Saturday, January 25
Long Beach, Calif.
7 p.m.
Long Beach State University
vs
Pepperdine
Photo by: John Fajardo
No. 4 Long Beach State Faces No. 9 Pepperdine in Saturday Evening Match
1/24/2020 5:34:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
The Beach and the Waves Face off at 7 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid
Match #5
No. 4 Long Beach State vs. No. 9 Pepperdine
Date: Saturday, Jan. 25
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Arena: Walter Pyramid
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Listen: 22WestMedia.com
Watch: Beach Vision
Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Complete LBSU Notes (PDF)
No. 4 Long Beach State Faces No. 9 Pepperdine in Saturday Evening Match
The No. 4 Long Beach State men's volleyball team hosts No. 9 Pepperdine in the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, January 25 at 7 p.m. Prior to the contest, the 2019 NCAA National Championship banner will be hung from the rafters. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a replica banner.
Catch All The Action
All Long Beach State men's volleyball matches will be live streamed via Beach Vision. Fans can also tune into 22 West Radio to hear the match broadcast by Matt Brown and former Long Beach State men's volleyball player and assistant coach, Matt Prosser.
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).
Fans can 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 #LBNation.
In the Rankings
Long Beach State comes into the week ranked fourth in the AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll after moving up from fifth last week.
Pepperdine is ranked ninth this week as the Waves bring a 3-1 record into the week.
Fifty Years of Long Beach State Men's Volleyball
The 2020 season marks the 50th year of Long Beach State Men's Volleyball as the inaugural season kicked off in 1970. In 50 years, Long Beach State has won 874 matches and boasts a winning percentage of .647. The Beach have won three NCAA National Titles (1991, 2018, 2019), made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, have garnered six National Players of the Year, and have seen two coaches named National Coach of the Year in six separate years. The storied LBSU men's volleyball program has produced 24 AVCA First Team All-Americans, more than 50 professional indoor and beach players, and 10 U.S. Olympians.
About the Beach
• No. 4 Long Beach State opened the 2020 season with four-straight wins as the Beach boast a 4-0 overall record.
• With a four-set victory over USC last week, Long Beach State has now won 44 straight matches inside the Walter Pyramid - a new program record.
• As a team, the Beach are hitting .291 on the year behind 12.69 kills per set and 11.13 assists per set.
• Leading the Beach offensively is redshirt sophomore outside hitter Spencer Olivier who averages 3.19 kills per set on .343 hitting.
• Olivier also leads the team with nine service aces after racking up a career-high four in the win over USC.
• Junior Carlos Rivera is the Beach's setter as he averages 10.06 assists per set. Rivera also adds 2.25 digs per set, 0.38 kills per set, and 0.38 blocks per set.
• Defensively, Long Beach State is paced by freshman libero Mason Briggs who anchors the back row with 2.25 digs per set.
• At the net, LBSU is averaging 2.16 blocks per set as a team as the Beach are led by redshirt sophomore Marc Moody's 1.13 blocks per set. Junior middle blocker Simon Andersen's 0.94 blocks per set is good for second on the team, while sophomore middle Shane Holdaway is third on the squad with 0.92 blocks per set.
• Long Beach State has officially changed the nickname for all sports other than baseball to Beach with the NCAA. Please do not refer to LBSU volleyball as the 49ers.
Scouting Pepperdine
Pepperdine comes into the match against Long Beach State with a 3-1 overall record. The Waves won their first three matches of the 2020 season against Cal Lutheran (3-0), Daemen (3-0), and Harvard (3-1), before dropping a four-set match to then-No. 13 George Mason last week.
The Waves are hitting .306, while averaging 11.50 kills per set on 10.79 assists per set. Defensively, Pepperdine has posted 2.36 blocks per set, while averaging 8.64 digs per set.
Noah Dyer (2.93 kps) and Jacob Steele (2.92 kps) are the team's leading scorers. Steele owns an attack percentage of .342, while Dyer has a .319 clip.
