No. 4 Long Beach State Back in Action Against Westcliff

Friday, February 21

Long Beach, Calif.

7:00 PM

Long Beach State University

Westcliff

Photo by: John Fajardo

2/20/2020 7:14:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

The Beach host the Warriors on Friday at 7 p.m.

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

Match #9
No. 4 Long Beach State vs. Westcliff
Date: Friday, Feb. 21
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Arena: Walter Pyramid
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Listen: 22WestMedia.com
Watch: Beach Vision
Talent: Tyler Kulakowski
Twitter: @LBSUMVB

Complete LBSU Notes (PDF)

No. 4 Long Beach State Back in Action Against Westcliff
No. 4 Long Beach State men's volleyball returns to the Walter Pyramid to host Westcliff on Friday, February 21 at 7 p.m. The Beach and the Warriors will meet for the first time in program history. Friday's match will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Walter Pyramid as LBSU welcomes back members of the 1995 Long Beach State men's volleyball team who were the first team to play inside the Walter Pyramid.

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 winning a pair of four-set contests last week against No. 9 Penn State and No. 15 Ohio State.

Westcliff, which competes in the NAIA, is not ranked.

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 877 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 65 AVCA All-Americans, more than 50 professional indoor and beach players, and 16 U.S. Olympians.

About the Beach
• No. 4 Long Beach State bounced back to win a pair of four-set decisions over No. 9 Penn State and No. 15 Ohio State to improve to 7-1 on the year.
• Long Beach State has not lost back-to-back matches since 2015 when the Beach dropped a five-set contest to USC on March 20, then fell in four sets to Pepperdine on March 26.
• As a team, the Beach are hitting .306 on the year behind 13.06 kills per set and 11.69 assists per set.
• Leading the Beach offensively are outside hitters Ethan Siegfried and Spencer Olivier. Siegfried boasts 3.03 kills per set, while Olivier averages 3.00 per set.
• Olivier also leads the team with 14 service aces. After racking up a career-high four aces in the win over USC. Olivier's average of 0.47 aces per set ranks him fourth in the conference.
• Junior Carlos Rivera is the Beach's setter as he averages 10.28 assists per set to rank third in the Big West. Rivera also adds 2.03 digs per set, which is good for second on the squad. He also contributes 0.50 kills per set and 0.47 blocks per set.
• Sophomore middle blocker Shane Holdaway boasts a team-leading .481 attack percentage to rank third in the Big West and fourth in the nation.
• Defensively, Long Beach State is paced by freshman libero Mason Briggs who anchors the back row with 2.25 digs per set to rank second in the Big West.
• At the net, LBSU is averaging 2.1 blocks per set as a team as the Beach are led by redshirt sophomore Marc Moody's 0.96 blocks per set. Middle blocker Shane Holdaway is second on the team with 0.89 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 Westcliff
Westcliff, which competes in the NAIA, brings a 5-4 overall record into the match against the Beach. The Warriors are coming off of back-to-back road victories at Arizona Christian (3-0) and Hope International (3-2).

Jacob Vander Beek is the team's leading scorer as he averages 3.00 kills per set, while adding 1.62 digs per set, which also leads the squad.

The Warriors offense is led by Ghie Lubrica who has racked up 165 assists on the year for an average of 7.50 per set. He also adds 1.59 digs per set, 0.68 kills per set, and 0.32 blocks per set.

At the net, Westcliff is led by Sean Collins who has posted 12 blocks to average 0.86 per set.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Warriors
Long Beach State and Westcliff will meet for the first time in program history.

Can You Dig It?
Long Beach State is averaging 9.88 digs per set this season to rank second in the Big West and fifth in the nation. The Beach have two players ranked in the top five in the Big West in digs per set as freshman libero Mason Briggs averages 2.25 digs per set to rank second in the league and 12th in the nation. Behind Briggs, junior setter Carlos Rivera contributes 2.03 digs per set to rank sixth in the Big West and in the top 30 in the nation.

