Men’s Volleyball: ‘Niners fall in four sets to UC Irvine at Elephant Bar Tournament
Long Beach State jumped out to an early lead against defending national champion UC Irvine, winning the first set before the Anteaters stormed back to take the match 26-30, 30-26, 30-21, 30-26 in the fifth-place game of the Elephant Bar Tournament on Friday.
The Beach (1-2) hit .486 in the first set victory, but managed only .250 in the second set, .147 in the third set and .138 in the final set.
Sophomore Jim Baughman led the ‘Niners with 13 kills, while freshman Dalton Ammerman had 11 kills on a .526 hitting percentage in his first extended action of the season.
Senior Dean Bittner added 11 kills and Kory Matsukado had 12 digs for the 49ers. Carson Clark led UCI with 20 kills, while hitting .366.
The 49ers return to action on Jan. 13 when they visit UC Santa Barbara for a 7 p.m. tilt.
LBSU 3, UC Santa Barbara 2
The 49ers rallied from a two-set deficit Thursday night to beat UCSB 30-28, 25-30, 25-30, 30-28, 15-10, salvaging a split of its first two matches at the Elephant Bar Restaurant Tournament.
Bittner led the 49ers with 22 kills on .333 hitting. Junior transfer Antwain Aguillard added 15 kills while hitting .522.
Tommy Pestolesi finished with a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs against UCSB. Matsukado had a career-best 15 digs, while Mike Klipsch handed out 60 assists.
Cal Baptist 3, LBSU 2
In the season opener, the 49ers dropped a five-game decision to California Baptist 31-29, 27-30, 28-30, 30-28, 15-13 to fall into the loser’s bracket. Bittner led the 49ers with 30 kills on .320 hitting. Baughman and Pestolesi added 17 and 10 kills, respectively.
The ‘Niners committed 20 service errors and 14 hitting errors, while hitting .300 for the match. Levi Cabral led Cal Baptist with 37 kills and a .430 hitting percentage.
Women’s Tennis: LBSU debuts at No. 50 in national ranking
Head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello’s Long Beach State women’s tennis team enters the 2010 season ranked at No. 50 when the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s initial rankings were released on Tuesday.
Sophomore Rachel Manasse and freshman Jaklin Alawi also made their debut in the rankings as the duo starts the year ranked No. 58 in doubles after registering a perfect 4-0 record in fall play, including winning the Fullerton Invitational doubles championship.
The six-time defending Big West champion 49ers begin the 2010 team campaign on Jan. 21 at No. 9 USC.