Friday, April 12
Long Beach, Calif.
7:00 PM
Long Beach State University
vs
Hawaii
Photo by: John Fajardo
No. 2 Long Beach State Hosts No. 1 Hawai’i to Close out the Regular Season
4/11/2019 6:02:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
The top two teams in the nation face off of Friday and Saturday at the Walter Pyramid
Match #25
#2 Long Beach State vs. #1 Hawai'i
Date: Friday, April 12
Time: 7:00 PM
Arena: Walter Pyramid
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Radio: 22 West Radio
Radio Talent: Bryan Fenley
TV Stream: ESPN3
TV Talent: Sam Farber (PxP), Dain Blanton (Analyst), & Matt Brown (Sideline)
Match #26
#2 Long Beach State vs. #1 Hawai'i
Date: Saturday, April 13
Time: 7:00 PM
Arena: Walter Pyramid
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Radio: 22 West Radio
Radio Talent: Matt Brown & Bryan Fenley
Live Stream: BigWest.TV Live on Spectrum Sports (Hawai'i)
LBSU Twitter: @LBSUMVB
LBSU Instagram: @LBSUMVB
Complete LBSU Notes
No. 2 Long Beach State Host No. 1 Hawai'i to Close out the Regular Season
The No. 2 Long Beach State men's volleyball team closes out the regular season against top-ranked Hawai'i with matches at the Walter Pyramid on Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13. Both matches are set for 7 p.m.
Saturday's match is Senior Night as the Beach will honor their six seniors in Louis Richard, Kyle Ensing, Jordan Molina, Josh Tuaniga, TJ DeFalco, and Nick Amado.
Both Long Beach State and Hawai'i are a perfect 8-0 in Big West Conference action as this weekend's matches will determine the regular season champion and top seed heading into the conference tournament next week.
Catch All The Action
Friday's Long Beach State men's volleyball home matches will be live streamed via ESPN3. Fans can also tune into 22 West Radio to hear the home matches broadcasted by Matt Brown and Bryan Fenley. Saturday's contest will be streamed on Big West TV live on Spectrum Sports (Hawai'i).
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
Long Beach State is ranked No. 2 in the AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll as the Beach are 23-1 on the year.
Hawai'i moved into the No. 1 spot in the rankings on March 25 and boast a perfect 25-0 overall record.
About The Beach
• No. 2 Long Beach State owns a 23-1 record and is coming off of a pair of sweeps over UC San Diego last week.
• The Beach boast an 8-0 Big West Conference record.
• LBSU has won a program-record 39 straight home matches dating back to March 26, 2016.
• The Beach offense is hitting .423 on the year, after setting a single-match program record with an attack percentage of .655 against No. 8 Stanford on March 8. LBSU's season clip of .423 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 (.392), Kyle Ensing (.367), and Louis Richard (.332). The trio are all ranked in the top 10 in the Big West and in the top 30 in the NCAA.
• Senior outside hitter TJ DeFalco became Long Beach State's all-time aces leader with an ace at UC Santa Barbara on March 15. DeFalco now has 166 aces in his career.
• Senior setter Josh Tuaniga reached a major milestone as he eclipsed the 4,000 assists plateau with 34 helpers against Stanford. He became just the fifth LBSU player to reach that mark. Tuaniga now has 4,336 assists in his collegiate career and is ranked fourth all-time at LBSU.
• Long Beach State has a pair of players who have amassed 1,000 career kills in TJ DeFalco and Kyle Ensing. DeFalco is ninth place all-time with 1,555 kills, while Ensing moved up to 12th in program history with 1,336.
• The Beach have been dominant from the end line all season as they have racked up a total of 156 aces to average 2.03 per set which leads the nation.
• LBSU has three players ranked in the top 10 in service aces in the Long Beach State career record book. DeFalco leads the way with a program-record 166, while Ensing moved into fifth with 127, and Tuaniga comes in eighth with 104.
• In addition to etching his name in the record book in kills and services aces, DeFalco moved into eighth place all-time with 728 career digs.
Scouting the Rainbow Warriors
Top-ranked Hawai'i brings a perfect 25-0 overall record into the match against Long Beach State as the 'Bows haven't lost a match since a 3-0 season-ending sweep at LBSU in the Big West Conference Tournament Championship match last April 21.
