#GoBeach
Showing posts with label long beach state men's volleyball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label long beach state men's volleyball. Show all posts
How a book spurred Long Beach State’s transformation into a volleyball powerhouse
How a book spurred Long Beach State’s transformation into a volleyball powerhouse
BY THUC NHI NGUYEN
MAY 3, 2022 5 AM PT
Long Beach State’s national championship trophies greet everyone who enters the school’s volleyball offices in Walter Pyramid. Alan Knipe, who has helped the men’s volleyball team put three gleaming prizes on the table a few feet away from his office door, may soon need to clear some more space.
Three years removed from back-to-back national championships, Long Beach State is on the cusp of another successful chapter. The top seed in the NCAA tournament at Pauley Pavilion this week, the Beach (20-5) begins the quest for its third national title in five years Thursday in the semifinals against UCLA or Pepperdine, which play in Tuesday’s quarterfinal.
After winning one NCAA championship in the first 47 years of its program, Long Beach State is now a perennial power. Beach won back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019, ending a 27-year NCAA title drought for the program on the back of a vaunted senior class that included All-Americans TJ DeFalco, Kyle Ensing and Josh Tuaniga.
In the COVID-19 pandemic’s twisted reality, Long Beach State’s coronation as a men’s volleyball powerhouse feels like a lifetime ago. Two pandemic-interrupted seasons following the last title make it feel like the roster changed over in an instant, Knipe said. But changing from a veteran-laden team to a squad with just one senior hasn’t dampened expectations for the Beach.
“People don’t come here to play for second, right?” junior middle blocker Shane Holdaway said.
The championship repeat was the culmination of a rebuilding process that began in 2013 when Knipe returned from a three-season hiatus. After coaching the U.S. national team during the London Olympics, Knipe felt like a new a new coach.
The only person to be involved in all three of Long Beach State’s national titles, Knipe is as familiar as anyone with the program. He starred on the 1991 national championship as a player, moved to the bench as an assistant and took over the program in 2001. Spending almost all of his adult life in the same place made it difficult to make radical changes from within, Knipe said. The national team opportunity brought a fresh perspective.
One of the first things Knipe did to establish a new culture of trust, open communication and accountability was assign team reading, handing out copies of “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” a book that identifies things that plague even successful teams and how to address potential problems.
A junior on that team, assistant coach McKay Smith looked at the assignment with a skeptical eye. It only took a few pages for him to commit to turning the page on Long Beach State’s culture.
The book addressed how teammates can communicate, trust and confront conflicts together, setting a foundation for players and coaches who could then use valuable practice time to focus on on-court performance. The reading exercise has expanded to include different books for each class, including Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers” and “Legacy,” which focuses on the All Blacks, New Zealand’s national rugby team.
“Our culture is by design,” Knipe said. “We work at it. We build it. We talk about it.”
Each year, players present their takeaways from their books to the team. While the books can stay the same, Smith, who is in his fourth year as an assistant, notices how each group’s impressions change. It reminds the coaching staff of how important it is to embrace the current chapter of the program’s success without comparing it to seasons past.
“We’re not trying to be the 2019 team or the 2021 team or the 2023 team,” Knipe said. “We’re only trying to be the 2022 team.”
Knipe tries not to get ahead of himself when looking at the trajectory of his program, although he could be forgiven if he’s caught smiling at the prospect of building on the success of this year’s underclassmen. Setter Aiden Knipe, a redshirt sophomore, is playing in his first full season after the pandemic altered the beginning of his college career. The head coach’s son is third in the country in assists per set with 11.08.
Big West freshman of the year Alex Nikolov leads the Beach attack with 4.6 kills and 5.56 points per set, which rank third and second in the country, respectively. The son of former Bulgarian national team captain Vladimir Nikolov, Alex is, by his head coach’s estimation, a “generational volleyball player in college volleyball.”
While the talented 6-foot-8 outside hitter had opportunities to play professionally in Europe immediately after high school, Nikolov was interested in the unique combination of academics and athletics offered in the United States. He hadn’t heard of Long Beach State until about two years ago. He quickly learned that, despite its lack of international name recognition, it was a force in men’s volleyball.
The 18-year-old intends to keep Long Beach State at the top in the coming years.
“I came here to win four national championships,” Nikolov said with a smile.
Long Beach State: 2019 NCAA Men's Volleyball National Champions
It was a night they’ll be talking about for a long time. Inside their home arena, the Long Beach State men’s volleyball team became the first program in school history to win back-to-back NCAA championships, taking down Hawaii in the Pyramid in a battle of the two best teams in the nation. Hawaii took the first set before Long Beach rallied to win it, 23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-23.
With the two best teams in the country on the floor, a huge crowd, and a second NCAA trophy, it was an epic end to what has been a truly golden chapter in the school’s athletic history. The senior class led by TJ DeFalco, Josh Tuaniga, and Kyle Ensing will graduate having played in four Final Fours, won back-to-back national titles and set a new school record for consecutive home wins at 42.
