49ers Host BYU In MPSF Tournament
April 18, 2006
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LONG BEACH STATE MEN'S VOLLEYBALL | Overall: 21-9/ MPSF: 14-8/ National Rank: #3 | Saturday, April 22
MPSF Tournament Quarterfinals
Brigham Young at Long Beach State
7 pm, Walter Pyramid
Internet: www.longbeachstate.com |
THE RECORDS
•Beach To Host MPSF Tournament Match
Long Beach State rode a four-match win streak at the end of the season to a fourth place league finish allowing the 49ers to host a quarterfinal game in the MPSF Tournament. Long Beach is 21-9 overall and finished 14-8 in the MPSF. The 49ers tied BYU at 14-8 in league play but received the higher seed due to sweeping the Cougars earlier this season. BYU is 18-8 overall and 14-8 in the MPSF. The Cougars have lost four matches in a row. In the latest CSTV/AVCA Coaches Poll the 49ers are ranked No. 3 and BYU is at No. 5.
THE COACH
•Alan Knipe in his sixth year at head coach
Alan Knipe (Long Beach State, 1992) is 119-64 (.650) in his sixth year as the head coach at Long Beach State. Knipe was an assistant at LBSU for five years before taking over the program in 2001.
THE SERIES
•49ers lead series 18-14
Long Beach State leads in its series with BYU by an 18-14 margin. The 49ers won both meetings this season at the Walter Pyramid. On April 6 the 49ers won 29-31, 26-30, 30-26, 30-22, 15-13. On April 7 Long Beach won in four games 29-31, 30-28, 30-27, 30-24.
49ERS SWEEP PACIFIC AND STANFORD
•Beach records easy wins
The 49ers picked up two wins at home to close out the regular season defeating Pacific at Stanford at the Walter Pyramid. On Friday, Robert Tarr had 17 kills and hit .714 (17-2-21) as the 49ers beat the Tigers 30-19, 30-17, 30-25. Norm Hutton added 10 kills and the 49ers hit .493 (46-11-71) in the match. Saturday the 49ers dispatched of Stanford 30-22, 30-14, 30-28. Tarr had 15 kills and six digs while Hutton added 12 kills and four aces. Duncan Budinger chipped in with 10 kills. Tyler Hildebrand had 42 assists and at team-high four blocks as LBSU hit .519 (51-10-79) in the match. In the two wins the 49ers hit a combined .507 (97-21-150).
49ERS IN MPSF TOURNAMENT
•Beach is 14-14 all-time
Long Beach State is 14-14 all-time in the WIVA/MPSF Tournament since its inception in 1990. Last year the 49ers defeated Hawaii in the opening round on the road 30-23, 30-25, 23-30, 30-22. In the MPSF semifinals at Pepperdine they defeated UCSB 30-20, 30-24, 30-25. The 49ers then fell in the finals to eventual National Champion Pepperdine 31-29, 30-21, 30-27. The last time the 49ers hosted a quarterfinal game was in 2004 when they defeated UCSB 30-25, 23-30, 30-26, 30-25. Long Beach has faced BYU three times in tournament action and hold a 2-1 advantage. The last time the two met in the tournament was in the 2004 championship match in Provo, UT where the Cougars prevailed 27-30, 32-30, 30-28, 30-24.
BYU FACTS
•Cougars look to snap four-match skid
Brigham Young finished tied for fourth place in the MPSF standings with the 49ers at 14-8, but lost the tie-breaker and head to Long Beach for the third time this season. BYU is 18-8 overall, but has lost its last four matches, all on the road. The Cougars were in Long Beach on March 17-18 at the Active Ankle Classic where they defeated Ohio State (3-1) and Rutgers-Newark (3-0). On April 6-7 they lost twice to the 49ers, the first night in five games the second night in four. BYU is led by Ivan Perez who is averaging 3.73 kills and 1.56 digs per game. Yosleyder Cala checks in at 3.95 kills per game while hitting g.365 and the two Cougar middles, Russell Holmes and Victor Batista, both have 243 kills. Holmes is hitting g.459 and Batista .410. Setter Rob Neilson is averaging 13.21 assists per game. As a team the Cougars are hitting .329 and out-blocking their opponents 2.94 to 2.49. Holmes leads the way with 146 total blocks.
