Saturday, February 18
Long Beach, Calif.
7:30 p.m.
Long Beach State University
8-2,0-0Big West
3
vs
0
NJIT
5-7,1-0EIVA
1
2
3
F
NJIT
19
13
13
0
Long Beach St.
25
25
25
3
Photo by: Nico Alba
No. 4 Long Beach State Rolls Over NJIT in Straight Sets
2/18/2023 10:51:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
The Beach hit .500 with 13.0 total team blocks in the victory
Box Score (PDF)
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Aidan Knipe led No. 4 Long Beach State to a .500 attack percentage as the Beach cruised to a 3-0 [25-19, 25-13, 25-13] sweep over NJIT on Saturday night at the Walter Pyramid.
Knipe's solid passing over the last two matches guided the Beach (8-2) to a .457 clip against NJIT (5-7) which was limited to just .093 against LBSU. In addition to Long Beach's solid hitting, the Beach defense was unstoppable again as they posted 13.0 total team blocks and forced the Highlanders into a negative attack percentage (-.014).
The Beach's came up huge as they never allowed the Highlanders to score more than 19 points in a single set, while forcing them into negative hitting in the first and third sets. Long Beach State was masterful in siding out as they sided out at 78% in the first and second sets, and were a perfect 13-for-13 in set three.
Knipe finished the match distributing 32 assists, while adding four digs and a pair of block assists. He found Shane Holdaway nine times and Holdaway capitalized knocking down eight kills on nine errorless swings for an impressive .889 attack percentage.
Also leading the Long Beach offense were Spencer Olivier, Clarke Godbold, and Simon Torwie who each finished with seven kills. Torwie hit .600 (7-1-10), while Olivier posted a .417 (7-2-12) attack percentage, and Godbold finished with a .333 (7-2-15) clip. The trio also led LBSU at the net as Torwie put up seven block assists, while Olivier added six, and Godbold chipped in four. Torwie also served up a pair of aces in the match.
In the backrow, Sotiris Siapanis recorded seven digs, while Mason Briggs added five to go along with 13 errorless receptions. Siapanis also contributed six kills on a .455 attack percentage, while posting three blocks, and one ace.
The first set went back and forth as Long Beach State and NJIT each tallied four-straight points to keep the game close. The Beach got strong serving from Torwie who led the team on a 4-0 run with a pair of aces to send the game to set point (24-18). Holdaway would finish things off with a kill to make it 25-19.
After two early ties, Long Beach State registered four-straight points to take a 6-2 lead as NJIT called for a timeout. The break did little to stop the Beach's momentum as they surged ahead going on a 7-0 run to open up a 10-point advantage (13-3) over the Highlanders. LBSU held a comfortable lead the rest of the way rolling to a 25-13 win on a big block from Knipe and Grant Marocchi.
Long Beach State continued its momentous run into the third set as the Beach hit .588 knocking down 11 kills on 17 swings with just one error. Even more impressive, LBSU was perfect with a 100% sideout percentage as they, once again, opened up a double-digit lead (20-10). The Beach held a commanding lead the rest of the way as Connor Bloom came off the bench and slammed down a kill to win the set, 25-13.
NJIT was led by Carson Williams and Jens Feldhus who each concluded the match with six kills. Williams hit .364, while Feldhus hit .278. Roque Nido dished out 12 assists, while Christian Trevino added four digs.
Long Beach State will have a bye week next week, then will host No. 11 Ball State on Friday, March 3 at the Walter Pyramid. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Aidan Knipe led No. 4 Long Beach State to a .500 attack percentage as the Beach cruised to a 3-0 [25-19, 25-13, 25-13] sweep over NJIT on Saturday night at the Walter Pyramid.
Knipe's solid passing over the last two matches guided the Beach (8-2) to a .457 clip against NJIT (5-7) which was limited to just .093 against LBSU. In addition to Long Beach's solid hitting, the Beach defense was unstoppable again as they posted 13.0 total team blocks and forced the Highlanders into a negative attack percentage (-.014).
The Beach's came up huge as they never allowed the Highlanders to score more than 19 points in a single set, while forcing them into negative hitting in the first and third sets. Long Beach State was masterful in siding out as they sided out at 78% in the first and second sets, and were a perfect 13-for-13 in set three.
Knipe finished the match distributing 32 assists, while adding four digs and a pair of block assists. He found Shane Holdaway nine times and Holdaway capitalized knocking down eight kills on nine errorless swings for an impressive .889 attack percentage.
Also leading the Long Beach offense were Spencer Olivier, Clarke Godbold, and Simon Torwie who each finished with seven kills. Torwie hit .600 (7-1-10), while Olivier posted a .417 (7-2-12) attack percentage, and Godbold finished with a .333 (7-2-15) clip. The trio also led LBSU at the net as Torwie put up seven block assists, while Olivier added six, and Godbold chipped in four. Torwie also served up a pair of aces in the match.
In the backrow, Sotiris Siapanis recorded seven digs, while Mason Briggs added five to go along with 13 errorless receptions. Siapanis also contributed six kills on a .455 attack percentage, while posting three blocks, and one ace.
The first set went back and forth as Long Beach State and NJIT each tallied four-straight points to keep the game close. The Beach got strong serving from Torwie who led the team on a 4-0 run with a pair of aces to send the game to set point (24-18). Holdaway would finish things off with a kill to make it 25-19.
After two early ties, Long Beach State registered four-straight points to take a 6-2 lead as NJIT called for a timeout. The break did little to stop the Beach's momentum as they surged ahead going on a 7-0 run to open up a 10-point advantage (13-3) over the Highlanders. LBSU held a comfortable lead the rest of the way rolling to a 25-13 win on a big block from Knipe and Grant Marocchi.
Aidan Knipe and Grant Marocchi team up for the block to win set 2 #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/eManbxBadU
— Long Beach State Men's VB (@LBSUMVB) February 19, 2023
Long Beach State continued its momentous run into the third set as the Beach hit .588 knocking down 11 kills on 17 swings with just one error. Even more impressive, LBSU was perfect with a 100% sideout percentage as they, once again, opened up a double-digit lead (20-10). The Beach held a commanding lead the rest of the way as Connor Bloom came off the bench and slammed down a kill to win the set, 25-13.
BLOOM BABY!!! #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/luJDfTaFpx
— Long Beach State Men's VB (@LBSUMVB) February 19, 2023
NJIT was led by Carson Williams and Jens Feldhus who each concluded the match with six kills. Williams hit .364, while Feldhus hit .278. Roque Nido dished out 12 assists, while Christian Trevino added four digs.
Long Beach State will have a bye week next week, then will host No. 11 Ball State on Friday, March 3 at the Walter Pyramid. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Team Stats
NJIT
LBSU
Kills
19
37
Errors
20
6
Attempts
73
62
Hitting %
-.014
.500
Points
22.5
55
Assists
19
37
Aces
1
5
Blocks
2.5
13
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
6
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
7
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
OH/OPP
/ Men's Volleyball
L
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's VolleyballOPP
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