LBSU Tops USC in Three
Touzinsky's 20 Kills Helps LBSU to 5-1 Record
January 16, 2003 LOS ANGELES, CA – The No. 6-ranked Long Beach State men's volleyball team defeated the No. 15-ranked USC Trojans, 3-0, Friday night in the MPSF opener in the North Gym. Game scores were 30-28, 30-22, 30-19.
Long Beach State improved to 5-1 (1-0 MPSF), while Southern California dropped to 1-3 (0-1 MPSF).
Scott Touzinsky paced The Beach with a match-best 20 kills on 48 swings (four errors) for a .571 hitting percentage. Touzinsky also added six digs and four blocks. Jeff Wootton chipped in with a season-high 15 kills (.571 hitting percentage). Yassir Sliti (4 kills, three blocks), Tyler Hildebrand (three kills, 36 assists, six digs, three blocks), David Lee (three kills, six blocks), and Nate Hagstrom (three kills, six digs) highlighted the top 49er scoring. As a team, the 49ers connected for 50 kills (.395 attack percentage), 27 digs, and 9.0 total team blocks.
Blake Tippett and Joao Grangeiro led USC with eight kills each in the losing effort. The Trojans committed 21 attack errors for a .157 clip.
LBSU rallied from a 24-22 game one deficit to tie the set at 24-24, courtesy of a USC attack error. The 49ers built a 29-27 lead after a Wootton kill, and the eventual game one victory after a Trojan service error.
Long Beach State proceeded to pull away from the Trojans the rest of the match, in game two with a 24-18 lead after another Wootton kill. Two straight Wootton kills at 29-22 and 30-22 put The Beach up 2-0 for the match. LBSU left little doubt in the third set with a commanding 30-19 victory. The 49ers built a 10-3 lead off of a Touzinsky kill, and Lee finished off USC with his third kill at 30-19.
Long Beach State returns to action next Thursday, Jan. 22 vs. Pacific at 7:30 p.m. in The Pyramid.
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