49ers Home for Two Key Conference Matches
No. 8-Ranked Beach Hosts USC and Top-Ranked Pepperdine
March 20, 2007 PDF VERSION OF THIS RELEASE THE RECORDS
•Beach 11-9 overall, 6-8 MPSF
Long Beach State improved to 11-9 overall and remained at 6-8 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation after the host 49ers won two matches in the Active Ankle/Long Beach Guesthouse Classic. LBSU started the tournament off with a five set (30-25, 30-23, 26-30, 26-30, 15-12) victory over No. 11-ranked IPFW, and finished with a comeback win (30-19, 27-30, 28-30, 30-26, 15-13) over No. 6-ranked Penn State. With the two victories over ranked opponents, the 49ers moved up two spots to No. 8 in the AVCA Coaches Poll. This week, Long Beach State will resume MPSF play at home as they host No. 13-ranked USC on Thursday and No. 1-ranked Pepperdine on Saturday, with both matches set to start at 7 pm in the Walter Pyrmaid. USC improved to 9-11 overall and 6-9 in the MPSF as they swept Rutgers-Newark in non-conference action, and UC San Diego in MPSF play last week. Pepperdine also earned sweeps over Rutgers-Newark and UC San Diego as they improved to 18-1 overall, and 14-1 in the MPSF. Pepperdine's lone loss came at the hands of the 49ers on January 19.
THE COACH
• Alan Knipe enters his seventh year as head coach
Alan Knipe (LBSU, 1992) is 132-74 (.641) overall and 84-57 (.596) in the MPSF in six-plus years as the head coach of Long Beach State. Knipe eclipsed the 100-victory plateau on January 6, 2006 with a win over CS Northridge. Knipe, the 2004 AVCA National Coach of the Year, has led the 49ers to six consecutive trips to the MPSF Tournament, an appearance in the 2004 NCAA Championship match, and three straight MPSF Tournament Finals appearances (2004-2006). In the last three-plus years, Knipe has a 84-36 record for an impressive .700 winning percentage. The 49ers have had at least 22 wins in each of the last three seasons. Knipe was an assistant at LBSU for five years before taking over the program in 2001.
THE SERIES
•49ers trail series with USC, 40-48
•49ers trail series with Pepperdine, 34-38
Long Beach State trails in its series with USC by a 40-48 count. The Trojans snapped a 13-match losing streak to the 49ers on January 17 with a 24-30, 30-19, 30-27, 30-24 win in Los Angeles. The 49ers also trail in their series with Pepperdine by a 34-38 count. Long Beach State handed the Waves their only loss of the season on January 19 as they pulled out a 33-35, 30-26, 23-30, 30-24, 15-11 win in Malibu.
LOTMAN SWEEPS WEEKLY AWARDS
•Named AVCA/Sports Import and MPSF Player of the Week (Mar. 19)
Junior Paul Lotman (Lakewood) was named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week as announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Monday afternoon. He was also named the Player of the Week for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. On the weekend Lotman, who was the MVP of the Active Ankle/Long Beach Guesthouse Classic, averaged 4.80 kpg, a .387 hitting percentage, 1.50 dpg and 1.40 bpg. He tallied a match-high 27 kills vs. IPFW and then notched his fourth double-double (21 kills, 11 digs) of the season against Penn State. On the season, Lotman is averaging a team-high 4.60 kpg, 1.49 dpg and is hitting .334 (368-111-769). He has hit double-digits in kills in all 20 matches played thus far and has had six 20+ kill matches. He has also tallied at least one ace in the last 12 matches, as he leads the team with 28 aces.
49ERS HOLD ON, DEFEAT IPFW
•Beach wins five-game thriller
Paul Lotman pounded 27 kills as the Long Beach State 49ers defeated No. 11 IPFW 30-25, 30-24, 26-30, 26-30, 15-12 on the first day of the Active Ankle/Long Beach Guesthouse Classic at the Walter Pyramid. In addition to Lotman's offensive output on .438 hitting, Dean Bittner tallied 16 kills, while Teddy Liles chipped in eight. Dan Alexander notched a career-high four service aces and Tyler Caldwell posted a match-high 16 digs. The 49ers hit .219 on the evening as Conor Eaton dished out 63 assists. C.J. Macias led the Mastodons with 21 kills and IPFW out-blocked the 49ers 17.0 to 13.5 in the losing effort.