BIG CROWDS
•Season-high 1,476 in attendance on April 6
On April 6 the 49ers and Cougars drew a season-high crowd of 1,476 at the Walter Pyramid. The next night 1,459 came through the turnstiles. The 1,476 was the largest crowd this season and the 1,459 was the third-largest. On January 26 there were 1,461 in attendance when LBSU hosted Pepperdine. The 1,476 crowd vs. BYU was the 11th largest in school history and the 1,459 represented the 13th largest. This season the 49ers are averaging 1,115 for their home contests, a mark which breaks the previous school record for average attendance (1,008 in 2000). Long Beach has had nine crowds of 1,000 or better this season.
WALTER PYRAMID ADVANTAGE
•49ers 11-3 at home this year
The Walter Pyramid has been kind to the 49ers as they are 11-3 at home this season. Last year the 49ers were 13-2 at home and in 2004 they were 15-2. In the last three years the 49ers are 39-7 (.848) at home. Overall since 1995 the 49ers are 138-35 (.798) at home.
ANOTHER 20 WIN SEASON
•Beach claims 21 wins
The 49ers will hit the 20-win mark for the third consecutive season this year, recording 21 victories this season. This was the 14th time in school history that a 49er men's volleyball team has reached 20 or more victories. The school record for win is 31 (31-4), set in the 1991 NCAA Championship season. Last year the 49ers were 22-10 and in 2004 they were 28-7.
49ERS IN NATIONAL STATS
• Hildebrand No. 3 in assists per game
The 49ers have several players ranked in the latest national statistics. Senior Robert Tarr ranks No. 5 in kills per game at 4.98 , No. 5 in points per game at 5.76 and No. 16 in aces per game (0.348). Tyler Hildebrand is tied for No. 3 nationally at 13.58 assists per game and Teddy Liles is No. 11 in blocks per game (1.38). As a team the 49ers are eighth in the nation in hitting percentage at .326.
THREE AND OUT IS GOOD
•Beach has recorded eleven 3-0 sweeps
The 49ers have recorded 11 3-0 sweeps this season, most recently accomplishing the feat against Pacific and Stanford. In those 11 outings the 49ers have hit an impressive .423 (571-144-1010) and limited their opponents to a .215 (453-229-1041) hitting percentage.
TYLER HILDEBRAND
•First all-time at LBSU with 6,513 assists
Senior Tyler Hildebrand (Mesa, AZ) became the career assist leader at Long Beach State on April 6 with his second assist of the game number one against BYU. Hildebrand currently stands first all-time with 6,513 career assists. He passes Jason Stimpfig's 6,324 assists (1990-93). This year Hildebrand is averaging 13.58 assists per game, a mark which is tied for No. 3 in the nation. He had a season-high 74 assists in the five-game win over CS Northridge. Besides dishing out assists, Hildebrand is hitting .420 and averaging 1.24 digs and 0.80 blocks per outing. In the two home wins last weekend over Pacific and Stanford, Hildebrand averaged 13.50 assists and 1.00 blocks per game as the 49ers hit a combined .507 (97-21-150) in the two wins. Against Stanford he had three kills, 42 assists and a team-high four blocks. Hildebrand was named the MVP of the UCSB E-Bar Collegiate Classic in January and was the MPSF/Molten Player of the Week on January 9. He was named to the Active Ankle All-Tournament Team in March after averaging 15.14 assists per game in the two 49er victories. Hildebrand also has been a force at the net in his career as he ranks No. 12 all-time at LBSU with 326 career blocks.
