49ers Prepare for UCLA in MPSF Semifinals
LBSU 26-5 on the Season
April 26, 2004 PDF Version of this RELEASE 26-5, 18-4 MPSF
Home: 15-2 • Away: 9-2 • Neutral: 2-1
AVCA Rank: #2 / VB Mag Rank: #2 MPSF Tournament Info: No. 2-ranked and No. 2-seeded Long Beach State (26-5) faces UCLA (24-5) in the second MPSF semifinal match on Thursday, Apr. 29 at 9:00 p.m. (8:00 PST) in Provo, UT. Host and No. 1-seed BYU faces No. 4-seed Pepperdine in the first MPSF semifinal match on Thursday, Apr. 29 at 7:00 p.m. (6:00 PST).
Websites:
The 49er-Bruins match can be heard live at www.BroadcastMonsters.com.
You can also find the match at www.mpsports.org. Be sure to check out the 49er website at www.longbeachstate.com for any updates.
Last Week Recap:
Long Beach State opened up the MPSF 1st Rd. playoffs with a 3-0 sweep over UC Santa Barbara on Apr. 24. Game scores were 30-17, 30-27, 30-25. Scott Touzinsky paced The Beach with a match-high 21 kills, while Jeff Wootton added 16 kills, and Robert Tarr with 13 kills to highlight the top 49er kill leaders. Tyler Hildebrand notched his third double-double of the season with a match-best 51 assists and a career-high 11 digs. Hildebrand moved to No. 3 all-time at The Beach with 3,152 career assists. For his efforts, Hildebrand was named the AVCA National Player of the Week (released Apr. 26). Duncan Budinger poured in six kills, Paul Munoz chipped in with nine digs, and Nate Hagstrom netted two aces to highlight other LBSU notables. The 49ers connected for a .360 attack percentage and out-dug the Gauchos, 43-26.
49ers Land Three 1st Team All-MPSF (Released on Apr. 24):
Long Beach State men's volleyball players, Scott Touzinsky, Tyler Hildebrand, and David Lee were all named as MPSF First Team All-Conference selections, announced by league Executive Director, Al Beaird on Saturday. Teammates Jeff Wootton and Paul Munoz joined the trio as third team all-conference selections as well. Touzinsky, a senior opposite hitter from St. Louis, MO, earned the first team nod after averaging 4.56 kills, 1.83 digs, and 0.89 blocks per game in conference. Touzinsky also established an MPSF season-high 40 kills versus BYU on Jan. 30. Touzinsky already owns the school record with 151 career service aces, and ranks No. 5 all-time with 1,563 career kills. Touzinsky, who earned an MPSF Player of the Week on Feb. 4, was an MPSF third team selection last season. Last year's MPSF Freshman of the Year, Hildebrand, earned first team honors after averaging 14.38 assists and 1.28 digs per game, while posting a .432 attack percentage in league play. The sophomore setter from Mesa, AZ registered an MPSF season-high 81 assists vs. BYU on Jan. 30. Hildebrand was both the MPSF and AVCA National Player of the Week on Mar. 8. David Lee rounded out the first team selections after notching 1.49 blocks (No. 1) and a .438 attack percentage in conference action. The senior middle blocker from Alpine, CA also ranked in the top-5 in the country in blocks per game throughout the season, and will leave as one of the program's all-time best hitters with a .416 career attack percentage. Jeff Wootton and Paul Munoz rounded out the 49er all-conference representation with third team honors. Wootton, a senior outside hitter from Huntington Beach, CA, averaged close to 4.00 kills per game in league play, and became the 13th player in school history to record over 1,000 career kills, while Munoz, a junior libero from Huntington Beach, CA registered a team-best 165 digs (219 overall) in conference play. Super Soph:
Last year's AVCA Newcomer of the Year and MPSF Freshman of the Year, Tyler Hildebrand was named as an MPSF 1st Team All-Conference selection this year. Hildebrand has netted 1,559 assists this season (14.17/gm) and 3,152 for his career. His 3,152 assists are third all-time at Long Beach State since 1988. Hildebrand broke the 49er sophomore single-season record for assists (1,508), after her recorded a match-high 64 vs. UC Santa Barbara on Apr. 10. He broke the freshman single season assist total last season as well. He was awarded the AVCA National Player of the Week for the second time this season after registering his third double-double of the season with a match-high 51 assists (17.00/gm) and a career-high 11 digs in the 3-0 1st Rd. Playoff win over UCSB on Apr. 24. His 51 assists also vaulted him to No. 3 all-time at LBSU with 3,152 career assists. Tyler connected for 64 assists, three blocks, and a career-high four kills vs. the Gauchos (4/10). He