Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
7-8, 4-7
UCLA
10-8, 8-7
49ers Come From Behind, Upset No. 5 UCLA
2/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
49ers Come From Behind, Upset No. 5 UCLA
LONG BEACH, CA -- Behind a career-high 21 kills from Dean Bittner, No. 14-ranked Long Beach State (7-8, 4-7 MPSF) came back from a 2-1 deficit to upset No. 5-ranked UCLA on Wednesday evening at The Walter Pyramid. Game scores were 30-23, 24-30, 26-30, 30-23, 16-14. The 49ers out-hit the Bruins .331 to .295, while both teams struggled with their serving as LBSU had 25 service errors and UCLA had 21. "Coming in to the match we weren't concerned about UCLA, but we were concerned with us and how we played on our side of the net," said seventh year Head Coach Alan Knipe. "We tried new guys tonight which we've been doing a lot this season and it looked good. There were moments when we gave up runs that earlier in the season would have cost us the game, but tonight we were mentally tough and it allowed us to win." Bittner led the 49ers with 21 kills and a .432 hitting percentage while Paul Lotman posted his third double-double of the season with 17 kills and 10 digs, to go along with four aces. Teddy Liles chipped in 14 kills for an impressive .632 clip, while Tyler Caldwell tallied 10 digs. Conor Eaton directed the 49er offense with 64 assists. Steve Klosterman led the Bruins with a match-high 27 kills in the losing effort. The 49ers never trailed in game one as they went on to win 30-23. LBSU jumped ahead 11-6 after an ace from Lotman. The Bruins pulled within three (12-9) on an attack error by Gavin Christensen, but the 49ers would not let up as they led by at least four points for the rest of the game. LBSU went up 29-21 on a Bruin hitting error, and a kill from Luke Shea ended the set. The 49ers hit .400 in game one while holding the Bruins to a .138 hitting percentage. UCLA used a late run in game two to pull away with a 30-24 victory. The Bruins jumped out to an early 14-10 lead after a kill by Dylan Bowermaster, but LBSU came back to tie it up at 14-14 with a Lotman ace. UCLA used a 7-4 run capped by a kill from George to close out the set. The 49er offense cooled off in the second game as they hit .206 to the Bruins .300. The Bruins were able to hold off a late 49er run to earn the 30-26 win. UCLA seemed to be in control as they led 26-20, but the 49ers scored four straight points, with two aces from Lotman, to pull within two points (26-24) and force a UCLA timeout. The Bruins capitalized on the break in action as a Muagututia kill ended the set. UCLA hit an impressive .559 in game three and held the 49ers to a .216 clip. LBSU came out strong in game four and went on to a 30-23 victory. The 49ers went up 10-2 early in the set after a kill by Lotman. The Bruins pulled within five points (27-22) after a 49er hitting error, but LBSU was able to hold on as a Liles kill ended the set. The 49ers hit .357 to the Bruins .138. In a close game that saw 13 tie scores, consecutive kills from Lotman gave the 49ers the decisive 16-14 victory. Long Beach State returns to action on Saturday, March 3 as they take on No. 2-ranked UC Irvine at 7 pm in the Gold Mine. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