Rob Mullahey is the Waves' setter as he has distributed 110 assists this season to average 7.86 per set.
In the back row, Pepperdine's libero Diego Perez paces the team with 2.14 digs per set.
Austin Wilmot and JT Martin lead the squad at the net with 1.00 blocks per set and 0.93 blocks per set, respectively. Wilmot also leads the team with a .472 attack percentage as he has knocked down 21 kills on 36 swings while committing just four errors.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Waves
In a series that dates back since 1972, Long Beach State and Pepperdine are deadlocked at 43-43 all-time. In their last meeting, LBSU defeated Pepperdine in four sets in Long Beach at the 2019 NCAA Final Four on May 2. The Beach have won the last five meetings against the Waves, as Pepperdine is looking for its first victory against Long Beach State since 2015.
Home Sweet Home
Since 2016, Long Beach State has put together a 55-3 record inside the Walter Pyramid. That record is good for a winning percentage of .948. 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 program-record 44-0 record when playing at home.
Can You Dig It?
Long Beach State is averaging 9.75 digs per set this season to rank second in the Big West and fourth in the nation. The Beach are led by freshman libero Mason Briggs and junior setter Carlos Rivera who each average 2.25 digs per set, which is good for 13th in the country. The duo had a career match against Concordia at the UCSB Asics Invitational as they each posted a career-high 12 digs in the contest to lead the Beach. Both Briggs and Rivera have recorded double-figure digs on two occasions this season.
Block Party
The Beach posted a season-high 16.0 total team blocks in a four-set win over USC last week. In that match four players recorded six total blocks in Shane Holdaway, Simon Andersen, Marc Moody, and Ethan Siegfried. With the solid blocking effort, the Beach now average 2.16 blocks per set as a team. Individually, LBSU is led by Moody's 1.13 blocks per set, while Andersen (0.94) and Holdaway (0.92) are second and third on the squad, respectively.
Killin' It
Redshirt sophomore Spencer Olivier has been killing it offensively for the Beach this season. The outside hitter from Tustin, Calif., leads the team with 3.19 kills per set on .343 hitting. He has reached double-digits in each of LBSU's matches this season. Most recently, he tied his career-high with 14 kills in a four-set win over USC.
Hitting the Spot
Long Beach State's offense is hitting just under .300 after four matches thus far. Leading the way for the Beach is junior middle blocker Simon Andersen who boasts a .470 attack percentage (36-5-66). The Beach have three players on the squad hitting over .400. In addition to Andersen, sophomore middle blocker Shane Holdaway owns a .438 attack percentage (27-6-48), while junior outside hitter Ryan Poole has a .417 clip (12-2-24).
Setting the Bar
Junior Carlos Rivera stepped into the setter role and has piloted the Beach to four victories and a nearly .300 attack percentage. In just four matches, the Toa Alta, Puerto Rico native has dished out 161 assists to average 10.06 assists per set to rank third in the Big West and in the top 10 in the nation. In addition, Rivera has also registered 2.25 digs per set to tie for the team lead with freshman libero Mason Briggs.
Aces Wild
This season, LBSU has recorded 19 service aces to average 1.19 per set. Leading the way from the endline for the Beach is redshirt sophomore Spencer Olivier who has racked up nine service aces thus far for an average of 0.56 per set. Olivier's average ranks him second in the Big West and 18th in the country.
Double-Double Toil and Trouble
In just four matches thus far, Long Beach State has seen two players record double-doubles. Spencer Olivier and Carlos Rivera each recorded a double-double in the Beach's five-set victory over Concordia. In that match, Olivier led the squad with 14 kills and 12 digs, both career-highs for the redshirt sophomore. Meanwhile, Rivera finished the match with 53 assists (just two off his career-best) and a career-high 12 digs.
20/20 Vision
Junior outside hitter Ethan Siegfried posted a career-high 21 kills in Long Beach State's five-set win over Concorida. Siegfried's effort marked the first 20-plus kill showing of his career. Currently, he is the only Beach player to reach at least 20 kills this season.