notched 43 assists and three kills in a 3-0 sweep over CSUN on Apr. 8. For the week (Apr. 8-10), Hildebrand compiled a 15.29 assists per game average and a .636 hitting percentage. At Hawaii (Apr. 2-3), Hildebrand totaled 126 assists, 13 digs, five kills, and eight blocks. He registered 65 assists on 65 TA and no errors for a 1.000 assist percentage vs. UH on 4/2. He averaged 14.86 assists per game on the Pacific-Stanford swing (Mar. 26-27), and directed the offense to a .419 hitting percentage at Stanford on 3/27. Hildebrand was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2004 Beach Bash (Mar. 19-20) after directing the 49er offense to a .437 attack percentage. He also totaled 98 assists, 10 digs, and six blocks in the two-day tournament. He registered his second double-double of the season at UC Irvine on 3/10 with 56 assists and career-tying high, 10 digs. He was named the AVCA National Player of the Week and MPSF Player of the Week on March 8, after registering 70 assists, three kills, and four blocks in a 3-2 win over Pepperdine (3/5). It was the first AVCA National Player of the Week selection since David McKienzie earned the distinction back on April 9, 2001.Hildebrand netted a season and MPSF season-high 81 assists versus BYU on Jan. 30, while also chipping in a career-high four aces. Hildebrand collected a double-double (65 assists, 10 digs) versus CS Northridge on 1/10. He compiled 68 assists, four digs, and a career-high 2 block solos versus Stanford on Jan. 9. Hildebrand chipped in 36 assists, six digs, three blocks, and three kills at USC on 1/16. Hildebrand poured in three kills, 67 assists, eight digs and one ace versus Stanford on Jan. 23. Hildebrand recorded 48 assists in three games (16.00/gm) at UCLA on Feb. 11. Hildebrand netted 49 assists and three blocks vs. USC on 2/19. During the seven-match winning streak (Feb. 4-Feb. 25), Hildebrand averaged 14.81 assists, 1.29 digs, .76 blocks, and .48 kills per game. He is No. 1 in the nation in total assists (1,559), and No. 1 in the nation for per game average (14.17) as of Apr. 22. Hildebrand also owns a .390 attack percentage this season as well.
Scott Sends it In:
Last season, Scott Touzinsky became just the 12th player in school history to record 1,000 career kills. Now Touzinsky stands No. 5 all-time at the Beach with 1,584 career kills. Touzinsky has passed Matt Prosser (1,147 kills), Geoff Cryst (1,167 kills), Zack Small (1,169 kills), Tom Hoff (1,230), Gaby Amar (1,308 kills), and recently Jim Polster (1,360 kills) for No. 5 all-time on the 49er career kill chart with 1,584. This season Touzinsky has recorded 20 or more kills 11 times, including a new career-high and 2004 MPSF season-high, 40 kills established versus BYU on Jan. 30. In fact Touzinsky posted his first double-double of the season in that 40 kill match, adding a season-high 15 digs versus the Cougars (1/31). Touzinsky collected 71 kills at the UCSB E-Bar Tournament (Jan. 9-10), including 29 versus Stanford (1/9) and 30 versus CS Northridge (1/10). He was named as the MPSF Player of the Week for the period ending Feb. 10 when he notched 25 kills in a 3-1 road win a Pepperdine on Feb. 4. The win helped snap LBSU's six-match losing streak to the Waves. Touzinsky connected for his second double-double of the season with 12 kills and 11 digs at UCLA on Feb. 11. He posted a team-best 18 kills, with six digs and five blocks in a 3-0 win a CS Northridge on Feb. 25. He turned in a team-high 21 kills in a 3-2 win over Pepperdine on Mar. 5. He netted a match-high 28 kills at UCI (3/10), and a match-high 19 kills vs. UCLA on Mar. 12. He recorded a two-match per game kill average of 6.71. He reached double-digits in kills for the 17th time this season with 16 versus IPFW on 3/20. In that same match vs. IPFW, Touzinsky recorded a match and single-season team-high, five aces. Touzinsky was the hero in the come-from-behind rally at Hawaii (4/3) with 22 kills, nine digs, five blocks, and one ace. It was his lone ace that ended the match. He reached double-digits in kills for the 21st time this season when he poured in a match-high 23 in a 3-1 win vs. UC Santa Barbara (4/10). On senior night, Scott poured in a match-high 17 kills in a 3-0 victory over UC San Diego on Apr. 17. He poured in 21 kills and seven digs in the MPSF 1st Round playoff win over UCSB (Apr. 24). The 1st Team All-MPSF selection has recorded a team-best 494 kills this season for a 4.57 per game average (No. 10 in the nation as of Apr. 22).
