The Long Beach State men’s volleyball team closed out its preseason matchups Monday night with a 3-0 sweep of visiting Alberta at the Walter Pyramid.
The 49ers seized control of the match early on with a 25-19 win in the first set. However, the second set was a different story. The 49ers let a 15-9 lead vanish when hitting errors allowed Alberta to tie and eventually take the lead.
If not for a clutch second set by senior middle blocker Antwain Aguillard, who came up with a huge kill to prevent set-point and then followed with a block along with fellow middle blocker Ryan Meehan, the 49ers would have put themselves in a much more difficult position.
With a 2-0 lead in the match, the 49ers cruised to the win with a commanding performance in the final set. Junior Jim Baughman and freshman Taylor Crabb led the 49ers with four kills each in their third and final set.
Assistant coach John Hawks, who served as acting head coach in place of Andy Read, said of the up-and-coming Crabb, “Taylor’s one of the best volleyball players in the country.”
Though Hawks praised Crabb for his abilities, he also recognized that he has a long way to go.
“We want his attacking numbers to be better,” Hawks said. Crabb had a meager .162 hitting percentage in spite of his game-leading 12 kills.
At times, the 49ers looked unstoppable. The LBSU outblocked their opponents, 10.5-5, and delivered four service aces. Unfortunately, at other moments they looked lost. The team totaled eight errors in the second set alone; dropping a first set hitting percentage of .273 down to .143 in the second.
Hawks has been happy with what he’s seen so far in the preseason, saying, “Our guys are working really well together. We’re becoming really great teammates.” Hawks would also not let their good performance get to their heads, adding, “It’s just one win.”
The 49ers will travel for the UC Santa Barbara Invitational where they will face UC Irvine in their regular-season opener at 10 a.m. on Friday. UCI was projected to finish first in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation by the coaches and has won two national championships in the last four years.
“We’re looking to start off the season with a bang,” said Baughman, who boasted a hitting percentage of .391 in tonight’s game.
LBSU, which finished 12-17 last season including 8-14 in league play, was picked to finish ninth in the MPSF.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.