Due to high school basketball playoff games being played at The Walter Pyramid, the Long Beach State men’s volleyball team had to compete against two formidable Mountain Pacific Sports Federation teams in the more condensed Gold Mine Gym on Friday and Saturday night.
LBSU was upended by No. 4-ranked CS Northridge in five games 28-30, 30-25, 24-30, 30-26 and 13-15 Friday night. The 49ers also fought off a furious rally by No. 12-ranked UC Santa Barbara to win in five games 30-27, 30-28, 28-30, 25-30 and 15-13 Saturday night.
Against the Matadors, the 49ers (13-2, 9-2 MPSF) were led by sophomore opposite Dean Bittner’s career-high 29 kills and senior outside hitter Paul Lotman’s 24-kill, 10-dig double-double. Sophomore middle blocker Dan Alexander added a match-high 11 blocks while junior libero Dustin Watten matched Lotman’s team-high 10 digs. LBSU’s three-game winning streak was snapped and the team posted a .288 team attack percentage.
After leading two games to none against the Gauchos, LBSU suffered a huge meltdown in the next two games – both of them losses – before the team rallied to win game five behind Bittner’s 24 kills. Lotman added 20, while Watten had a team-high 14 digs.
“I told the team that we needed to settle down and play fifth-game LBSU ball,” head coach Alan Knipe said about the weekend matches. “We just needed to throw it all out there.”
LBSU will return to The Walter Pyramid Wednesday night to face Pacific.
