Ranked fourth in the country, the Long Beach State men’s volleyball team was intent on making sure the third-ranked Brigham Young Cougars didn’t walk out of the Walter Pyramid Friday night with a victory. So the 49ers made sure they blocked any BYU attempt at victory, and they did it effectively. Twenty-eight blocks – 14 of them as a team – helped pave the way for LBSU (19-3, 14-2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) as the 49ers seized complete control of first place in the MPSF with a 30-25, 30-26, 28-30 and 30-24 victory over the suddenly-reeling Cougars (17-4, 12-4 MPSF), which have lost a season-high three matches in a row. The 49ers stayed aggressive throughout the four games and was especially assertive at the net, where they got seven blocks from sophomore middle blocker Dan Alexander, and six each from sophomore opposite Dean Bittner and senior middle blocker Fletcher Anderson. Senior outside hitter Paul Lotman led the team with 24 kills and added seven digs, but was in a late attacking duel with fellow All-American outside hitter Ivan Perez, who notched a game-high 26 kills for the Cougars. Appearing lethargic throughout the first two losses, BYU remained close with the 49ers, but could never mount a serious run because of the 49ers’ countless double blocks, all of them coming from different players. But the Cougars would finally rise to the occasion in game three, as miscues by the 49ers were followed by soft kills by the Cougars. Down 26-23, LBSU got to within one through kills by Bittner and Alexander, but BYU responded every time with clutch kills by Perez and middle blocker Andrew Stewart. BYU took game three and appeared to be on the verge of getting back into the match, but LBSU literally blocked them from doing so in game four. The teams stayed close until reaching double-digit points, where LBSU separated itself from BYU after another double block and a BYU hitting error to lead 13-10. A double block by Bittner and Alexander extended the lead to 15-11, but BYU went on a 6-1 run capped by a kill by BYU’s Leandro Justen to lead 17-16. The team went through three consecutive service errors – two by BYU – and a kill by Bittner gave LBSU a 19-18 lead. After a scintillating kill by Lotman brought the gigantic 49er crowd to its feet, BYU would never lead again, as LBSU held a 20-19 advantage. A BYU hit that went wide gave the 49ers a 29-24 lead. Ironically, a double block of Perez’s hit would seal the game and match for the conference-leading 49ers. Bittner’s tremendous performance in the first match (game-high 18 kills in Thursday’s match) would be toppled in the rematch, as the sophomore turned in 22 kills and eight digs, while junior libero Dustin Watten had 12 digs, many of them in acrobatic fashion. Freshman outside hitter Josh Riley continued his big play with 11 kills and six digs, while Alexander continued his attacking accuracy with a .600 attack clip and 10 kills. Head coach Alan Knipe said the team showed a lot of toughness in both matches with BYU. “Guys were dealing with adversity when they were down,” Knipe said. “I thought it was great.” As for the Cougars appearing a step slower on every attack in the first two games, Knipe thought his team’s aggressiveness was more of a factor. “BYU got out of the gates well,” Knipe said. “I thought they came out and gave it their all. We needed to make sure we got in front of them.” Perez, who leads BYU with 325 kills this season, was nearly ineffective in the first two games, but came on strong in games three and four – something Knipe let his team know throughout the final game. “I told them that we had to make sure he had to get some real athletic-type shots,” Knipe said. “He’s going to get his fair share [of kills].” LBSU was everywhere BYU tried to land kills at, but Knipe said he believed the team’s blocking wasn’t 100 percent this match. “I thought our blocking was good at times,” Knipe said. “When we needed it the most, we put in some good two-man and three-man blocks.” Despite dropping a game to the Cougars, LBSU managed to control both matches and will likely move to third in the national rankings. The 49ers will bring their momentum into the Bren Events Center in Irvine Thursday night when they face No. 9-ranked UC Irvine at 7 p.m.
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