Wootton's Way:
Senior Jeff Wootton recorded his 1,000th career kill with a team-high 17 in a 3-1 win over IPFW on Mar. 20. Wootton is the 13th player in Long Beach State history to compile 1,000 or more kills in a career . Wootton was also named as an MPSF 3rd Team All-Conference selection. He was named to the All-Tournament Team for the 2004 Beach Bash (Mar. 19-20). Wootton registered his 900th career kill at Pepperdine on February 4, after posting 20. Wootton slammed home 15 kills (.571 attack percentage) at USC on Jan. 16 in the MPSF opener. Wootton recorded a season and match-high 21 kills in a 3-1 victory over Stanford on Jan. 23. He recorded a team-high 18 kills versus BYU on Jan. 28, and recorded his first double-double of the season with 17 kills and career-high 13 digs versus BYU on Jan. 30. Wootton paved the way with a team-high 15 kills to defeat No. 1-ranked UCLA, 3-0 on Feb. 11. Wootton recorded 12 kills and seven digs versus USC on 2/19. He posted 14 kills in a 3-2 win over Pepperdine on March 5. He registered 15 kills in a 3-0 victory over UCLA (3/12). Wootton averaged 6.86 kills and 1.29 digs per game over the Pacific-Stanford weekend (Mar. 26-27), including a season-high 25 kills and a career-high 4 aces at Stanford on Mar. 27. Wootton posted his second double-double of the season with 21 kills and 12 digs at Hawaii on Apr. 2. He notched 14 kills , six digs, and three blocks the following night in the come-from-behind victory over the Warriors (4/3). He contributed with 13 kills and nine digs vs. CSUN (4/8), and 14 kills and five digs vs. UCSB on 4/10. Turned in 12 kills, seven digs, and five blocks on senior night vs. UC San Diego (4/17). Reached double-figures in kills for the 18th time this season with 16 vs. the Gauchos in the 1st Rd. of the MPSF Playoffs on Apr. 24.
The Block is Hot:
Middle Blocker David Lee ranks No. 1 in the MPSF and No. 3 in the country in blocks per game at 1.44 (13 BS, 141 BA) as of Apr. 22. Lee averaged 1.49 blocks per game in the MPSF. Entering the 2004 season David Lee compiled a career attack percentage of .415, 4th highest all-time at Long Beach State. This season Lee has 272 kills (65 errors) on 497 total attempts for a .416 attack percentage. Currently Lee's career hitting percentage stands at .415 (5th highest in program history). Lee connected for his 700th career kill in the season opener vs. La Verne (1/6), and slammed career kill No. 800 at UCLA on Feb. 11. This season Lee has registered double-digits in kills 15 times, and posted back-to-back double digit kill performances versus Pacific (10) and Stanford (11), and versus BYU on Jan. 28 with 18 and Jan. 30 with 13. In fact Lee tallied a .645 attack percentage in two victories over Pacific an Stanford (Jan. 22-23) (21-1-31). Lee went error-free in back-to-back matches against UCLA and UC Irvine, recording 16 kills on 29 swings for a .552 attack percentage. He registered 13 kills and seven blocks in a 3-2 win over Pepperdine on March 5. He registered 10 blocks versus UCLA on Mar. 10. He posted 13 kills and six blocks vs. IPFW on Mar. 20. Lee recorded his 900th career kill at Pacific (3/26) after registering 12 kills. He had back-to-back double-digit kill totals at Hawaii (Apr. 3-4) when he recorded a season-high 19 on 4/2 and 11 on 4/3. He hit .692 at UH on Apr. 2 and connected for eight blocks on Apr. 3.
This Bud's For You:
Sophomore middle blocker, Duncan Budinger has compiled a .482 attack percentage this season (No. 4 in the country as of Apr. 22), registering 181 kills (34 errors) on 305 total attempts. If he keeps his current pace, he will place third for the highest attack percentage for a single season in program history. Budinger is also on pace to break the sophomore single season hitting percentage (.446), held by Dustin McCappin in 2001. Budinger holds the freshman single season hitting percentage record at. 469. His .475 attack percentage is No. 1 all-time at The Beach (min. 400 attempts). Budinger recorded his 400th career kill vs. UC Santa Barbara on Apr. 10.
Exclusive Company:
Scott Touzinsky became the third player in NCAA men's volleyball history, since rally scoring was introduced in 2001, to record 40 or more kills in a single match. In fact Touzinsky tied former LBSU great Dave McKienzie who had 40 kills against UCLA on January 26, 2001. The record for most kills (in rally scoring) is 43 by Jeff Ptak of IPFW on March 21, 2003. Touzinsky's 40 kills have been the most since Ptak set the record. Furthermore, Touzinsky became the eighth player in Long Beach State history to record 40 or more kills in a single match. Brent Hilliard registered 40 or more kills 13 times in his career.
Nice Ace:
Touzinsky, as mentioned earlier, broke the school record for career aces with his 133rd versus Stanford (1/23). Touzinsky broke the 11 year mark held by Brent Hilliard who had 132 career aces from 1990-93. Currently Touzinsky, who has 36 aces this season, holds the school record with 152.