The 'Bows, along with the Beach, are 8-0 in Big West action. Hawai'i swept through all of its matches to set an NCAA-record 74-straight set record, before dropping the third set to No. 3 UC Santa Barbara last week.
Hawai'i owns a nation-leading .462 attack percentage as Joe Worsley has dished out 11.68 assists per set to lead the nation.
Contributing to the 'Bows' offense are the duo of Rado Parapunov and Stijn van Tilburg who average 4.43 and 3.97 kills per set, respectively.
Parapunov also leads the team with 0.53 aces per set, while adding 0.99 blocks per set and 121 digs per set.
Gage Worsley is the squad's libero with 2.61 digs per set, while Patrick Gasman leads the 'Bows at the net with 1.57 blocks per set.
Hawai'i leads the Big West in six out of seven statistical categories as the Bows set the standard in hitting percentage (.462), opponent hitting percentage (.185), assists (13.75 per set), kills (14.64 per set), blocks (2.79 per set), and digs (9.17 per set).
Series vs. Hawai'i
Long Beach State and Hawai'i will go head-to-head for the 88th time in program history and the Beach hold a slight lead in the all-time series, 45-42. LBSU has won seven of the last eight meetings, with Hawai'i claiming a five-set win over the Beach to close out the 2018 regular season last April. When playing in Long Beach, Calif., the Beach lead the series 24-17,
Home Sweet Home
After picking up a 3-0 victory over then-No. 4 UCLA at the Walter Pyramid on Feb. 16, Long Beach State won its 33rd-straight home contest to set a new program record. The Beach have now extended that winning streak to 39 after collecting a 3-0 sweep win over UC San Diego last weekend. Long Beach State has not lost a match inside the Pyramid since March 26, 2016 when the Beach dropped a 3-0 decision to then-No. 2 UCLA.
Rewriting the Record Book
The 2019 Long Beach State squad rewrote the LBSU record book as the Beach set a new single-match record with an attack percentage of .655 against No. 8 Stanford on March 8. The clip bested the previous program record of .614 which LBSU set in 1983 against Stanford, before reaching it again 1996 at Purdue-Fort Wayne. The Beach hit a whopping .889 in the third set, knocking down 16 kills on 18 errorless swings. That mark ranks second in the LBSU single-match record book for set hitting percentage.
Record Setter
Senior TJ DeFalco became the new Long Beach State service aces leader after recording career ace No. 159 at UC Santa Barbara on March 15. DeFalco's 159 career aces topped current assistant coach Scott Touzinsky's previous record of 158 - a record that stood for 15 years.DeFalco has now brought his career aces total up to 166.
Elite Company
Senior setter Josh Tuaniga joined an elite group when he surpassed the 4,000 career assist milestone against No. 8 Stanford. Tuaniga became just the fifth LBSU player to reach that mark as he joined some of the best setters in Beach history in Tyler Hildebrand (6,651), Jason Stimpfig (6,324), Chris Seiffert (6,099), and Connor Olbright (4,103). Tuaniga now has 4,336 in his career as he moved into fourth all-time at Long Beach State.
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 166 in his career as he is the program's all-time aces leader. Ensing, meanwhile, has amassed 127 in his career to move into fifth all-time at LBSU. Not to be outdone by his teammates, Tuaniga has racked up 104 aces in his collegiate career to move into eighth in the Long Beach State annals. In Long Beach State program history, only eight players have tallied 100 or more aces in a career and three of them are on the current roster.
Movin' On Up
DeFalco and Ensing have also made their way into the LBSU career record book with 1,555 and 1,336 kills, respectively. DeFalco sits in ninth place all-time, while Ensing slid into 12th at Long Beach State. DeFalco is just two kills away from topping Robert Tarr and moving into eighth place, while Ensing is 24 kills away from tying Jim Polster for 11th.
Among The Best
TJ DeFalco has collected 121 digs this season to bring his career mark to 728 which ranks him eighth all-time at Long Beach State. DeFalco becomes just the third player in program history to appear in the LBSU career record book in kills, aces, and digs, joining all-time greats Brent Hilliard who ranks first with 3,034 kills, fifth with 121 aces, and seventh with 737 digs, and Jim Polster who ranks 11th with 1,360 kills, 10th with 91 aces, and 10th with 688 digs.
