By No. 1 Long Beach State men’s volleyball has done its job so far setting the tone for the season, currently sitting with an undefeated record. Now that the 49ers are heading into Big West matchups, the toughest conference in men’s volleyball, they’ll need to be as sharp as possible.
Long Beach will play No. 11 CSUN March 1 in a back-to-back series, kicking off Big West Conference play.
The Big West includes four of the top five teams in the national rankings, while CSUN (8-6) holds its place at No. 11 on the poll and UC San Diego (6-10) remains unranked. No. 1 Long Beach sits on top with a 13-0 record. Hawai’i (10-0) stands at No. 2 and also boasts an undefeated record, followed by No. 3 UC Irvine (13-2) and No. 5 UC Santa Barbara (13-3).
The 49ers will face Hawai’i the last two games before the Big West Tournament, it will be their toughest opponent this season. The Rainbow Warriors lead the nation in hitting percentage with a .489 clip, while also leading in kills and assists per set with 14.67 and 13.27, respectively.
The rest of the Big West matchups won’t be simple for the 49ers. Both Irvine and Santa Barbara are on winning streaks and hoping to carry their momentum into upcoming matchups. The Anteaters have won seven straight, with their last two wins against the Tritons, kicking off conference play. The Gauchos are on a 10-game winning streak and recently jumped into the top five in the national rankings after defeating then No. 4 UCLA in a five set matchup.
Long Beach has been nearly flawless this season, dropping only one set to USC in its home opener. Overall, the 49ers have made their presence known inside the Walter Pyramid, carrying a program record 33 straight home wins dating back to March 26, 2016.
Long Beach will look for its starters to continue their outstanding hitting while displaying a high level of defense. On the season, the 49ers are averaging a .429 hitting percentage, second in the nation while limiting opponents to .189.
Senior outside hitter TJ DeFalco leads the team in kills, averaging 3.40 kills per set on a .442 clip. The starters are hitting no less than a .358, while being set up by senior setter and reigning AVCA Player of the Year Josh Tuaniga, who averages 10.68 assists per set, making the team a force for opposing defenses.
“We just have to keep putting in the work,” Tuaniga said. “We have a lot of things we want to get better at … so I’m excited for the week of learning and getting better [before facing CSUN].”
The Big West Conference allows teams to play the same team in back-to-back nights, one at home and one away, giving teams plenty of time to scout and prepare for each other.
“We have to do things that we can control, we don’t know what teams are going to do for sure against us. One night is not always going to equal what the next night looks like,” head coach Alan Knipe said. “The best thing we can do is give them all tons of respect, train as hard as we can, try to be as tight with our systems and make adjustments as needed, not massive adjustments each night.”
CSUN will have to get its offense rolling when it squares off against Long Beach, so the Matadors will lean on senior and junior outside hitters Dimitar Kalchev and Ksawery Tomsia, who average 3.20 and 3.34 kills per set, respectively. CSUN relies heavily on these players as they’ve accumulated a combined 346 kills, more than half of CSUN’s total kills on the season.
However, the Matadors do not having a great hitting percentage from Kalchev and Tomsia, mainly due to their volume of attempts. Regardless, CSUN will surely continue utilizing them for its upcoming matchup.
Long Beach will face off 7 p.m. March 1 against CSUN at the Walter Pyramid.
