Long Beach State University Athletics
Beach Picked Fourth in MPSF Preseason Coaches' Poll
12/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
LONG BEACH - Long Beach State was picked to finish fourth in the 2016 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Men's Volleyball Coaches' Poll the conference office announced Thursday.
BYU was selected as the preseason favorite with eight first-place votes and 112 total points. Defending MPSF champion UC Irvine wasn't far behind with 106 points (two first-place votes), and was followed by UCLA, which received one first-place nod and 95 points.
Long Beach State edged UC Santa Barbara for the fourth spot as they racked up 89 and 86 points, respectively. The Gauchos claimed the final first-place vote. Rounding out the top-eight were Hawai'i (75), Pepperdine (63) and Stanford (53).
LBSU was also fourth in the AVCA Preseason Poll, coming in behind only BYU, UC Irvine and defending national champion Loyola-Chicago.
The Beach returns 15 letterwinners and all six starters from last year's team that went 15-13 overall and made its fifth-straight MPSF Tournament appearance. The 49ers also welcome back two redshirts, while bringing in one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.
Senior middle blocker and Volleyball Magazine All-American Taylor Gregory will look to lead the way in 2016. Gregory, who also garnered All-MPSF honors, finished his junior campaign ranked first in the conference and second in all of NCAA Division I-II with 1.51 blocks per set. He established an LBSU rally-scoring era single-match record with 15 total blocks and currently ranks ninth in school history with 401 career blocks.
Long Beach State also welcomes back its top-two kill leaders in seniors John La Rusch (OPP) and Cody Martin (OH). La Rusch, who was a 2015 All-MPSF honorable mention selection, was tops on the team last year with 3.09 kills per set. He reached double figures 18 times, including a career-best 23-kill performance at UC Irvine. Martin, meanwhile, averaged 2.68 kills and 1.80 digs per set, while leading the squad with 29 aces.
In addition, the 49ers will see the return of junior libero Andrew Sato, who redshirted last year. Sato received All-MPSF honorable mention recognition in 2014 and was named to the MPSF All-Freshman Team in 2013. In his two years, Sato has compiled 500 digs (2.28/set).
Junior redshirt Amir Lugo-Rodriguez (MB) will also see his first action in a Beach uniform after sitting out last year due to NCAA transfer rules. Lugo-Rodriguez was a two-year starter at Cal Baptist where he averaged 1.34 kills and 0.91 blocks per set.
Looking to make an immediate impact this year is one of the top incoming classes in the nation, which includes four freshmen and two sophomore transfers. Highlighting the group are true freshmen TJ DeFalco (OH) and Josh Tuaniga (S), who were both AVCA High School All-Americans and CIF-Southern Section Division I Players of the Year. DeFalco, Tuaniga and classmate Kyle Ensing (OH), were also members of the U.S. Youth National Team that competed at the FIVB Boys' World Championships in Argentina in August.
Long Beach State will travel to the University of Alberta, one of Canada's top collegiate teams, for a pair of exhibition matches on Dec. 31 and Jan. 2. The Beach then officially opens the season at the annual UCSB Asics Invitational, Jan. 8-9.
2016 MPSF Coaches' Poll
1. BYU (8) - 112
2. UC Irvine (2) - 106
3. UCLA (1) - 95
4. Long Beach State - 89
5. UC Santa Barbara (1) - 86
6. Hawai'i - 75
7. Pepperdine - 63
8. Stanford - 53
9. USC - 50
10. CSUN - 30
11. Cal Baptist - 21
12. UC San Diego - 12
AVCA Division I-II Men's Preseason Poll
1. BYU (13) - 268
2. UC Irvine - 258
3. Loyola-Chicago (6) - 236
4. Long Beach State - 213
5. UCLA - 193
6. Ohio State - 182
7. Hawai'i - 168
8. Lewis (1) - 158
9. UC Santa Barbara - 153
10. Penn State - 145
11. Pepperdine - 126
12. USC - 95
13. Stanford - 91
T14. Ball State - 35
T14. George Mason - 35
