Long Beach State University Athletics
1991 Men's Volleyball Team Rounds Out 2015 Hall Of Fame Inductees
7/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
Long Beach, Calif. - The 1991 NCAA National Champion Men's Volleyball team from Long Beach State is the final inductee into the Long Beach State Athletics Hall of Fame for 2015.
Beach Athletics is proud to announce the honorees chosen for induction into the Long Beach State Athletics Hall of Fame for the class of 2015. Over the next three weeks, we will be announcing the Class of 2015 in advance of the ceremony to be held on Thursday, November 12 at the Long Beach Renaissance Hotel.
View our previous inductees:
With an overall record of 31-4, Long Beach State's 1991 Men's Volleyball team not only had the best record in school history but capped off the season by avenging a finals loss the year before to USC by taking down the Trojans in four sets to capture the 1991 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship.
Led by First-Team All-Americans Brent Hilliard and Brett Winslow, the 49ers won their first 10 matches of the season, and their only losses on the year came on the road against Hawai'i and in three regular season meeting with USC.
The Beach peaked at the right time however, winning three straight matches to win the Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament, with the big win coming against UCLA, a 3-2 victory to ensure entry into the Men's Volleyball Final Four for the second straight season.
After dispatching Penn State in straight sets, Long Beach State finally were able to overcome the Trojans, winning the program's first and only NCAA Championship. Hilliard was selected as the Final Four MVP, while Alan Knipe, Winslow and setter Jason Stimpfig were named to the All-Tournament team.
Head Coach Ray Ratelle was named the AVCA National Coach of the Year, while Hilliard and Winslow each received first team honors and Knipe was named a Second-Team All-American.
Hilliard, Winslow, Knipe and Ratelle are all Long Beach State Athletics Hall of Fame members, and will now be joined by their teammates from an incredible season of Beach Men's Volleyball.
