Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
17-3
Penn State
21-1
49ers Fall In Five Games To Penn State
3/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
March 15, 2008
Box Score | Cal Baptist-IPFW Box Score
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Fourth-ranked Penn State jumped to a quick 6-1 lead in game five and held on for a 30-18, 27-30, 30-26, 29-31, 15-12 win over third-ranked Long Beach State in the championship match of the Active Ankle/Long Beach GuestHouse Classic at the Walter Pyramid. Tournament MVP Paul Lotman led the 49ers (17-3) with 29 kills. Penn State's (21-1) Matt Anderson tallied 24 kills and seven blocks to lead the Nittany Lions.
Penn State bounced back after a tough 31-29 loss in game four to take command early in the fifth game. PSU jumped to leads of 6-1 and 10-3 before the 49ers fought back to pull to within 13-10. The 49ers then closed the gap to 14-12 before a 49er hitting error ended the match.
The Nittany Lions hit .375 in the match while out-blocking the 49ers 14.0 to 10.0. Ryan Sweitzer had 20 kills and three service aces while hitting .353, and Max Holt added 11 kills and a team-high nine blocks. Setter Luke Murray had 63 assists, three kills and a match-high 11 digs. He also chipped in with five blocks.
Dean Bittner had 27 kills and five digs for Long Beach State, the only other 49er in double digits besides Lotman. Josh Riley had seven kills and Dan Alexander six. The 49ers hit .289 in the match and finished with three aces and 24 service errors. Alexander recorded four blocks and Lotman three.
Penn State dominated in game one, winning 30-18 as they hit .708 (17-0-24). The 49ers hit just .100 (10-7-30). Game two saw the 49ers tally from a 14-10 deficit to pull out a 30-27 win. Lotman and Bittner both had seven kills as Long Beach hit .594 (21-2-32).
In game three the 49ers led 13-6 and 19-13 only to see the Nittany Lions use a big 11-4 run to take the lead for good at 24-23. The 49ers were still in the game at 29-28, but PSU put the game away on an Anderson kill. The 49ers hit just .194 in the game. Game four saw Long Beach lead 23-18. Penn State battled back through four game points to tie the game at 29-29 after an Anderson kill. The 49ers closed out the victory with a PSU hitting error and a kill by Bittner to win 31-29.
The 49ers will next be in action on Thursday, March 20 when they host top-ranked BYU at 7 pm in the Walter Pyramid.
Active Ankle/Long Beach GuestHouse Classic Scores from Saturday
IPFW def. Cal Baptist, 30-28, 23-30, 27-30, 30-26, 17-15
Penn State def. Long Beach State, 30-18, 27-30, 30-28, 29-31, 15-12
ASICS All-Tournament Team
Paul Lotman, Long Beach State (Tournament MVP)
Max Holt, Penn State
Matt Anderson, Penn State
Luke Murray, Penn State
C.J. Macias, IPFW
Dustin Watten, Long Beach State
Adiel Tiedjop, Cal Baptist
