Men’s water polo
Team starts season 2-2
LBSU dropped both games on the final day of the UC San Diego Triton Invitational to finish fourth Sunday. The No. 9 49ers lost to No. 7 Pepperdine, 14-8, and No. 8 Loyola Marymount, 12-8. No. 2 Southern California placed first in the 14-team field. LBSU opened the season with victories over the University of Redlands and host No. 14 UC San Diego in the first day of action on Saturday. Eleven different 49ers scored in a 16-7 win over the Bulldogs, before senior center Kevin vanHaaster led the team with three goals in an 11-8 win over the Tritons. Junior goalkeeper Derek Wiebe-Bailey recorded 22 combined saves between the two games.
Men’s golf
49ers open season, finish 12th
Long Beach State improved by four shots on the final day and shot 293 as a team in the final round to finish 12th at the Gene Miranda Falcon Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunday. The 49ers finished the tournament at 33-over 897, while host Colorado State won the team title with a 27-under 837, a tournament record. Individually, sophomore Ricky Montanez was LBSU’s top performer with a 1-under 71 on Sunday morning to finish at 221 for the tournament, which tied for 34th. Colorado State’s Bryce Hanstad won the individual title by two shots and finished with an 11-under 205.
Women’s volleyball
LBSU goes 2-1 on Florida road trip
The ‘Niners (5-1) defeated Florida State and Florida A&M before dropping a five-set match to the University of Florida over the weekend. The No. 8 Gators overcame an 0-2 deficit to stun No. 23 LBSU 22-25, 19-25, 25-23, 25-16, 15-12, Saturday in Gainsville. Senior outside hitter Quincy Verdin led the team with 16 kills, while freshman Caitlin Ledoux added a double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs in the loss. The 49ers edged the Seminoles, 3-2 (21-25, 28-26, 25-19, 16-25, 15-7), and cruised past the Lady Rattlers, 3-1 (19-25, 25-14, 25-12, 25-10), on the trip.
The women’s volleyball team should have gone 3-0. Instead, what you witnessed was a meltdown that spells “Second Place to Cal Poly.” Also, the lack of consistency from our men’s water polo team rears its ugly head again.
Mercy.