Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
2-2 (1-0MPSF)
Pepperdine
2-1 (0-1MPSF)
49ers upset third-ranked Pepperdine, 3-2, in MPSF opener
1/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
Jan. 12, 2011
MALIBU, Calif. - The No. 11 Long Beach State men's volleyball team fought back from a 2-1 deficit to upset third-ranked Pepperdine, 26-24, 18-25, 21-25, 25-18, 15-12, in its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener Wednesday evening at Firestone Fieldhouse.
Junior Jim Baughman led the 49er attack with a match-high 21 kills. The Valencia, Calif., native also had five digs, four aces and a .356 (21-5-45) hitting percentage.
Senior Josh Riley added a season-best 17 kills on .500 (17-1-32) hitting, while classmate Kyle Friend chipped in 13 kills. Senior Antwain Aguillard registered a career-high tying 11 blocks and senior Kirk Francis had 14 digs to anchor the defense. Senior Mike Klipsch finished with 53 assists and eight blocks.
LBSU (2-2, 1-0 MPSF) hit .355 for the match and held a 17.0-to-6.5 advantage in team blocks.
In a tightly played first set, which did not see a lead of more than three points, it was the 49ers who prevailed, 26-24. After Baughman got LBSU off to a 1-0 start with an ace, the two teams traded points before Pepperdine pulled ahead, 10-8. The Waves stayed out front until Long Beach State regained the lead at 16-15 following a double block by Riley and Aguillard.
The 49ers would go up by as many as three, but Pepperdine stayed close and eventually took set point at 24-23. The Beach refused to let up, however, as it scored the next three points with kills by Baughman and Riley, and a triple block (Aguillard, Riley, Baughman), to close out the game.
The Waves (2-1, 0-1 MPSF) used a late run in the second set to even the match at one game apiece. There were 11 tie scores, but the 49ers were unable to gain an advantage. After a Ryan Meehan kill made it 14-14, Pepperdine went on an 11-4 run, ending the set at 25-18 with a kill by Matt Pollock.
Pepperdine once again pulled away late to win game three, 25-21. The two teams went back-and-forth in the early going. The 49ers then took a 19-17 advantage following a hitting error by Chase Ross, but the Waves went on to even the score at 20-20 and used a 5-1 spurt to take the set.
The 49ers turned it around in the fourth game, racing out to an 11-5 lead on a Baughman kill. After the Waves cut the deficit to 15-13, LBSU went on a 5-2 run, capped by a Meehan and Riley block, to go up 20-15. Long Beach State cruised from there, as a Klipsch kill gave the 49ers the 25-18 victory.
LBSU carried its momentum into the decisive fifth set, taking an 8-2 advantage on a Friend kill. The Waves were able to come within one at 13-12, but a Pepperdine service error followed by an Aguillard and Klipsch block gave the 49ers the 15-12 win.
Pepperdine posted a .241 hitting percentage and was led by Maurice Torres, who finished with 16 kills.
Long Beach State continues MPSF action on Friday, Jan. 14, when it heads to top-ranked USC for a 7 p.m. showdown.
