No. 1 Long Beach State to Host AVCA Showcase

Friday, February 8

Long Beach, Calif.

8:00 PM

Long Beach State University

Penn State

Buy tickets

2/7/2019 6:08:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

The Beach welcome Ohio State, Penn State and UCSB to the Pyramid for tournament matches on Friday and Saturday

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

AVCA SHOWCASE
#1 Long Beach State • UC Santa Barbara • Penn State • Ohio State
Arena: Walter Pyramid (4,200)
Location: Long Beach, Calif.

Schedule of Events
Friday, February 8
UC Santa Barbara vs. Ohio State - 6 p.m.
#1 Long Beach State vs. Penn State - 8 p.m.

Saturday, February 9
UC Santa Barbara vs. Penn State - 6 p.m.
#1 Long Beach State vs. Ohio State - 8 p.m.

Match #11
#1 Long Beach State vs. Penn State
Date: Friday, February 8
Time: 8:00 PM
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Radio: 22 West Radio
Radio Talent: Matt Brown & Bryan Fenley
Live Stream: Beach Vision

Match #12
#1 Long Beach State vs. Ohio State
Date: Saturday, February 9
Time: 8:00 PM
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Radio: 22 West Radio
Radio Talent: Matt Brown & Bryan Fenley
Live Stream: Beach Vision

Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Instagram: @LBSUMVB

Complete LBSU Notes (PDF)

No. 1 Long Beach State to Host AVCA Showcase
The top-ranked Long Beach State men's volleyball team is set to host the AVCA Showcase on Friday, Feb. 8 and Saturday, Feb. 9. The Beach will welcome UC Santa Barbara, Ohio State, and Penn State to the Walter Pyramid for the tournament.

The Gauchos and Buckeyes kick off the AVCA Showcase on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by Long Beach State and Penn State at 8 p.m. On Saturday, UCSB and Penn State will face off at 6 p.m., and the Beach and Ohio State will close out the tournament at 8 p.m.

Catch All The Action
All Long Beach State men's volleyball home matches will be live streamed via Beach Vision. Fans can also tune into 22 West Radio to hear the match broadcasted by Matt Brown and Bryan Fenley.

Staying Social
Follow Long Beach State men's volleyball on Instagram and Twitter at @LBSUMVB. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook (Long Beach State Men's Volleyball).

You can also stay up-to-date on all things Long Beach State by following @LBSUAthletics. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at @LBSU.

And don't forget our hashtags #GoBeach and #LBNation.

In the Rankings
After kicking off the season with 10-straight victories, Long Beach State remains in the No. 1 spot in the AVCA Division I-II Poll. The Beach have been ranked No. 1 since Jan. 15, 2018.

UC Santa Barbara has moved its way up to a No. 6 ranking after winning its last six matches.

Meanwhile, Ohio State has dropped out of the rankings as the Buckeyes have lost their last three out of four matches.

Penn State is not ranked.

About The Beach
• No. 1 Long Beach State is off to a 10-0 start to the 2019 season.
• The Beach have won nine of their 10 matches in straight sets, with their only four-set match coming against USC in LBSU's home opener.
• Long Beach State owns a 30-0 home record over the last two seasons as the Beach have not lost a match in the Pyramid since March 26, 2016.
• The Beach offense is hitting .420 on the year, which is good for second in the nation as well as in the Big West.
• Key components to Long Beach State's hot hitting come in the form of TJ DeFalco (.418), Nick Amado (.410), Louis Richard (.404), and Kyle Ensing (.363). The quartet are all ranked in the top 20 in the country and in the top 10 in the Big West.
• TJ DeFalco and Kyle Ensing had a huge week at the service line last week as DeFalco concluded the Lindenwood Tournament with 10 aces, while Ensing added six. Ensing now leads the league with 0.70 aces per set which ranks him third in the nation.
• The Beach have been dominant from the end line all season as they have racked up a total of 71 aces to average 2.29 per set which leads the nation.
• Senior setter Josh Tuaniga has been a major contributor on the court dishing out 10.86 assists per set to rank third in the nation and second in the Big West. As a team, the Beach own an assists per set average of 12.61 which is good for second in the league and fourth in the NCAA.
• Dating back to April 20, 2018, Long Beach State is on an 14-match winning streak.

Scouting the Nittany Lions
Penn State comes into the AVCA Showcase with a 4-4 overall record. The Nittany Lions are 1-0 in EIVA action after having defeated Saint Francis (Pa.) in four sets back on Jan. 21.

The Nittany Lions are looking to get back on the winning track after having dropped a pair of matches last week at No. 10 Lewis (3-0) and No. 7 Loyola Chicago (3-1).

As a team, Penn State is hitting .255 on the year. Setter Cole Bogner averages 8.08 assists per set to lead the offense.

Calvin Mende is Penn State's leading scorer with 3.38 kills per set on .290 hitting.

Defensively, Will Bantle paces the back row with 1.93 digs per set, while Jason Donorovich patrols the net with a 1.18 block per set mark. Donorovich also added 2.39 kills per set with a .491 clip.

Series vs. Penn State
Long Beach State and Penn State will meet for the first time since 2016 and the Beach hold the all-time series lead, 17-7. In their last meeting, LBSU defeated the Nittany Lions in four sets. When playing in Long Beach, the Beach own an 11-6 record over Penn State.