Up Next
Long Beach State continues its homestand as the Beach host No. 6 UCLA on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. inside the Walter Pyramid.
No. 4 Long Beach State vs. No. 9 Pepperdine
Date: Saturday, Jan. 25
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Arena: Walter Pyramid
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Listen: 22WestMedia.com
Watch: Beach Vision
Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Complete LBSU Notes (PDF)
No. 4 Long Beach State Faces No. 9 Pepperdine in Saturday Evening Match
The No. 4 Long Beach State men's volleyball team hosts No. 9 Pepperdine in the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, January 25 at 7 p.m. Prior to the contest, the 2019 NCAA National Championship banner will be hung from the rafters. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a replica banner.
Catch All The Action
All Long Beach State men's volleyball matches will be live streamed via Beach Vision. Fans can also tune into 22 West Radio to hear the match broadcast by Matt Brown and former Long Beach State men's volleyball player and assistant coach, Matt Prosser.
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).
Fans can 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 #LBNation.
In the Rankings
Long Beach State comes into the week ranked fourth in the AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll after moving up from fifth last week.
Pepperdine is ranked ninth this week as the Waves bring a 3-1 record into the week.
Fifty Years of Long Beach State Men's Volleyball
The 2020 season marks the 50th year of Long Beach State Men's Volleyball as the inaugural season kicked off in 1970. In 50 years, Long Beach State has won 874 matches and boasts a winning percentage of .647. The Beach have won three NCAA National Titles (1991, 2018, 2019), made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, have garnered six National Players of the Year, and have seen two coaches named National Coach of the Year in six separate years. The storied LBSU men's volleyball program has produced 24 AVCA First Team All-Americans, more than 50 professional indoor and beach players, and 10 U.S. Olympians.
About the Beach
• No. 4 Long Beach State opened the 2020 season with four-straight wins as the Beach boast a 4-0 overall record.
• With a four-set victory over USC last week, Long Beach State has now won 44 straight matches inside the Walter Pyramid - a new program record.
• As a team, the Beach are hitting .291 on the year behind 12.69 kills per set and 11.13 assists per set.
• Leading the Beach offensively is redshirt sophomore outside hitter Spencer Olivier who averages 3.19 kills per set on .343 hitting.
• Olivier also leads the team with nine service aces after racking up a career-high four in the win over USC.
• Junior Carlos Rivera is the Beach's setter as he averages 10.06 assists per set. Rivera also adds 2.25 digs per set, 0.38 kills per set, and 0.38 blocks per set.
• Defensively, Long Beach State is paced by freshman libero Mason Briggs who anchors the back row with 2.25 digs per set.
• At the net, LBSU is averaging 2.16 blocks per set as a team as the Beach are led by redshirt sophomore Marc Moody's 1.13 blocks per set. Junior middle blocker Simon Andersen's 0.94 blocks per set is good for second on the team, while sophomore middle Shane Holdaway is third on the squad with 0.92 blocks per set.
• Long Beach State has officially changed the nickname for all sports other than baseball to Beach with the NCAA. Please do not refer to LBSU volleyball as the 49ers.
Scouting Pepperdine
Pepperdine comes into the match against Long Beach State with a 3-1 overall record. The Waves won their first three matches of the 2020 season against Cal Lutheran (3-0), Daemen (3-0), and Harvard (3-1), before dropping a four-set match to then-No. 13 George Mason last week.
The Waves are hitting .306, while averaging 11.50 kills per set on 10.79 assists per set. Defensively, Pepperdine has posted 2.36 blocks per set, while averaging 8.64 digs per set.
Noah Dyer (2.93 kps) and Jacob Steele (2.92 kps) are the team's leading scorers. Steele owns an attack percentage of .342, while Dyer has a .319 clip.
Rob Mullahey is the Waves' setter as he has distributed 110 assists this season to average 7.86 per set.
In the back row, Pepperdine's libero Diego Perez paces the team with 2.14 digs per set.