Block Party
Senior middle blocker Nick Amado and senior opposite Kyle Ensing had themselves a block party at CSUN to start the month of March. Amado led the way with nine blocks to tie his career-best, while Ensing set a new career mark with eight blocks. The pair led the Beach to a team total of 12.5 in the match, a new season-high for the squad. On the year, Amado leads LBSU with 0.94 blocks per set to rank fifth in the conference. However, when playing against Big West teams, Amado's 1.32 blocks per set is second in the league, while Ensing's 0.89 average ranks fourth.
Tops in the Nation
Long Beach State leads the NCAA with 2.03 service aces per set after racking up 156 over 24 matches. The Beach boast a pair of players who rank in the top 10 in the nation in aces per set. Kyle Ensing leads the way with 0.55 which is second in the Big West and fifth in the country, while TJ DeFalco is eighth in the NCAA with 0.52 aces per set, which is good for fourth in the league.
Hitting the Spot
After leading the nation in hitting in each of the last two years, the Long Beach State offense hasn't seen much of a drop off. The Beach are hitting .423 on the year and are currently ranked second in both the NCAA and the Big West. LBSU has three players ranked in the top 30 in the nation. TJ DeFalco's attack percentage of .392 is 14th in the country, while Kyle Ensing is hitting .367 which is good for 18th in the nation, and Louis Richard's .332 hitting percentage ranks him 29th in the NCAA.
Brother Against Brother
The matches against Hawaii this weekend will pit LBSU redshirt freshman opposite Alexander Anastassiades against his older brother, James Anastassiades, a redshirt junior outside hitter at Hawai'i. Alexander has come off the bench for the Beach this season given LBSU an offensive spark . Meanwhile, James has seen action in 56 sets for the 'Bows tallying 20 ills on .293 hitting. "We can't wait to compete against each other in what are to be great and competitive games this weekend," Alexander stated.
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 2018 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, which was released on Feb. 20, focused on the team's Jan. 19 contest at UCLA in a rematch of the 2018 National Championship. The second episode also included an interview with senior outside hitter TJ DeFalco.
The third episode of LEGACY came out on Friday, April 5 and recounted the Beach's home opener against USC and featured an interview with senior libero Jordan Molina.
Check out LongBeachState.com and the BigWest.org to catch all of the action.
Up Next
Following the conclusion of the regular season, Long Beach State will travel to Honolulu, Hawai'i for the Big West Conference Tournament.
#2 Long Beach State vs. #1 Hawai'i
Date: Friday, April 12
Time: 7:00 PM
Arena: Walter Pyramid
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Radio: 22 West Radio
Radio Talent: Bryan Fenley
TV Stream: ESPN3
TV Talent: Sam Farber (PxP), Dain Blanton (Analyst), & Matt Brown (Sideline)
Match #26
#2 Long Beach State vs. #1 Hawai'i
Date: Saturday, April 13
Time: 7:00 PM
Arena: Walter Pyramid
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Radio: 22 West Radio
Radio Talent: Matt Brown & Bryan Fenley
Live Stream: BigWest.TV Live on Spectrum Sports (Hawai'i)
LBSU Twitter: @LBSUMVB
LBSU Instagram: @LBSUMVB
Complete LBSU Notes
No. 2 Long Beach State Host No. 1 Hawai'i to Close out the Regular Season
The No. 2 Long Beach State men's volleyball team closes out the regular season against top-ranked Hawai'i with matches at the Walter Pyramid on Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13. Both matches are set for 7 p.m.
Saturday's match is Senior Night as the Beach will honor their six seniors in Louis Richard, Kyle Ensing, Jordan Molina, Josh Tuaniga, TJ DeFalco, and Nick Amado.
Both Long Beach State and Hawai'i are a perfect 8-0 in Big West Conference action as this weekend's matches will determine the regular season champion and top seed heading into the conference tournament next week.
Catch All The Action
Friday's Long Beach State men's volleyball home matches will be live streamed via ESPN3. Fans can also tune into 22 West Radio to hear the home matches broadcasted by Matt Brown and Bryan Fenley. Saturday's contest will be streamed on Big West TV live on Spectrum Sports (Hawai'i).
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
Long Beach State is ranked No. 2 in the AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll as the Beach are 23-1 on the year.
Hawai'i moved into the No. 1 spot in the rankings on March 25 and boast a perfect 25-0 overall record.
About The Beach
• No. 2 Long Beach State owns a 23-1 record and is coming off of a pair of sweeps over UC San Diego last week.
