Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
8-7, 7-5MPSF
USC
12-4, 9-3MPSF
Beach loses to USC in five-game roller coaster
3/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
March 4, 2009
Long Beach, Calif. - Josh Riley and Dean Bittner each finished with 21 kills as Long Beach State battled to a fifth set with a hot-hitting USC team, but didn't get the late breaks as No.5 USC downed the No. 6 49ers 31-29, 24-30,30-23, 23-30, 13-15. Murphy Troy of USC led the Trojans with 29 kills.
The 49ers hit under .100 in two games, as opposed to the .373 match hitting of USC, but played well enough to win a back-and-forth first game as well as the third. However, Long Beach State ran out of breaks in the later part of the final set to drop the match.
Tied 2-2 in the match, Long Beach State opened the fifth game by taking a 5-1 lead, but after a sideout, Bittner slipped on an approach, and USC used the change in momentum to tie the set. Both teams traded points from there, and USC finally took the lead at 13-12, and closed out the match 15-13 on Murphy's 29th kill.
Two straight service aces from USC helped the Trojans take an 11-8 lead in the early part of game one, but Long Beach State battled back to tie the game at 13. The 49ers would then take the lead at 15-14, and would move out to their largest lead at 20-17. USC then scored three straight points to tie the game, and would take the lead once more. Long Beach State regained the service advantage at 27-26, and Tommy Pestolesi finished out the game with a smart play, tipping a ball close to the antenna off the arm of a USC blocker and into the bar to end the game.
The Trojans came out strong in game two, taking a 10-2 lead on three consecutive blocks. USC would hold onto that lead through the remainder of the game, taking a 30-24 win behind eight second game blocks. Beach pulled to within three twice at 21-18 and 24-21, but could come no closer.
Long Beach State came out with a renewed focus in game three, taking a 4-1 lead early. LBSU held on through the middle of the game, eventually extending their lead to 19-15 before a USC timeout. Getting it done behind the service line, Bittner ace to make lead 21-15, and a Kyle Friend ace extended the lead to seven at 23-16. Long Beach State would close out the game 30-23 to take a two games to one lead.
Two early attack errors from Long Beach State helped USC take a 7-3 lead in the early part of game four. The game then held form from the rest of the match since the opening set, as USC kept the lead that they had built, taking advantage of a four to five point cushion in fashioning a 30-23 game four win.
Long Beach State plays another ranked opponent on Friday, hosting No. 3 Pepperdine at 7 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid.
