The No. 5-ranked Long Beach State men’s volleyball team dropped to 2-5 in five set matches after losing its Active Ankle Classic opener to No. 14 Lewis at the Walter Pyramid on Friday night.
The 49ers (9-8) lost by the scores of 20-25, 25-18, 16-25, 25-23, 16-14. It was just LBSU’s second home loss of the season.
The Beach has now dropped three of its last four matches.
“We have the ability at times to be really good and then all of a sudden we lose our ability to be consistent,” 49ers interim head coach Andy Read said.
Senior setter Mike Klipsch’s fourth double-double of the season wasn’t enough to lift the 49ers past their opponent. Klipsch led the team with 57 assists and 15 digs.
After junior opposite Jim Baughman was benched in the second set, LBSU looked to Brad Hemmerling to lead the attack. Hemmerling led the 49ers with a career-high 17 kills.
“We just have to put this in the past and get ready for (our next opponent) Penn State,” Hemmerling said.
Despite getting the win, only two Flyers were in double digits in kills led by Jay Petty (21) and Ian Karbiener (12).
The 49ers looked strong in the first set coming out of the gates with something to prove. LBSU had a 16-11 edge in kills.
Lewis (13-5), however, came back in the second set with a vengeance. Lewis’ defense held the 49ers to only 11 kills and powered down 4.5 blocks.
Baughman was benched late in the second for fellow junior opposite Srdjan Nadazin, who had not seen any action this season.
LBSU returned to full form in third set. The 49ers completely controlled the frame, combining for 15 kills and only a single error to hit an impressive .500.
Both teams exchanged kill after kill during the fourth set.
It wouldn’t be until a late 3-0 run by Lewis that any separation would occur. The Flyers went ahead 24-21, enough to seal a trip to a fifth set.
The fifth set saw both teams making runs, but it would be three straight kills by Petty that would seal the 49ers’ fate.
LBSU will return to action on Saturday when it takes on No. 10 Penn State in the second day of the Active Ankle Classic at 7 p.m. Penn State beat UC Santa Barbara, 3-1, in its Active Ankle opener.
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.