Patrolling the Backrow:
Junior Paul Munoz has recorded a team-best 228 digs (2.11 per game average), including back-to-back 12 dig performances versus Stanford (1/9) and CS Northridge on 1/10. Munoz connected for a season-high 18 digs in a 3-1 victory over Pepperdine on Feb. 4. He reached 12 digs for the third time this season vs. UCI on Feb. 13. He notched 13 digs in a win over Pepperdine on Mar. 5. He tallied a match-high 10 digs in a 3-1 victory over UCSB (4/10). Munoz has eight double-digit dig performances this season. Munoz ranked in the top-10 in the MPSF in digs per game this season, and No. 17 in the country as of Apr. 22.
Depth Not an Issue at The Beach:
One of the luxuries head coach Alan Knipe has this season is his bench. Knipe has inserted in the rotations this season, Robert Tarr (2.13 kills/gm, 16 aces), Clint Coe (.86 kills/gm), and Nate Hagstrom (1.26 kills/gm, 1.12 digs/gm, 25 aces). Tarr and Hagstrom were both named to the All-Tournament Team in the 2004 Beach Bash. Tarr connected for 13 kills and seven digs in the 3-0 sweep over UCSB in the MPSF 1st Rd. playoff match (Apr. 24). Tarr poured in 13 kills and five digs in a 3-1 win over UCSB (4/10). It was the 8th time this season he notched double-digits in kills. Tarr turned in 12 kills, five digs, three blocks, and one ace at Hawaii (4/3). He registered his first double-double of the season with a match-high 11 kills and 10 digs in a 3-0 victory over Rutgers-Newark on Mar. 19. Tarr also celebrated his birthday earlier this season with 17 kills versus Stanford at the UCSB Tournament (1/9), and recorded a career-high four aces versus Pacific on Jan. 22. Tarr also reached double-digits in kills with a team-high 15 at UCSB on Feb. 27. During the seven-match win streak (Feb. 4-Feb. 25), Hagstrom averaged 1.48 kills and 1.43 digs per game, including a team-high 13 service aces. Hagstrom established a career-high 12 kills vs. USC on Feb. 19, and a career-high 11 digs at Pepperdine on Feb. 4. He recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 kills and career-high 12 digs vs. Pepperdine (3/5). Hagstrom tallied a career-best five block assists at UCI on Mar. 10. Hagstrom turned in two aces, six digs, and four blocks at UH on Apr. 2. Hagstrom served a match-high two aces in the 1st Rd. MPSF playoff match vs. UC Santa Barbara (Apr. 24). On senior night, Clint Coe recorded 11 kills, three digs, and a block vs. UC San Diego on Apr. 17. And Rob Kijewski enjoyed senior night vs. the Tritons, pouring in a career-high 42 assists, two aces, six digs, and four blocks. Other reserves saw playing time versus UC Santa Cruz on Feb. 6, including Teddy Liles (10 kills), Kevin Cape (4 kills), and Kijewski (16 assists). Knipe inserted his reserves once more versus Rutgers-Newark on Mar. 19. Liles posted five kills and two aces on 3/19. In fact Liles ended the match with his second service ace. Tyler Caldwell netted four digs vs. Rut-Newark (3/19). Cape registered his first career service ace vs. IPFW on Mar. 20. Redshirt freshman transfer Thiago Barbosa made his 49er debut at Pepperdine on Feb. 4. Barbosa got more playing time versus UC Santa Cruz on Feb. 6, recording seven kills on nine swings. He recorded his first service ace at UC San Diego on Feb. 21.
LBSU Nets High Percentage:
Long Beach State has hit for a .349 attack percentage this season (No. 5 in the nation as of Apr. 22), while limiting its opponents to just a .247 clip. The 49ers have compiled 1881 kills for a 16.50 per game average. In fact LBSU owns the MPSF high for kills in a match with 86 versus BYU on Jan. 30. Moreover, Long Beach State has hit over .350 14 times this season including a .514 hitting percentage vs. Rutgers-Newark, a .553 attack percentage versus UC Santa Cruz on Feb. 6 (60-8-94), a .454 clip (75-16-130) vs. Stanford on Jan. 9 and a .395 clip at USC on Jan. 16 (50-16-86). The all-time best hitting percentage in program history was set by the 1992 squad (.377).
Steady at No. 2:
Long Beach State (26-5, 18-4) will likely remain at No. 2 in the AVCA Top-15 Poll when it is released on April 27. It is the ninth time that LBSU has been ranked at the No. 2 slot this season. LBSU has not been below No. 6 all season in the AVCA poll.
Best Win Total for Knipe:
Head coach Alan Knipe already surpassed his 2000 single season win total of 18, with his 26th win of the season vs. UCSB on April 24.
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