Saturday, February 1
Long Beach, Calif.
7:30 p.m.
Long Beach State University
vs
UCLA
Photo by: John Fajardo
No. 4 LBSU Hosts No. 8 UCLA at Walter Pyramid on Saturday Evening
1/31/2020 4:29:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
The Beach will face the Bruins on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the second game of a doubleheader with the men's basketball team
Match #6
No. 4 Long Beach State vs. No. 9 UCLA
Date: Saturday, Feb. 1
Time: 7:30 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 LBSU Hosts No. 8 UCLA at Walter Pyramid on Saturday Evening
The No. 4 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team looks to extend its five-match winning streak against No. 8 UCLA as the Beach host the Bruins on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. The match will take place following the LBSU men's basketball game which is slated for a 4 p.m. tip-off.
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 starting the season off with a 5-0 record.
UCLA dropped down to No. 8 in the rankings after the Bruins split a pair of matches last week in a 3-0 sweep at No. 7 Penn State and a 3-1 win over Ohio State.
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 went 5-0 in the month of January as the Beach rolled to wins over Benedictine Mesa, McKendree, Concordia, USC, and Pepperdine.
• With a four-set victory over No. 9 Pepperdine last week, Long Beach State extended its program-record home winning streak to 45 straight matches inside the Walter Pyramid.
• As a team, the Beach are hitting .296 on the year behind 13.00 kills per set and 11.45 assists per set.
• Leading the Beach offensively is redshirt sophomore outside hitter Spencer Olivier who averages 3.20 kills per set on .315 hitting.
• The Beach have two players who average at least 3.00 kills per set as junior outside hitter Ethan Siegfried owns a 3.06 kills per set mark.
• Olivier also leads the team with 11 service aces. After racking up a career-high four aces in the win over USC, Olivier came back and tallied two more in the four-set win over No. 9 Pepperdine.
• Junior Carlos Rivera is the Beach's setter as he averages 10.25 assists per set. Rivera also adds 2.30 digs per set, which is also tops on the squad, as well as 0.40 kills per set, and 0.40 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 to rank third in the Big West.
• At the net, LBSU is averaging 2.25 blocks per set as a team as the Beach are led by redshirt sophomore Marc Moody's 1.08 blocks per set. Junior middle blocker Simon Andersen's 0.95 blocks per set is good for second on the team, while sophomore middle Shane Holdaway is third on the squad with 0.94 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 UCLA
UCLA comes into the match against Long Beach State with a 4-3 overall record. The Bruins won their first three matches of the 2020 season, but have since gone 3-1 with their most recent setback coming Thursday night against No. 13 Princeton, 3-1.
As a team the Bruins are hitting .344 on 12.00 kills per set and 10.7 assists per set. Defensively, UCLA has posted 1.6 blocks per set, while the back row averages 6.6 digs per set. The Bruins has racked up 64 aces this season to average 2.6 per set.
Cole Ketrzynski leads the Bruins with 2.90 kills per set on .292 hitting, while Alex Knight is second on the squad with 2.76 kills per set.
Mads Kyed Jensen is the team's setter as he averages 8.32 assists per set. He also leads the Bruins with 19 aces, while adding 1.08 digs per set, and owns an attack percentage of .453 (28-4-53).
Daenan Gyimah's has recorded 12 digs in 11 sets to average 1.09 blocks per set to lead the team. Behind him, Ketrzynski's 11 blocks (0.55 per set) are good for second.
Libero Cole Power anchors the Bruin defense in the back court with 1.28 digs per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Bruins
Long Beach State and UCLA will face each other for the 94th time in program history on Saturday night. The Bruins lead the all-time series, 51-42. However, LBSU has won the last six meetings, including the 2018 NCAA National Championship match at Pauley Pavilion. When playing in Long Beach, the Beach holds a 19-16 edge over the Bruins.
Home Sweet Home
Since 2016, Long Beach State has put together a 56-3 record inside the Walter Pyramid. That record is good for a winning percentage of .949. 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 45-0 record when playing at home.
Can You Dig It?
Long Beach State is averaging 10.10 digs per set this season to rank second in the Big West and sixth in the nation. The Beach have three players ranked in the top 10 in the Big West in digs per set as junior setter Carlos Rivera leads the way with 2.30 per set to top the league. Freshman libero Mason Briggs is third with 2.25 digs per set, and redshirt sophomore outside hitter Spencer Olivier ranks eighth in the league with 1.95 digs per set. The Beach are a solidly defensive team and limit opponents to a .210 attack percentage.