Block Party
The Beach posted a season-high 16.0 total team blocks in a four-set win over USC on Jan. 17, then followed that performance with a 10.5 blocking effort against then-No. 9 Pepperdine. As a team, the Beach are averaging 2.1 blocks per set. Middle blocker Marc Moody leads the way with 0.96 blocks per set, while middle blocker Shane Holdaway adds 0.89 blocks per set, and opposite Simon Andersen posts 0.72 blocks per set. The trio rank in the top 15 in the Big West.

Killin' It
As a team, Long Beach State is hitting .306 on the year and the Beach have two players who are averaging more than three kills per set. Outside hitters Ethan Siegfried and Spencer Olivier lead the way for LBSU as Siegfried averages 3.03 kills per set and Olivier contributes 3.00.

Hitting the Spot
Leading the way for the Beach's offensive attack is sophomore middle blocker Shane Holdaway who boasts a .481 attack percentage as he has knocked down 64 kills on 108 swings with just 12 errors. His hitting percentage ranks third in the Big West and fourth in the nation. Long Beach State has a total of five players hitting over .300 as junior opposite Simon Andersen (.344), sophomore middle blocker Marc Moody (.379), junior outside hitter Ryan Poole (.361), and junior setter Carlos Rivera (.324) join Holdaway in the over .300 club.

Setting the Bar
Junior Carlos Rivera stepped into the setter role and has piloted the Beach to seven victories and a .306 attack percentage. In just seven matches, the Toa Alta, Puerto Rico native has dished out 329 assists to average 10.28 assists per set which ranks third in the Big West and in the top 10 in the nation. Additionally, Rivera adds 2.03 digs per set, 0.50 kills per set, and 0.46 blocks per set.

Double-Double Toil and Trouble
In six matches thus far, Long Beach State has seen three players record a double-double. Leading the way for the Beach is junior setter Carlos Rivera who has notched three this season. Meanwhile both Ethan Siegfried and Spencer Olivier have each recorded two double-doubles.

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.

25 Years in the 'Mid
The Walter Pyramid opened its doors for the first time during the 1994-95 school year marking the 25th anniversary of the Walter Pyramid. Tonight, Long Beach State will recognize the 1995 LBSU men's volleyball team - the first to ever take the court inside the Walter Pyramid. Twenty five years ago, the Beach finished the season with an 18-9 overall record and made an appearance in the MPSF Tournament. Returning to the Walter Pyramid tonight for the 25th anniversary are former head coach Ray Ratelle, former assistant coach Mark D'Alessandro, and former players Arnie Baddeley, Forrest Cheney, Scott Eide, three-time Olympian and two-time All-American Tom Hoff, Rich Loper, Chuck Moore, Chris Walmer, and Oren Zaslansky.

Wall of Honor Inductees
In a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Long Beach State Men's Volleyball becoming an NCAA sanctioned sport, the Beach will be inducting three new members to the Wall of Honor. Matt Gage, Bill Imwalle, and Buzz Swarts, who each played on the inaugural LBSU men's volleyball squad, will be inducted on Monday, March 2 at the Wall of Honor dinner following the sixth annual Randy Sandefur Memorial Golf Tournament at Big Rec Golf Course.

The two major induction criteria for the Wall of Honor, as outlined by the committee are as follows: the player must have represented Long Beach State Men's Volleyball with unparalleled success or achievement and truly embodied the passion, commitment, and loyalty that encompass a Long Beach State men's volleyball player.

In addition to being part of the inaugural Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team, the trio went on to leave their mark on the sport of volleyball, particularly on the beach, for years to come. While making major strides for the sport, they continued their support and commitment to LBSU as the program grew into one of the top men's volleyball programs in the nation and captured three NCAA National Titles.

In Long Beach State's first year as an NCAA sanctioned sport the Beach made a run to the NCAA Tournament after placing third in the SCIVA. The NCAA District Champions defeated Ball State and UC Santa Barbara in the NCAA Tournament to advance to the NCAA Semifinals where the Beach knocked off Ball State as LBSU advanced to the NCAA Finals where they eventually fell to UCLA.

