49ers Close Out Regular Season on The Road
No. 12-Ranked Beach Looks to End Six Match Skid at UCLA and UC Irvine
April 9, 2007 PDF VERSION OF THIS RELEASE THE RECORDS
•Beach 11-15 overall, 6-14 MPSF
Long Beach State saw its playoff hopes fade away as they fell to 11-15 overall and 6-14 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation after dropping two matches to then No. 13-ranked Hawai'i last weekend. The 49ers are now in 10th place in the MPSF with no chance of breaking into the top eight for a playoff spot as they stand three matches behind Hawai'i and USC (tied for seventh) and two matches behind Pacific (ninth). The Beach will try to end its season on a high note as they look to end a six-match losing streak when they travel to No. 4 UCLA on Wednesday, April 11 and to No. 3 UC Irvine on Friday, April 13. Both matches are set to start at 7 pm in Pauley Pavilion and the Bren Events Center, respectively. In last week's action UCLA defeated NAIA powerhouse Cal Baptist 3-2 and came back two days later to defeat then No. 2-ranked UC Irvine in a five-game thriller. The loss to UCLA was Irvine's only match last week.
THE PLAYOFF PICTURE
•49ers miss playoffs for first time since 1994
The 49ers, who have made three straight MPSF Tournament Finals appearances (2004-2006), were bumped out of the playoff picture last weekend with two losses to Hawai'i, marking the first time The Beach has not seen post-season action under seventh-year Head Coach Alan Knipe. The last time the 49ers did not make the MPSF Tournament was in 1994 when they went 7-12 in conference play under former Head Coach Ray Ratelle. Pepperdine, BYU, UCI, UCSB and UCLA have all clinched a playoff spot with the last three spots currently occupied by CS Northridge, Hawai'i and USC. Top-ranked Pepperdine has secured the No. 1 seed and therefore has a quarterfinal bye and will host the MPSF semifinals on Thursday April 26, and the championship match on Saturday, April 28. The winner of the conference tournament will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio on May 3-5.
THE COACH
• Alan Knipe enters his seventh year as head coach
Alan Knipe (LBSU, 1992) is 132-80 (.623) overall and 84-63 (.571) 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 an 84-42 record for an impressive .667 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 UCLA, 27-71
•49ers lead series with UC Irvine, 31-7
Long Beach State trails in its series with UCLA by a 71-27 count. The 49ers won the first meeting between the two teams this season with a 30-23, 24-30, 26-30, 30-23, 16-14 victory in Long Beach. In 2006, the two teams met four times with the Bruins coming out on top twice, including in the MPSF Tournament Finals. The 49ers lead in their series with UC Irvine by a 31-8 count but fell to the Anteaters earlier this year in a five-game thriller (23-30, 30-19, 30-25, 28-30, 15-12) in Long Beach.
HAWAI'I BLOCK TOO MUCH FOR 49ERS
•Beach out blocked 24.5 to 10.0
Long Beach State couldn't overcome the University of Hawai'i block as the 49ers fell 25-30, 30-24, 30-24, 30-28 on Saturday evening. LBSU led in both the kill and dig categories, but were out blocked 24.5 to 10.0 as the 49ers dropped their sixth consecutive match. Dean Bittner led The Beach with 16 kills while Paul Lotman registered 14 kills and 11 digs. Tommy Pestolesi finished with a career-high 11 kills and Teddy Liles chipped in eight kills, six blocks and a .500 hitting percentage. Conor Eaton issued 59 assists as the 49ers hit .204 on the evening. Lauri Hakala led the Warriors with 20 kills while three UH players finished with double-digits in blocks, led by Brian Beckwith and Dio Dante who each tallied 11.
WARRIORS SURVIVE 49ER RALLY
•Beach drops five-set match
The University of Hawai'i was able to survive a Long Beach State rally and win their seventh straight match as they pulled out the 30-27, 30-20, 22-30, 27-30, 19-17 win. Paul Lotman led The Beach with 19 kills and a career-high 11 blocks to go along with nine digs. Dean Bittner finished with 17 kills, Tommy Pestolesi had nine kills and Dan Alexander chipped in eight kills and a career-best 12 blocks. Lauri Hakala had 29 kills and Dio Dante finished with a match-high 15 blocks to lead the Warriors. The 49ers out blocked UH 23.0 to 20.5 for the match.
UCLA FACTS
•Bruins 17-10 overall, 11-9 MPSF
No. 4 UCLA won two home contests last week to extend their win streak to three matches and improve their record to 17-10 overall and 11-9 in the MPSF. The Bruins outlasted NAIA powerhouse Cal Baptist in five games (30-23, 22-30, 30-25, 20-30, 15-11) in a non-league contest on Wednesday evening. UCLA then staged a comeback two days later against No. 2 UC Irvine as the Bruins won 23-30, 24-30, 30-28, 30-28, 17-15. Paul George and Steve Klosterman each had 17 kills while Garrett Muagututia finished with 13 kills and a match-high 11 blocks as the Bruins out blocked the Anteaters 26.0 to 11.5. On the season, the Bruins are averaging 15.41 kills and 8.91 digs per game. Steve Klosterman leads the UCLA offense with 4.08 kpg and a .314 hitting percentage while Garrett Muagututia leads all players defensively with 1.47 dpg. Kent Kraushaar (8.81 apg) and Kevin Ker (7.82 apg) have directed the Bruins offense to a .310 hitting percentage.