• The Beach boast an 8-0 Big West Conference record.
• LBSU has won a program-record 39 straight home matches dating back to March 26, 2016.
• The Beach offense is hitting .423 on the year, after setting a single-match program record with an attack percentage of .655 against No. 8 Stanford on March 8. LBSU's season clip of .423 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 (.392), Kyle Ensing (.367), and Louis Richard (.332). The trio are all ranked in the top 10 in the Big West and in the top 30 in the NCAA.
• Senior outside hitter TJ DeFalco became Long Beach State's all-time aces leader with an ace at UC Santa Barbara on March 15. DeFalco now has 166 aces in his career.
• Senior setter Josh Tuaniga reached a major milestone as he eclipsed the 4,000 assists plateau with 34 helpers against Stanford. He became just the fifth LBSU player to reach that mark. Tuaniga now has 4,336 assists in his collegiate career and is ranked fourth all-time at LBSU.
• Long Beach State has a pair of players who have amassed 1,000 career kills in TJ DeFalco and Kyle Ensing. DeFalco is ninth place all-time with 1,555 kills, while Ensing moved up to 12th in program history with 1,336.
• The Beach have been dominant from the end line all season as they have racked up a total of 156 aces to average 2.03 per set which leads the nation.
• LBSU has three players ranked in the top 10 in service aces in the Long Beach State career record book. DeFalco leads the way with a program-record 166, while Ensing moved into fifth with 127, and Tuaniga comes in eighth with 104.
• In addition to etching his name in the record book in kills and services aces, DeFalco moved into eighth place all-time with 728 career digs.
Scouting the Rainbow Warriors
Top-ranked Hawai'i brings a perfect 25-0 overall record into the match against Long Beach State as the 'Bows haven't lost a match since a 3-0 season-ending sweep at LBSU in the Big West Conference Tournament Championship match last April 21.
The 'Bows, along with the Beach, are 8-0 in Big West action. Hawai'i swept through all of its matches to set an NCAA-record 74-straight set record, before dropping the third set to No. 3 UC Santa Barbara last week.
Hawai'i owns a nation-leading .462 attack percentage as Joe Worsley has dished out 11.68 assists per set to lead the nation.
Contributing to the 'Bows' offense are the duo of Rado Parapunov and Stijn van Tilburg who average 4.43 and 3.97 kills per set, respectively.
Parapunov also leads the team with 0.53 aces per set, while adding 0.99 blocks per set and 121 digs per set.
Gage Worsley is the squad's libero with 2.61 digs per set, while Patrick Gasman leads the 'Bows at the net with 1.57 blocks per set.
Hawai'i leads the Big West in six out of seven statistical categories as the Bows set the standard in hitting percentage (.462), opponent hitting percentage (.185), assists (13.75 per set), kills (14.64 per set), blocks (2.79 per set), and digs (9.17 per set).
Series vs. Hawai'i
Long Beach State and Hawai'i will go head-to-head for the 88th time in program history and the Beach hold a slight lead in the all-time series, 45-42. LBSU has won seven of the last eight meetings, with Hawai'i claiming a five-set win over the Beach to close out the 2018 regular season last April. When playing in Long Beach, Calif., the Beach lead the series 24-17,
Home Sweet Home
After picking up a 3-0 victory over then-No. 4 UCLA at the Walter Pyramid on Feb. 16, Long Beach State won its 33rd-straight home contest to set a new program record. The Beach have now extended that winning streak to 39 after collecting a 3-0 sweep win over UC San Diego last weekend. Long Beach State has not lost a match inside the Pyramid since March 26, 2016 when the Beach dropped a 3-0 decision to then-No. 2 UCLA.
Rewriting the Record Book
The 2019 Long Beach State squad rewrote the LBSU record book as the Beach set a new single-match record with an attack percentage of .655 against No. 8 Stanford on March 8. The clip bested the previous program record of .614 which LBSU set in 1983 against Stanford, before reaching it again 1996 at Purdue-Fort Wayne. The Beach hit a whopping .889 in the third set, knocking down 16 kills on 18 errorless swings. That mark ranks second in the LBSU single-match record book for set hitting percentage.
Record Setter
Senior TJ DeFalco became the new Long Beach State service aces leader after recording career ace No. 159 at UC Santa Barbara on March 15. DeFalco's 159 career aces topped current assistant coach Scott Touzinsky's previous record of 158 - a record that stood for 15 years.DeFalco has now brought his career aces total up to 166.