Block Party
The Beach posted a season-high 16.0 total team blocks in a four-set win over USC two weeks ago, then followed that performance with a 10.5 blocking effort last week against then-No. 9 Pepperdine. In the match against the Waves, the Beach were led on blocking defense by Shane Holdaway, who posted two solo blocks and two block assists, as well as Simon Andersen and Marc Moody who each recorded four block assists. Moody leads the team with 1.08 blocks per set which is good for fifth in the Big West, while Andersen's 0.95 and Holdaway's 0.94 blocks per set rank eighth and ninth, 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 3.20 kills per set on .315 hitting. He has reached double-digits in each of LBSU's matches this season. Joining Olivier with at least 3.00 kills per set this
Hitting the Spot
Long Beach State's offense is hitting just under .300 after five matches thus far. Leading the way for the Beach is sophomore middle blocker Shane Holdaway who boasts a .448 attack percentage as he has knocked down 33 kills on 58 swings with just seven errors. Also hitting over .400 for the Beach is junior Simon Andersen who owns a .411 clip (49-10-95). In addition to Holdaway and Andersen, Long Beach State has two players hitting over .300 in redshirt sophomore middle blocker Marc Moody (.342) and redshirt sophomore outside hitter Spencer Olivier (.315).
Setting the Bar
Junior Carlos Rivera stepped into the setter role and has piloted the Beach to five victories and a nearly .300 attack percentage. In just five matches, the Toa Alta, Puerto Rico native has dished out 205 assists to average 10.25 assists per set to rank third in the Big West and in the top 10 in the nation. Rivera also leads both the Beach and the Big West with 2.30 digs per set to contribute on both sides of the ball this season.
Aces Wild
This season, LBSU has recorded 25 service aces to average 1.3 per set. Leading the way from the endline for the Beach is redshirt sophomore Spencer Olivier who has racked up 11 service aces thus far for an average of 0.55 per set, which is good for second in the Big West and 11th in the nation. Olivier served up a career-high four aces in the Beach's 3-1 victory over USC two weeks ago.
Double-Double Toil and Trouble
In Long Beach State's four-set victory over then-No. 9 Pepperdine, the Beach boasted three players with a double-double. Junior outside hitter Ethan Siegfried led the Beach offensively with 15 kills while adding 10 digs for his first double-double of the season. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Spencer Olivier posted 13 kills and 10 digs for his second double-double of the year. Lastly, junior setter Carlos Rivera turned in another solid showing with 44 assists and 10 digs to record his team-leading third double-double of 2020.
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 travels to Columbus, Ohio for the Ohio State Tournament. At the tournament, the Beach will face off against No. 7 Penn State on Friday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. (PT), before closing out the tournament against the host Buckeyes on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 4:00 p.m. (PT).
No. 4 Long Beach State vs. No. 9 UCLA
Date: Saturday, Feb. 1
Time: 7:30 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 LBSU Hosts No. 8 UCLA at Walter Pyramid on Saturday Evening
The No. 4 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team looks to extend its five-match winning streak against No. 8 UCLA as the Beach host the Bruins on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. The match will take place following the LBSU men's basketball game which is slated for a 4 p.m. tip-off.
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 starting the season off with a 5-0 record.
UCLA dropped down to No. 8 in the rankings after the Bruins split a pair of matches last week in a 3-0 sweep at No. 7 Penn State and a 3-1 win over Ohio State.
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 went 5-0 in the month of January as the Beach rolled to wins over Benedictine Mesa, McKendree, Concordia, USC, and Pepperdine.
• With a four-set victory over No. 9 Pepperdine last week, Long Beach State extended its program-record home winning streak to 45 straight matches inside the Walter Pyramid.
• As a team, the Beach are hitting .296 on the year behind 13.00 kills per set and 11.45 assists per set.
• Leading the Beach offensively is redshirt sophomore outside hitter Spencer Olivier who averages 3.20 kills per set on .315 hitting.
• The Beach have two players who average at least 3.00 kills per set as junior outside hitter Ethan Siegfried owns a 3.06 kills per set mark.
• Olivier also leads the team with 11 service aces. After racking up a career-high four aces in the win over USC, Olivier came back and tallied two more in the four-set win over No. 9 Pepperdine.
• Junior Carlos Rivera is the Beach's setter as he averages 10.25 assists per set. Rivera also adds 2.30 digs per set, which is also tops on the squad, as well as 0.40 kills per set, and 0.40 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 to rank third in the Big West.
• At the net, LBSU is averaging 2.25 blocks per set as a team as the Beach are led by redshirt sophomore Marc Moody's 1.08 blocks per set. Junior middle blocker Simon Andersen's 0.95 blocks per set is good for second on the team, while sophomore middle Shane Holdaway is third on the squad with 0.94 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 UCLA
UCLA comes into the match against Long Beach State with a 4-3 overall record. The Bruins won their first three matches of the 2020 season, but have since gone 3-1 with their most recent setback coming Thursday night against No. 13 Princeton, 3-1.
