Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
1-2
UC Santa Barbara
2-1
Men's volleyball falls in tournament finale
1/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
Jan. 10, 2009
Santa Barbara, Calif. - Facing the top-seed UC Santa Barbara on their home court in the third-place match of the Elephant Bar Collegiate Invitational, the 49ers were stopped by the Gauchos in three, 25-30, 19-30, 26-30. Tommy Pestolesi led the 49ers with 11 kills.
Without the services of 2008 All-American Dean Bittner, Long Beach State struggled with the Gauchos on their home court. The 49ers were held to .191 hitting, while UC Santa Barbara hit .323 as a team in the three-game win.
Long Beach State came out to a slow start in the first game, hitting just .107 in the opener, but were close until the later part of the game. Tied 22-22, UC Santa Barbara scored three straight points and took a 30-25 win. The Gauchos improved their hitting to .600 in the second game, a 30-19 win.
The 49ers improved their play in the third game, outhitting the Gauchos .243 to .229. However, three LBSU attack errors down the stretch allowed the Gauchos to take a 30-26 win in the final game.
Long Beach State's next match is scheduled for January 16, when the host their home opener against UC San Diego. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