Elite Company
Senior setter Josh Tuaniga joined an elite group when he surpassed the 4,000 career assist milestone against No. 8 Stanford. Tuaniga became just the fifth LBSU player to reach that mark as he joined some of the best setters in Beach history in Tyler Hildebrand (6,651), Jason Stimpfig (6,324), Chris Seiffert (6,099), and Connor Olbright (4,103). Tuaniga now has 4,336 in his career as he moved into fourth all-time at Long Beach State.
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 166 in his career as he is the program's all-time aces leader. Ensing, meanwhile, has amassed 127 in his career to move into fifth all-time at LBSU. Not to be outdone by his teammates, Tuaniga has racked up 104 aces in his collegiate career to move into eighth in the Long Beach State annals. In Long Beach State program history, only eight players have tallied 100 or more aces in a career and three of them are on the current roster.
Movin' On Up
DeFalco and Ensing have also made their way into the LBSU career record book with 1,555 and 1,336 kills, respectively. DeFalco sits in ninth place all-time, while Ensing slid into 12th at Long Beach State. DeFalco is just two kills away from topping Robert Tarr and moving into eighth place, while Ensing is 24 kills away from tying Jim Polster for 11th.
Among The Best
TJ DeFalco has collected 121 digs this season to bring his career mark to 728 which ranks him eighth all-time at Long Beach State. DeFalco becomes just the third player in program history to appear in the LBSU career record book in kills, aces, and digs, joining all-time greats Brent Hilliard who ranks first with 3,034 kills, fifth with 121 aces, and seventh with 737 digs, and Jim Polster who ranks 11th with 1,360 kills, 10th with 91 aces, and 10th with 688 digs.
Block Party
Senior middle blocker Nick Amado and senior opposite Kyle Ensing had themselves a block party at CSUN to start the month of March. Amado led the way with nine blocks to tie his career-best, while Ensing set a new career mark with eight blocks. The pair led the Beach to a team total of 12.5 in the match, a new season-high for the squad. On the year, Amado leads LBSU with 0.94 blocks per set to rank fifth in the conference. However, when playing against Big West teams, Amado's 1.32 blocks per set is second in the league, while Ensing's 0.89 average ranks fourth.
Tops in the Nation
Long Beach State leads the NCAA with 2.03 service aces per set after racking up 156 over 24 matches. The Beach boast a pair of players who rank in the top 10 in the nation in aces per set. Kyle Ensing leads the way with 0.55 which is second in the Big West and fifth in the country, while TJ DeFalco is eighth in the NCAA with 0.52 aces per set, which is good for fourth in the league.
Hitting the Spot
After leading the nation in hitting in each of the last two years, the Long Beach State offense hasn't seen much of a drop off. The Beach are hitting .423 on the year and are currently ranked second in both the NCAA and the Big West. LBSU has three players ranked in the top 30 in the nation. TJ DeFalco's attack percentage of .392 is 14th in the country, while Kyle Ensing is hitting .367 which is good for 18th in the nation, and Louis Richard's .332 hitting percentage ranks him 29th in the NCAA.
Brother Against Brother
The matches against Hawaii this weekend will pit LBSU redshirt freshman opposite Alexander Anastassiades against his older brother, James Anastassiades, a redshirt junior outside hitter at Hawai'i. Alexander has come off the bench for the Beach this season given LBSU an offensive spark . Meanwhile, James has seen action in 56 sets for the 'Bows tallying 20 ills on .293 hitting. "We can't wait to compete against each other in what are to be great and competitive games this weekend," Alexander stated.
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 2018 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, which was released on Feb. 20, focused on the team's Jan. 19 contest at UCLA in a rematch of the 2018 National Championship. The second episode also included an interview with senior outside hitter TJ DeFalco.
The third episode of LEGACY came out on Friday, April 5 and recounted the Beach's home opener against USC and featured an interview with senior libero Jordan Molina.
Check out LongBeachState.com and the BigWest.org to catch all of the action.
Up Next
Following the conclusion of the regular season, Long Beach State will travel to Honolulu, Hawai'i for the Big West Conference Tournament.
Players Mentioned
MB
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OPP
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OH
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OPP
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L
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OH
/ Men's Volleyball
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