As a team the Bruins are hitting .344 on 12.00 kills per set and 10.7 assists per set. Defensively, UCLA has posted 1.6 blocks per set, while the back row averages 6.6 digs per set. The Bruins has racked up 64 aces this season to average 2.6 per set.
Cole Ketrzynski leads the Bruins with 2.90 kills per set on .292 hitting, while Alex Knight is second on the squad with 2.76 kills per set.
Mads Kyed Jensen is the team's setter as he averages 8.32 assists per set. He also leads the Bruins with 19 aces, while adding 1.08 digs per set, and owns an attack percentage of .453 (28-4-53).
Daenan Gyimah's has recorded 12 digs in 11 sets to average 1.09 blocks per set to lead the team. Behind him, Ketrzynski's 11 blocks (0.55 per set) are good for second.
Libero Cole Power anchors the Bruin defense in the back court with 1.28 digs per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Bruins
Long Beach State and UCLA will face each other for the 94th time in program history on Saturday night. The Bruins lead the all-time series, 51-42. However, LBSU has won the last six meetings, including the 2018 NCAA National Championship match at Pauley Pavilion. When playing in Long Beach, the Beach holds a 19-16 edge over the Bruins.
Home Sweet Home
Since 2016, Long Beach State has put together a 56-3 record inside the Walter Pyramid. That record is good for a winning percentage of .949. 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 45-0 record when playing at home.
Can You Dig It?
Long Beach State is averaging 10.10 digs per set this season to rank second in the Big West and sixth in the nation. The Beach have three players ranked in the top 10 in the Big West in digs per set as junior setter Carlos Rivera leads the way with 2.30 per set to top the league. Freshman libero Mason Briggs is third with 2.25 digs per set, and redshirt sophomore outside hitter Spencer Olivier ranks eighth in the league with 1.95 digs per set. The Beach are a solidly defensive team and limit opponents to a .210 attack percentage.
Block Party
The Beach posted a season-high 16.0 total team blocks in a four-set win over USC two weeks ago, then followed that performance with a 10.5 blocking effort last week against then-No. 9 Pepperdine. In the match against the Waves, the Beach were led on blocking defense by Shane Holdaway, who posted two solo blocks and two block assists, as well as Simon Andersen and Marc Moody who each recorded four block assists. Moody leads the team with 1.08 blocks per set which is good for fifth in the Big West, while Andersen's 0.95 and Holdaway's 0.94 blocks per set rank eighth and ninth, 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 3.20 kills per set on .315 hitting. He has reached double-digits in each of LBSU's matches this season. Joining Olivier with at least 3.00 kills per set this
Hitting the Spot
Long Beach State's offense is hitting just under .300 after five matches thus far. Leading the way for the Beach is sophomore middle blocker Shane Holdaway who boasts a .448 attack percentage as he has knocked down 33 kills on 58 swings with just seven errors. Also hitting over .400 for the Beach is junior Simon Andersen who owns a .411 clip (49-10-95). In addition to Holdaway and Andersen, Long Beach State has two players hitting over .300 in redshirt sophomore middle blocker Marc Moody (.342) and redshirt sophomore outside hitter Spencer Olivier (.315).
Setting the Bar
Junior Carlos Rivera stepped into the setter role and has piloted the Beach to five victories and a nearly .300 attack percentage. In just five matches, the Toa Alta, Puerto Rico native has dished out 205 assists to average 10.25 assists per set to rank third in the Big West and in the top 10 in the nation. Rivera also leads both the Beach and the Big West with 2.30 digs per set to contribute on both sides of the ball this season.
Aces Wild
This season, LBSU has recorded 25 service aces to average 1.3 per set. Leading the way from the endline for the Beach is redshirt sophomore Spencer Olivier who has racked up 11 service aces thus far for an average of 0.55 per set, which is good for second in the Big West and 11th in the nation. Olivier served up a career-high four aces in the Beach's 3-1 victory over USC two weeks ago.
Double-Double Toil and Trouble
In Long Beach State's four-set victory over then-No. 9 Pepperdine, the Beach boasted three players with a double-double. Junior outside hitter Ethan Siegfried led the Beach offensively with 15 kills while adding 10 digs for his first double-double of the season. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Spencer Olivier posted 13 kills and 10 digs for his second double-double of the year. Lastly, junior setter Carlos Rivera turned in another solid showing with 44 assists and 10 digs to record his team-leading third double-double of 2020.
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 travels to Columbus, Ohio for the Ohio State Tournament. At the tournament, the Beach will face off against No. 7 Penn State on Friday, Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. (PT), before closing out the tournament against the host Buckeyes on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 4:00 p.m. (PT).
Players Mentioned
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