49ers DEFEAT CSN IN FINAL HOME MATCH
Tarr, Touzinsky Pace Beach with 19 Kills Each
LONG BEACH, CA – 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 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.
The Matadors withstood a mid-game and two late rallies by The Beach in game one, to win 33-31. The set featured 18 ties as well. Waite (5 kills), combined with Nielsen (4 kills) and Nargi (4 kills) paced CS Northridge in the frame. Duncan Budinger led the 49ers with eight kills in the frame with a perfect 1.000 attack percentage (8k-0e-8ta). Wootton, Touzinsky, and Lee all registered four kills each, as well. As a team, Northridge connected for a .385 hitting percentage, while LBSU went for a .326 attack percentage. After Long Beach State tied the game at 31, Northridge reeled off two consecutive kills by Nielsen and Waite, respectively for the victory.
The 49ers rallied behind Tarr's seven kills in game two, to claim the 30-28 victory. Budinger continued his hot hitting, netting one more kill in the frame for a .818 hitting percentage. Munoz had a solid defensive effort in the set, totaling three digs to raise his match total to 11. LBSU also picked up its blocking at the net, connecting for 10 blocks. Although LBSU's attack percentage dropped in the frame to .263, Northridge dropped even lower at .182 (14k-8e-33ta). Nargi registered five kills in the game.
Long Beach State would gain an edge in the match with a 30-28 game three victory. Tarr continued to pace LBSU with seven more kills to raise his match total to 17. By the end of the frame, Tarr, Wootton, Touzinsky, Budinger, and Lee had all reached double digits in kills. After the 49ers went up 22-19, the Matadors would attempt a late rally with an 8-4 run to take a 27-26 lead. Tarr would help Long Beach State close out the game on a 3-1 run, with two consecutive kills.
Northridge would even the match up in the fourth frame, and force a fifth game with a 30-24 victory. Nielsen would pace the Matadors with five kills and five digs in the set. CSN built a 21-12 lead, and never let Long Beach State get closer than five points the rest of the way. Wootton led The Beach with seven kills in the set.
The 49ers rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the deciding game, to win 15-11.
Long Beach State wraps up its regular season at UC Santa Barbara on Friday, April 11.
BOX SCORE
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