49ERS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT
•Beach defeats Penn State 3-2
Long Beach State finished the Active Ankle/Long Beach Guesthouse Classic with a 2-0 record as they defeated No. 6 Penn State 30-19, 27-30, 28-30, 30-26, 15-13. Five 49ers hit double-digits in kills, led by Paul Lotman's fourth double-double (21 kills, 11 digs) of the season. Lotman just missed his first career triple-double as he also tallied seven blocks. Fletcher Anderson notched a career-high 16 kills on .333 (16-7-27) hitting, and Dean Bittner chipped in 16 kills. Teddy Liles recorded 13 kills on only one error for a .600 (13-1-20) clip, while Dan Alexander had 14 kills on .706 (14-2-17) hitting. Conor Eaton issued 66 assists as the 49ers out-hit the Nittany Lions .375 to .257. LBSU also out-blocked Penn State 13.0 to 10.5, led by Alexander's eight blocks. Matt Anderson led Penn State with a career-high 25 kills in the losing effort.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
•Lotman named tournament MVP
Paul Lotman earned tournament MVP honors at the Active Ankle/Long Beach Guesthouse Classic, while Teddy Liles and Dan Alexander were both named to the all-tournament team. Other all-tournament team members included: Max Holt (Penn State), Brock Ullrich (IPFW), Colin Lundeen (IPFW) and Donald Baliaba (Cal Baptist).
USC FACTS
•Trojans 9-11 overall, 6-9 MPSF
The Trojans are now 9-11 overall and 6-9 in the MPSF after two victories last week. In non-conference action, USC defeated Rutgers-Newark 35-33, 30-20, 30-24 at the Galen Center. Juan Figueroa led the way with 10 kills, seven digs and six aces, while C.J. Schellenberg added 10 kills and five blocks. The Trojans then revenged a loss to UC San Diego earlier in the season with a convincing 30-24, 30-15, 30-26 win in La Jolla. Figueroa and Schellenberg again led the Trojans as they combined for 23 kills on the evening. The Trojans have won six of their last nine matches and bring a three-match winning streak to Long Beach. On the season, Figueroa has led the Trojan offense with 4.73 kpg (third in the MPSF), while Luke Morris has been the anchor in the back row with 2.57 dpg (fourth in the MPSF). Jimmy Killian has directed the offense to a .276 hitting percentage with 13.03 assists per game (third in the MPSF).
PEPPERDINE FACTS
•No. 1 Waves 18-1 overall, 14-1 MPSF
The Waves are now 18-1 overall and 14-1 in the MPSF as they won a 3-0 (30-19, 30-21, 30-24) non-conference decision against Rutgers-Newark, followed by another sweep (30-18, 30-25, 30-16) over MPSF-foe UC San Diego. The Waves hit an impressive .561 against the Scarlet Raiders, led by Tom Hulse's .727 (8-0-11) clip, while Paul Carroll led all players with 17 kills. Carroll and Hulse again led the way for the Pepperdine against UC San Diego as they combined for 20 kills. The Waves out-blocked the Tritons 13.5 to 2.0, led by Hulse's six blocks. The Waves will ride a 15-match win streak in to Long Beach with their last and only loss of the season coming on January 19 to the 49ers. On the season, Carroll leads Pepperdine and all players in the MPSF with 5.78 kpg, while Tanner Sutherland has guided the defense with 2.06 dpg. Jonathan Winder has directed the Pepperdine offense to a .324 hitting percentage with 13.15 apg (second in the MPSF).
WHERE THE 49ERS RANK...
•Lotman in MPSF top-five in kills, aces (as of Mar. 19)
Paul Lotman currently ranks fourth in the MPSF in kills (4.46 kpg) and in aces (0.37 apg). Dustin Watten ranks fifth in the MPSF with 2.25 dpg, while Conor Eaton ranks seventh in the MPSF in assists (12.45 apg).
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
•49ers 6-4 at home this year
The 49ers are still tough to beat at home as they posted a 12-3 record at the Walter Pyramid in 2006. Over the last three years (2004-2006) the 49ers have a 40-7 home record for an impressive .851 winning percentage. Overall since 1995, the 49ers are 145-39 (.788) at home.
OFFENSIVE NUMBERS
•Team averaging 14.68 kpg
The 49ers are hitting .283 on the season and are averaging 14.68 kpg, while holding their opponents to a .275 clip and 14.50 kpg. Three attackers are hitting .300 or better, led by Teddy Liles (.405). Three players are also averaging at least 2.00 kpg, led by Paul Lotman (4.60 kpg).
DIGGING IT UP
•49ers averaging 7.95 dpg
The 49ers have been out-playing their opponents on defense as they are averaging 7.95 dpg compared to a 6.97 dpg average for their opponents. Dustin Watten leads the 49ers with 2.01 dpg, followed by Paul Lotman with 1.49 dpg.