ROBERT TARR
•Fifth in nation at 4.98 kills per game
Senior Robert Tarr (Rockledge, FL) was selected on April 10 as the MPSF Molten Player of the Week. In the two matches against BYU that week he had 21 kills in both outings and averaged 1.44 digs and 4.67 kills per game. In the two wins this last week at home against Pacific and Stanford, Tarr averaged 5.33 kills per game while hitting .651 (32-4-43). He had 17 kills and hit a career-best .714 (17-2-21) in the sweep of Pacific. Tarr currently ranks No. - in the nation in kill average at 4.98 per game. He also is No. 5 in points per game at 5.76 and No. 16 in aces per game (0.348). Tarr currently has 1,517 career kills to rank No. 6 all-time at Long Beach State. He has hit double-digits in kills 29 times this season, he has 20 or more kills in 13 of the 30 matches and he has hit .300 or better 19 times. Tarr is also averaging 1.68 digs and 0.80 blocks per game while hitting .331. Tarr also is first on the team with 39 service aces and leads the squad with five double-double's. In the MPSF only stats, Tarr is second in kills per game at 4.83 in league matches, seconds in points per game at 5.62 and fourth in service aces at 0.354. Tarr, an all-tournament pick at the UCSB/E-Bar Tournament, recorded a season-high 35 kills against CS Northridge in the tournament semi-finals. He was also named to the all-tournament team at the Active Ankle Classic.
DUNCAN BUDINGER
•Stands at No. 11 all-time in kills
Senior Duncan Budinger (Encinitas, CA) had two good matches over the weekend averaging 2.67 kills and hitting .462 (16-4-26). The previous weekend in the two wins over BYU he averaged 2.78 kills per game and hit .360 (25-7-50). Budinger has recorded a career-high 28 kills in three matches this season (CSUN, Ohio State, at CSUN). He was the MVP of the Active Ankle Classic in March, averaging 6.0 kills per game in the two wins and hitting .478 (42-10-67). He tied his career-high against Ohio State with 28 kills and hit .590 (28-5-39). With 1,184 career kills he stands at No. 11 all-time at LBSU. Overall this year Budinger has been exceptional, averaging 3.75 kills and 0.99 blocks per game while hitting .390. He has 17 outings this year where he has hit .400 or better and eight outings hitting .500 or higher. Budinger is second on the team with 23 matches with double figures in kills. Budinger is ranked No. 2 at LBSU in hitting percentage as he now stands at .442. He also moved up to No. 7 in career blocking with 389 blocks. Two times this season he has been selected as the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week ( January 17, March 13) and on March 13 he was the Molten MPSF co-Player of the Week.
TEDDY LILES
•First on team with 152 blocks
Junior Teddy Liles (Tucson, AZ) has been having a solid season for the 49ers. He is first on the team in blocking with 152 blocks (1.38 bpg). Liles is averaging 2.01 kills per game and is hitting an impressive .392. In Friday's win over Pacific Liles had eight kills, hit .636 (8-1-11) and recorded 10 block assists. It was his second double-digit blocking effort this season. In the five-game win over BYU he had nine kills and nine blocks and then came back with 10 kills and six blocks on Friday night. Liles ranks sixth in the MPSF in blocking at 1.44 blocks per game in conference outings. Nationally he ranks No. 11 in blocking. Eight times he has hit double digits in kills including a season-high 13 kills in a win at UCSB and at home against UC Irvine. Liles was named to the UCSB/E-Bar All-Tournament team after averaging 2.50 kills and 1.92 blocks per game and hitting .521 (30-5-48). In the championship match win over UCLA he had 11 kills and 12 blocks while hitting .526 (11-1-19). The 12 blocks against the Bruins was a career-high for him.
NORM HUTTON
•Career-high 20 kills vs. BYU
Sophomore Norm Hutton (Fountain Valley) has moved into the 49er starting lineup the past three matches. Two weeks ago against BYU he came off the bench to record 10 kills, four digs and four blocks while hitting .300 as the 49ers won in five games. The next night he started against the Cougars, finishing with a career-high 20 kills while adding eight digs, two aces and two block assists. In the two matches Hutton averaged 4.29 kills and 1.71 digs per game. His eight digs and four blocks against the Cougars were also career bests. This past weekend Hutton had 10 kills, four digs, three aces and three blocks in the win over Pacific. He has 12 kills and a career-high four aces against Stanford. In his last four matches Hutton has hit double figures in each while averaging 4.00 kills per game. He also has recorded nine service aces in that time. Prior to the past four games Hutton's previous career-high in kills was 13, set earlier this season against IPFW at the Penn State Tournament. Hutton is currently averaging 1.95 kills, 0.60 digs and 0.24 aces per game while hitting .247.