Matt Gage, who played for Long Beach State from 1969-70, had a solid indoor career following his time at the Beach. After serving in the United States National Guard, he went on to record three top 10 showings at Nationals while playing for the Schlumfelders in 1971, Balboa Bay Club in 1972, and Santa Monica Y in 1973. In 1974, he went on to play in Rome and played at Nationals with former LBSU teammate Buzz Swarts.

However, where Gage really made a name for himself was on the beach. In a beach career that spanned 13 years (1970-83), Gage won an unprecedented 28 Open Victories. He played with nine different partners, including former LBSU teammates Buzz Swarts and Bill Imwalle. Following his incredible career on the Beach, Gage spent nearly 30 years running the tournament board for the AVP. A household name on the beach, Gage was inducted into the CBVA Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1994.
Bill Imwalle was a two-year starter at Long Beach State from 1969-70 and went on to have a very successful beach career. He was a three-time Santa Cruz Open Champion in 1971, 1973, and 1974 and won the Corona Del Mar Open Championship in 1976. He won the Manhattan Beach 6-man Tournament five times, and placed third in the first World Championship of Beach Volleyball in 1976, which was the largest money tournament at that time in beach volleyball history. He finished his beach career winning four tournaments, all four of which he played with his college teammate, Matt Gage.

His indoor career saw him play in the Winston Volleyball League in 1974 and the IVA Co-Ed Pro League in 1975. Imwalle continued to stay involved in the sport as his team won the 1992 National Championship 45-50s in Reno, Nev., as he was selected to the All-American squad at the 1992 Reno Nationals.

Following his successful playing career, Imwalle continued his work in volleyball as he moved into coaching the sport he loves. He spent 10 years as the head women's volleyball coach at Menlo College and retired as a four-time Conference Coach of the Year. He led Menlo to five conference championships and two NAIA National Tournament appearances and was inducted into the Menlo College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.

Buzz Swarts, who was also part of that inaugural Long Beach State squad in 1970, made a name for himself on the beach following his collegiate career. Swarts won 10 Open Tournaments on the beach, with half of those playing with former LBSU teammate Matt Gage. Known as one of the most consistent players in the Open circuit, Swarts earned his biggest win in 1972 when he and Gage defeated Bob Clem and Larry Rundle to win the Manhattan Beach Open. Nearly four decades later, his name is still permanently engraved on the pier alongside other beach volleyball legends.

Swarts also excelled in mixed doubles and was a multiple winner of the Marine Street mixed tournament, which was the most prestigious mixed doubles tournament in California at the time.

Following an exceptional playing career, Swarts continued his involvement in the sport as he was an instrumental part in establishing the first courts on the pier in the City of Hermosa. For all of his efforts both on and off the beach, Swarts was inducted into the CBVA Hall of Fame in 2013.

Gage, Imwalle, and Swarts will be inducted in to the Wall of Honor, joining the current 32 members, on Monday, March 2 at the sixth annual Randy Sandefur Memorial Golf Tournament at Big Rec Golf Course at 5001 Deukmejian Dr. The Wall of Honor dinner will begin at 4:30 p.m., following the golf tournament. To register, ($200 per golfer; $800 per foursome) or to purchase tickets for dinner ($75 – dinner only), please visit: www.longbeachstate.com/mvbgolf.

Return to the Beach
Last weekend, Long Beach State welcomed back more than 30 men's volleyball alumni to the Walter Pyramid for the annual alumni game as the 2020 Beach took on the Long Beach Legends.

Several of the Long Beach Legends are currently playing or have recently played on the AVP and professionally overseas including Taylor Crabb (2011-14), Kyle Friend (2008-11), Ian Satterfield (2011-14), Ryan Meehan (2010-12), Srdjan Ndazdin (2009-12), and Chris Seiffert (1997-00).

Among the top alumni who returned to the Beach were former NCAA National Champions Brett Schroeder (1989-92), Brett Winslow (1988-91), Matt Butler (2014-18), and Zach Gates (2015-18), as well as All-Americans Mark Kerins (1987-90), Matt Prosser (1998-01), and Bryce Yould (2014-17).

Up Next
Long Beach State will look to avenge its lone loss of the season on Saturday, Feb. 29 when the Beach take on No. 8 UCLA at the Wooden Center at 5 p.m.