Well, you can forget about a letdown.
Nearly a month removed from its last home match, the No.6-ranked Long Beach State men’s volleyball team kept its undefeated record at the Walter Pyramid alive Wednesday with a straight-set victory over No. 9 Pepperdine.
Junior outside hitter Brad Hemmerling posted a career-best 16 kills to lead the 49ers (8-5, 7-3 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) to a perfect 6-0 mark at home as they defeated the Waves, 25-13, 25-22, 25-17.
“The match is one [game] out of 22, but wins at home are really sweet,” LBSU interim head coach Andy Read said.
Hemmerling also added a career-high .625 hitting percentage and seven digs, while junior opposite Jim Baughman recorded 11 kills on a .429 clip. Setter Mike Klipsch guided the ‘Niners’ offense to a .369 attack with 38 assists.
“[Hemmerling] gives us that offensive threat from the back-row flying because he can fly,” Read said. “[Pepperdine] was having a hard time dealing with that.”
Meanwhile, The Beach limited opposite Maurice Torrres — who leads Pepperdine with 4.11 kills per set — to a season-worst three kills on a woeful -.308 clip.
LBSU’s tenacious defense stifled the Waves from the outset as they finished with a dismal .121 attack.
The 49ers held an early 3-2 lead in the first frame before storming out to an 8-1 run capped by four consecutive attack errors from Pepperdine — three of which Torres committed.
From there, the ‘Niners never looked back as they cruised for the first-set victory after Baughman delivered an emphatic kill down the line.
The Waves responded with a little more fight in the second frame after Matt Pollack’s kill pulled them to within 10-9.
However, the 49ers outscored Pepperdine, 8-3, to take their largest lead of the set at 18-12.
The ‘Niners then went on cruise control after the Waves scored four unanswered points capped by consecutive attack errors from Baughman. Both teams then embarked on a sea-saw exchange of points before LBSU outside hitters Taylor Crabb and Hemmerling finished off the set with back-to-back kills.
LBSU found itself in an early three-point hole in set three, but eventually evened the frame at 12 after Antwain Aguillard drilled two balls that sailed past the reach of Pepperdine.
Tied at 14, the 49ers broke the match open by scoring six unanswered points capped by consecutive attack errors from Pepperdine outside hitter Cory Riecks before sealing the match with a block assist by Aguillard.
The Beach will return to MPSF action Friday for a 7 p.m. showdown against top-ranked USC at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU will also pay tribute to its 1991 national championship team that defeated the Trojans, 3-1, in the NCAA Championship Final.
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