PAUL LOTMAN
•Averaging 1.64 digs per game
Sophomore Paul Lotman (Lakewood) has had a solid year for the 49ers, averaging 2.07 kills and 1.64 digs per game while hitting .231. On April 1 at UC Irvine he tallied 13 kills, four digs and four block assists. The double-digit kill effort was the seventh of the season. In Friday's win over BYU he had nine digs and four kills. He recorded a career-high 16 kills in the win over USC on January 27 while hitting .440 (16-5-25). He also had four block assists and a career-high 12 digs, giving him his first double-double as a 49er. His 184 digs (1.64 dpg) are third on the squad this season and he has led the 49ers in digs nine times this season. Lotman has also contributed 25 service aces, second on the team.
TYLER CALDWELL
•First on team with 212 digs
Junior libero Tyler Caldwell (Hermosa Beach) has played great in the back row for the 49ers this season. Caldwell had six digs in the two wins last week and has been a primary passer for the 49ers all season long. He had 11 digs in the four-game win over BYU on April 7, his ninth double figure dig match this year. Caldwell had accumulated a career-best 12 digs four times this season (at USC, UC Irvine, at Hawaii, Pepperdine). Caldwell ranks sixth in the MPSF in digs per game at 2.11 in MPSF matches. Overall, Caldwell is averaging 1.98 digs per game and he's dished out 42 assists in 107 games.
KEVIN CAPE
•Career-high 14 kills vs. UC Irvine
Junior Kevin Cape (Long Beach) stepped into the starting rotation for the 49ers when Duncan Budinger to opposite. Cape started 13 matches on the season. He had a career-high 14 kills and hit .591 (14-1-22) against UC Irvine on February 24 and then came back with eight kills while hitting .727 (8-0-11) vs. UCLA (2/25). In the 49ers five-game loss at CS Northridge on March 3 he tallied 13 kills and a career-high tying six blocks. Cape stands at 1.88 kills and 0.68 blocks per game while hitting .393. He reached double figures in kills three times on the season.
FRANCISCO VALDEZ
•Career-high 16 kills vs. USC
Sophomore Francisco Valdez (Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic) played just two games against Rutgers-Newark on March 17 but he finished with 13 kills and hit .722 (13-0-18). He also added four digs. The double-figure kill match was his fifth of the season. Valdez recorded a career-high 16 kills in the 49ers four-game win over USC on January 27. He added eight digs and five blocks while hitting .344 (16-5-32). Valdez had 11 kills and two block assists in the win over UC San Diego (2/10). Valdez is averaging 1.33 kills and 0.71 digs per game while hitting .198. He is fifth on the team in service aces with 15.
DUSTIN WATTEN
Redshirt freshman Dustin Watten (Long Beach) has appeared in 70 games this season. He has recorded 38 digs (0.54 dpg), including a career-high 14 digs in the five-game loss at CS Northridge. He also had his lone kill of the year in that CSUN match. Watten recorded three assists and four digs in the win at UCSB and had two assists and five digs at Penn State. This past Saturday he had a service ace in the win over Stanford.
LUKE SHEA
Redshirt freshman Luke Shea (Fullerton) played in his first match as a 49er in the win over USC (1/27). Shea played in all four games and finished the match with five kills, two aces, two digs and two block assists. He hit .385 (5-0-13) for the evening. On the year Shea played in 11 games, recording six kills and five block assists while hitting .250 (6-2-16).
GAVIN CHRISTENSEN
True freshman Gavin Christensen (Lakewood) has played in 33 games this season for the 49ers and had recorded one kill (vs. IPFW), six service aces and 13 digs. Christensen had a career-best five digs in the win over IPFW and added two at UCLA.
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