UC IRVINE FACTS
•Anteaters 22-5 overall, 15-5 MPSF
No. 3 UC Irvine was handed two straight losses for the first time this season as they fell to 22-5 overall and 15-5 in the MPSF. The Anteaters dropped a 3-2 decision at top-ranked Pepperdine on Mar. 31 before falling to No. 4 UCLA last week. Five Anteaters registered double-digit kills against the Bruins, led by Jayson Jablonsky's match-high 19. On the season, the Anteaters are averaging 15.58 kills, 9.61 digs and 1.67 aces per game. Matt Webber leads UCI with 3.91 kpg, while Brent Asuka patrols the back row with 2.28 dpg. Brian Thornton has directed the Anteater offense to a .351 hitting percentage as David Smith is hitting an impressive .538 (218-28-353) on the year.
OFFENSIVE NUMBERS
•Team averaging 14.84 kpg
The 49ers are hitting .268 on the season and are averaging 14.84 kpg. Three attackers are hitting .300 or better, led by Dan Alexander (.373). Four players are also averaging at least 2.00 kpg, led by Paul Lotman (4.55 kpg).
DIGGING IT UP
•49ers averaging 8.0 dpg
The 49ers have been out playing their opponents on defense as they are averaging 8.0 dpg compared to a 7.14 dpg average for their opponents. Dustin Watten leads the 49ers with 1.72 dpg, followed by Paul Lotman with 1.57 dpg. LOTMAN LEADS THE WAY
•Checks in with team-high 4.55 kpg
Junior Paul Lotman (Lakewood) continued to shine for the 49ers as he registered his sixth and seventh double-doubles of the season last week. In the first match against Hawai'i, Lotman finished with a team-high 19 kills and nine digs to go along with a career-high 11 blocks. He followed that performance up with 14 kills and a team-leading 11 digs the next evening. Lotman has hit double-digits in kills in all 26 matches played thus far and has had seven 20+ kill matches. Lotman earned MVP honors at the Active Ankle/Long Beach Guesthouse Classic (Mar. 16-17) as he helped the 49ers to a 2-0 record averaging 4.8 kpg, a .387 hitting percentage, 1.5 dpg and 1.4 bpg. For his efforts at the tournament, Lotman was named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week and the MPSF Player of the Week on Mar. 19. On the season, Lotman has a team-high 34 aces, and is hitting .313 (473-157-1009) while averaging 4.55 kills and 1.57 digs per game.
ALEXANDER SHINES
•Career-high 12 blocks vs. Hawai'i (Apr. 6)
Redshirt freshman Dan Alexander (Arcadia) finished with eight kills and a career-high 12 blocks in the first match against Hawai'i last week. On Mar. 24, Alexander notched a career-best 17 kills while hitting .577 (17-2-26) in the 49ers five game loss to Pepperdine. Alexander was selected to the Active Ankle/Long Beach Guesthouse Classic all-tournament team on Mar. 17 after posting 14 kills on .706 (14-2-17) hitting against Penn State. On the season, Alexander is averaging 2.05 kpg, a team-leading 1.22 bpg and is hitting .373 (133-43-241).
LILES WATCH
•Senior continues to climb up career charts
Senior Teddy Liles (Tucson, AZ) registered 17 kills and 11 blocks while hitting .480 in two matches played last week. Liles moved up one spot to No. 8 among the career leaders with 376 total blocks and also has a career hitting percentage of .403 which ranks him ninth among the all-time leaders. Liles was named to the Active Ankle/Long Beach Guesthouse Classic (Mar. 16-17) all-tournament team as he hit .486 (21-3-27) and averaged 2.1 kills and 0.9 blocks per game. On the season, Liles has amassed 193 kills while hitting .365 (193-67-345). He has hit .500 or better on 10 different occasions this season, last against Hawai'i on April 7 when he hit for a .500 (8-2-12) clip. Liles was a 2006 All-MPSF Honorable Mention selection.
BITTNER BRINGS IT ON
•Team-high 16 kills vs. Hawai'i (Apr. 7)
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, last against Pacific (Mar. 10) when he hit for a .360 (13-4-25) clip. Last week, Bittner tallied 17 kills and six blocks on the first night against Hawai'i and then finished with a team-high 16 kills, to go along with five blocks and eight digs the next evening. Bittner notched a career-high 21 kills, hitting .432 in the 49ers home win over UCLA (Feb. 28). On the season, Bittner is averaging 2.67 kpg, 1.03 bpg, and is hitting .266 (248-106-533).
FABRY AND PESTOLESI STEP UP
•Pestolesi tallies career-high 11 kills vs. Hawai'i (Apr. 7)
Freshman Tommy Pestolesi (Huntington Beach) set his career-high with nine kills last Friday and then topped that number the next night with 11 kills against Hawai'i. Sophomore Daniel Fabry (Park Ridge, IL) registered a career-high 17 kills against Pepperdine on Mar. 24. On the season, Fabry is averaging 1.64 kpg and is hitting .208 (115-61-260).
CALDWELL AND WATTEN TEAM UP IN BACK ROW
•Watten leads team in digs
Sophomore Dustin Watten (Long Beach) leads the 49ers defensively with 160 total digs and 1.72 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 had 23 digs in two matches played last week. Caldwell recorded a career-best 16 digs against IPFW (Mar. 16) and is averaging 1.15 dpg on the season.
EATON DIRECTS 49ER OFFENSE
•Averaging 12.65 assists per game
Freshman Conor Eaton (Dana Point) has guided the 49er offense to a .268 hitting percentage with 12.65 apg. Last week Eaton totaled 115 assists and 16 digs in two matches. On January 19, Eaton dished out a career-best 77 assists as he led the offense to a .359 hitting percentage in the 49ers victory at Pepperdine.
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, marking his first All-MPSF award of his career.
2007 Roster
2007 Schedule/Results
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