ALEXANDER SHINES
•Selected to all-tournament team
Redshirt freshman Dan Alexander (Arcadia) was selected to the Active Ankle/Long Beach Guesthouse Classic all-tournament team for his efforts over the weekend. Alexander notched a career-high four aces to go along with six kills, five blocks and three digs against IPFW. He followed that performance up with a career-high 14 kills on .706 (14-2-17) hitting and a career-high tying eight blocks. On the season, Alexander is averaging 1.79 kpg, a team-leading 1.12 bpg , 0.31 aces per game and is hitting .368 (75-25-136).
LILES WATCH
•Moves up to No. 10 in total blocks
Senior Teddy Liles (Tucson, AZ) notched nine blocks last weekend, moving up to No. 10 on the career charts with 353 total blocks. He also moved up to No. 7 on the charts with a .416 hitting percentage. Liles was named to the all-tournament team this past weekend as he averaged 2.10 kpg, 0.90 bpg and produced a .486 (21-3-27) hitting percentage. On the season, Liles has amassed 147 kills and has hit for a .405 (147-45-252) clip. Liles has hit .500 or better on nine different occasions this season, last against Penn State on March 17 as he hit for a .600 (13-1-20) clip. Liles was a 2006 All-MPSF Honorable Mention selection.
BITTNER BRINGS IT ON
•Totaled 32 kills in two matches last week
Redshirt freshman Dean Bittner (Lakewood) has been a consistent force for the 49ers this year, as he has hit .300 or better on 13 different occasions. At the Active Ankle/Long Beach Guesthouse Classic, Bittner totaled 32 kills, seven digs and seven blocks. Bittner notched a career-high 21 kills, hitting .432 in the 49ers home win over UCLA (Feb. 28). On the season, Bittner is averaging 2.56 kpg, 1.04 bpg, and is hitting .295 (197-75-413).
HELLO MR. ANDERSON
•Records career-high 14 kills vs. Penn State
Transfer junior Fletcher Anderson (Los Gatos) recorded a career-high 16 kills as he hit for a .333 (16-7-27) clip, while adding four digs and two blocks against Penn State. He also had five kills in the 49ers win over IPFW. On the season, Anderson is averaging 1.93 kpg, 0.76 dpg and 0.45 bpg.
WATTEN AND CALDWELL TEAM UP IN BACK ROW
•Watten leads in digs
Sophomore Dustin Watten (Long Beach) leads the 49ers defensively with 145 total digs and 2.01 dpg. Watten has posted double-figures in digs in seven matches, recording a career-high 17 digs against CS Northridge on February 15. Senior Tyler Caldwell (Hermosa Beach) has been starting at the libero position recently as he recorded a career-best 16 digs against IPFW and is averaging 0.97 dpg on the season.
EATON DIRECTS 49ER OFFENSE
•Averaging 12.43 assists per game
Freshman Conor Eaton (Dana Point) has guided the 49er offense to a .283 hitting percentage with 12.43 apg. He had 63 assists and nine digs against IPFW, and then totaled 66 assists and seven digs against Penn State. On January 19, Eaton dished out a career-high 77 assists as he led the offense to a .359 hitting percentage in the 49ers victory over Pepperdine. Eaton is also averaging 1.26 dpg on the season.
LAST SEASON
•49ers finish 2006 campaign at 23-10
The 49ers had a strong run in the MPSF Tournament last season as they made it to the finals, only to lose to eventual NCAA Champion UCLA. The 49ers defeated BYU in the quarterfinals 30-21, 30-23, 25-30, 30-25. Then, in the semifinals, Long Beach defeated No. 1-ranked UC Irvine in three sets 30-26, 30-20, 30-23. In the MPSF finals, the 49ers lost to UCLA in four games (24-30, 30-28,30-23, 30-24). Long Beach finished the season at 23-10 overall and 14-8 in the MPSF, good enough for a fourth place finish. The 49ers finished the season ranked third by the AVCA.
2006 HONORS
•Beach loses three All-Americans
Long Beach State saw three players earn All-America honors in 2006. Tyler Hildebrand and Robert Tarr were both selected to the first team. Hildebrand was a three-time first team All-American while Tarr was a two-time first team selection. Duncan Budinger wasnamed second team All-America in 2006 as well. On the All-MPSF team, Hildebrand earned first team honors for the third consecutive season. Tarr was also named first team all-conference and Budinger was second team all-conference. Teddy Liles earned honorable mention honors, his first time earning such an award.
2007 Roster
2007 Schedule/Results
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