU set MPSF highs in Assists (92), Kills (94), and Points Scored (108) vs. Pacific on 4/3. They also set an MPSF best 65 Digs vs. Pepperdine on 1/31...Individually, Hildebrand's 88 assists versus the Tigers are an MPSF best this season, as well.
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