Scouting the Buckeyes
Ohio State is 4-6 overall and 0-2 in the MIVA. The Buckeyes are looking to bounce back after suffering a sweep at No. 15 Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday.

The Buckeyes are hitting .310 on the year as Sanil Thomas has dished out 10.2 assists per set.

Jake Hanes leads the offense with 5.32 kills per set, which leads the nation, on .405 hitting. Hanes also adds 1.44 digs per set and 0.60 blocks per set for the Buckeyes.

Aaron Samarin has collected 67 digs to lead the team with 1.81 digs per set, while Blake Leeson averages 0.97 blocks per set at the net.

Series vs. Ohio State
Long Beach State and Ohio State go head-to-head for the 14th time in program history and the Beach lead the series 11-2. The two teams last faced each other in the 2018 Final Four as the Beach downed the Buckeyes in four set to go on to the National Championship match.

Aces Wild
Seniors TJ DeFalco, Kyle Ensing and Josh Tuaniga have all etched their names into the Long Beach State Record Book in one statistical category - career service aces. DeFalco leads the way with 143 in his career to rank second all-time. He is just 15 aces away from tying assistant coach Scott Touzinsky for first all-time with 158. Ensing, meanwhile, leads the Beach with 21 aces on the year to bring his career total to 106 which is good for seventh all-time at LBSU. Not to be outdone by his teammate, Tuaniga has racked up 92 aces in his collegiate career to rank ninth in the Long Beach State annals.

Movin' On Up
DeFalco and Ensing have also made their way into the LBSU career record book with 1,401 and 1,165 kills, respectively. DeFalco broke into the top 10 and is just seven kills away from tying former Long Beach State standout Paul Lotman for ninth place. After tallying 32 kills over three matches last week, Ensing moved into 18th place all-time with 1,165 and is just five away from topping Zach Small's 1,169 to take 16th in the record book.

Helping Himself to the Top 10
Josh Tuaniga's name can also be found in multiple places in the Long Beach State record book. The senior setter ranks sixth all-time with 3,828 career assists. He is just 62 helpers away to taking fifth place and topping Mike Klipsch's 3,890 career assists.

Tops in the Nation
Long Beach State leads the NCAA with 2.29 service aces per set after racking up 71 over 10 matches. The Beach boast three players who rank in the top 35 in the nation in aces per set as Kyle Ensing leads the way with 0.70 which is good for third in the country. TJ DeFalco is 10th in the NCAA with 0.55 aces per set, while Josh Tuaniga rounds out the group with 0.39 aces per set to rank 33rd. The trio are all ranked in the top 10 in the Big West as Ensing leads the league, while DeFalco and Tuaniga are third and 10th, respectively.

Hitting the Spot
After leading the nation in hitting in each of the last two years, the Long Beach State offense picked up right where it left off. The Beach are hitting .420 on the year and are currently ranked second in both the NCAA and the Big West. LBSU has four players ranked in the top 20 in the nation and in the top 10 in the Big West. TJ DeFalco's attack percentage of .418 is fifth in the league and 11th in the country, while Nick Amado's clip of .410 is sixth in the Big West and 12th in the NCAA. Louis Richard is hitting .404 which is good for 8th in the conference and 15th in the nation, while Kyle Ensing's .363 hitting percentage ranks him 10th in the league and 18th in the NCAA.

Home Sweet Home
Over the last three seasons, Long Beach State has put together a 40-3 record inside the Pyramid. That record is good for a winning percentage of .930. The Beach have not lost a home match since March 26, 2016 when they dropped a 3-0 decision to then-No. 2 UCLA. Since then, LBSU owns a 30-0 record when playing at home, which is the second-best home winning streak in program history behind 32 straight home wins which spanned four seasons (1998-01).

Legacy: Long Beach State
In December, the Big West Conference announced its plan to roll out LEGACY: Long Beach State, a five-episode docuseries. The series offers the never-before-seen inner workings of the National Champion Long Beach State men's volleyball team, while chronicling the 2019 campaign.

The first episode of LEGACY premiered on Dec. 27 and focused on the team's first official practice and featured a sit-down interview with senior middle blocker Nick Amado.

Episode two of LEGACY is set to be released in February and will focus on the team's Jan. 19 contest at UCLA in a rematch of the 2018 National Championship. The second episode will also include an interview with senior outside hitter TJ DeFalco.

Check out LongBeachState.com and the BigWest.org to catch all of the action.

2019 LBSU Men's Volleyball Promotional Schedule
• Friday, January 25 vs. USC - Championship Banner Reveal; Replica Championship Banner Giveaway
• Friday, February 16 vs. UCLA - Poster Giveaway; Postgame Autograph Session; Student Appreciation Night
• Saturday, March 9 vs. Saint Francis (Pa.) - SpongeBob Night; Beach Kids Club Bring a Friend Night
• Thursday, March 14 vs. UC Santa Barbara - St. Patty's Day Party; LB Stein Giveaway
• Friday, April 5 vs. UC San Diego - "Summer is Coming" Game of Thrones Theme Night
• Friday, April 12 vs. Hawai'i - Gold Rush (come dressed in all gold)
• Saturday, April 13 vs. Hawai'i - Senior Night

Up Next
Top-ranked Long Beach State will welcome No. 4 UCLA to the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, Feb. 16 for a 7 p.m. contest. The Beach and the Bruins met earlier this season and LBSU picked up a three-set sweep over UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.