Austin Wilmot and JT Martin lead the squad at the net with 1.00 blocks per set and 0.93 blocks per set, respectively. Wilmot also leads the team with a .472 attack percentage as he has knocked down 21 kills on 36 swings while committing just four errors.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Waves
In a series that dates back since 1972, Long Beach State and Pepperdine are deadlocked at 43-43 all-time. In their last meeting, LBSU defeated Pepperdine in four sets in Long Beach at the 2019 NCAA Final Four on May 2. The Beach have won the last five meetings against the Waves, as Pepperdine is looking for its first victory against Long Beach State since 2015.
Home Sweet Home
Since 2016, Long Beach State has put together a 55-3 record inside the Walter Pyramid. That record is good for a winning percentage of .948. 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 program-record 44-0 record when playing at home.
Can You Dig It?
Long Beach State is averaging 9.75 digs per set this season to rank second in the Big West and fourth in the nation. The Beach are led by freshman libero Mason Briggs and junior setter Carlos Rivera who each average 2.25 digs per set, which is good for 13th in the country. The duo had a career match against Concordia at the UCSB Asics Invitational as they each posted a career-high 12 digs in the contest to lead the Beach. Both Briggs and Rivera have recorded double-figure digs on two occasions this season.
Block Party
The Beach posted a season-high 16.0 total team blocks in a four-set win over USC last week. In that match four players recorded six total blocks in Shane Holdaway, Simon Andersen, Marc Moody, and Ethan Siegfried. With the solid blocking effort, the Beach now average 2.16 blocks per set as a team. Individually, LBSU is led by Moody's 1.13 blocks per set, while Andersen (0.94) and Holdaway (0.92) are second and third on the squad, respectively.
Killin' It
Redshirt sophomore Spencer Olivier has been killing it offensively for the Beach this season. The outside hitter from Tustin, Calif., leads the team with 3.19 kills per set on .343 hitting. He has reached double-digits in each of LBSU's matches this season. Most recently, he tied his career-high with 14 kills in a four-set win over USC.
Hitting the Spot
Long Beach State's offense is hitting just under .300 after four matches thus far. Leading the way for the Beach is junior middle blocker Simon Andersen who boasts a .470 attack percentage (36-5-66). The Beach have three players on the squad hitting over .400. In addition to Andersen, sophomore middle blocker Shane Holdaway owns a .438 attack percentage (27-6-48), while junior outside hitter Ryan Poole has a .417 clip (12-2-24).
Setting the Bar
Junior Carlos Rivera stepped into the setter role and has piloted the Beach to four victories and a nearly .300 attack percentage. In just four matches, the Toa Alta, Puerto Rico native has dished out 161 assists to average 10.06 assists per set to rank third in the Big West and in the top 10 in the nation. In addition, Rivera has also registered 2.25 digs per set to tie for the team lead with freshman libero Mason Briggs.
Aces Wild
This season, LBSU has recorded 19 service aces to average 1.19 per set. Leading the way from the endline for the Beach is redshirt sophomore Spencer Olivier who has racked up nine service aces thus far for an average of 0.56 per set. Olivier's average ranks him second in the Big West and 18th in the country.
Double-Double Toil and Trouble
In just four matches thus far, Long Beach State has seen two players record double-doubles. Spencer Olivier and Carlos Rivera each recorded a double-double in the Beach's five-set victory over Concordia. In that match, Olivier led the squad with 14 kills and 12 digs, both career-highs for the redshirt sophomore. Meanwhile, Rivera finished the match with 53 assists (just two off his career-best) and a career-high 12 digs.
20/20 Vision
Junior outside hitter Ethan Siegfried posted a career-high 21 kills in Long Beach State's five-set win over Concorida. Siegfried's effort marked the first 20-plus kill showing of his career. Currently, he is the only Beach player to reach at least 20 kills this season.
Up Next
Long Beach State continues its homestand as the Beach host No. 6 UCLA on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. inside the Walter Pyramid.
Players Mentioned
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