“They did it the right way, they were very unselfish, they worked hard, and they brought their teammates along,” said Long Beach State coach Alan Knipe.
After the nets had been cut down, after the trophy had been passed around, after hundreds of hugs and pictures, that senior trio joined Knipe for the postgame press conference. It was a rare grouping of historic talent: DeFalco a two-time National Player of the Year (and MVP of this year’s NCAA Tournament), Tuaniga last year’s National Player of the Year, and Ensing this year’s Big West Player of the Year. All three will be headed to Anaheim shortly to join the USA National Team and begin preparations for this summer and the 2020 Olympics next year.
Hawaii head coach Charlie Wade said twice earlier in the week that he thought this year’s Long Beach State team was one of the best–if not the best–in the history of the sport.
“These guys have moved the mark like no other group has,” said Knipe. “Final Fours, national championships, player of the year awards. More importantly, they energized volleyball across the country. This group will go down as the group that moved the mark the farthest.”
When the evening began, it didn’t seem like it would end in tears of joy for Long Beach. Hawaii came out driving hard, pounding aggressive serves and taking advantage of a Long Beach State side that seemed tense in front of their home crowd. Long Beach fell behind big in the first set but rallied to make it close at the end. Then Long Beach won the second set thanks in part to back-to-back aces from Tuaniga; it looked like another five-set thriller (which would have been their sixth in a row) was in order. When Hawaii took a 5-0 lead in the third set, however, it was time to dig deep or pack it in.
“We talk about grit every day,” said Tuaniga. “We had to buckle down and execute.”
That’s exactly what they did. The Long Beach State serves found their targets and took Hawaii out of system, and the Beach’s Big Three took over. DeFalco finished with 20 kills on .516 hitting, four assists, three aces, five digs, and three blocks. Tuaniga guided Long Beach to a .427 attack with 43 assists, three aces, five digs, and three blocks. Ensing had 13 kills, three digs, and three blocks.
All three of them had major starpower moments. Ensing had critical kills late in sets, Tuaniga and DeFalco both had back-to-back aces, and everyone stepped up late in each frame. Knipe had told the media on Friday that the winner would be whoever could execute when it was 23-23, and he was right. A Hawaii service error and a block from Tuaniga and Nick Amado sealed the second set; a hitting error and a kill from DeFalco sealed the third; and two kills from DeFalco put it away in the fourth.
Knipe doesn’t like to compare teams across generations because of the major evolution the sport has gone through.
“But I’ll say this, I’ve been around this game for a long time, and I just know for all the teams I’ve been around, I’d like to suit up this team against any of them and see how it works out,” he said.
The scene afterwards was hard to conceive of. The players were on the floor they practice on five days a week, a floor they’d won 42 matches on dating back to 2017, and suddenly there was an NCAA trophy. Suddenly they were cutting down the net at center court of their home court, and their athletic director Andy Fee was tearfully hugging Knipe just a few seconds’ jog from both of their offices. The banner that will be raised next season will go up directly over where they were celebrating the win.
“Winning back to back national championships especially in our senior year is one of the most exciting times of our lives,” said Ensing. “Winning it here has been a blessing.”
While all the players celebrated with their families, that celebration carried a joyous surprise for DeFalco: all six of his siblings made the trip to Long Beach to see him play in the final game of his college career.
“For me living here and being here somewhat on my own for the majority of college and then to look up and see my literal entire family was very special to me, I didn’t know they were all going to be here,” he said. “Something like that just makes it that much more special.”
Asked about the future of the program and who the leaders on next year’s team would be, Knipe politely declined to comment. “To get too much into that wouldn’t be fair to these guys and this moment and what they’ve accomplished,” he said.
What they’ve done, of course, is to win, and then win again.
After the Pyramid had been closed down and the garish blue NCAA floor pulled up, the team pulled off on a bus to do something no team in the history of the school had done before: carry on an NCAA championship winning tradition. Just like last year, Long Beach State went to EJ Malloy’s near campus to celebrate, as city councilman Daryl Supernaw and others poured into the pub to take pictures with the team and the trophy.
Knipe lifted a glass and offered a champagne toast to his assistant coaches, players, and fans, and ended it with a message that gives some idea as to his plans for the future, both for Saturday night (and Sunday morning), and for 2020.
“Congratulations to all of you and the entire LB nation,” he said. “Let’s have a great night, let’s be safe, and let’s do it again!”
Baby Baby - 2019 NCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship
#NCAAMVB #GoBeach #LBNation #LBNation2030
Oh no, not you again!
In the words of Homer Simpson, "Ohhh! It just keeps getting worse and worse."
You know, I have seen futility and ineptness of all shapes and sizes, but would you ever have thought that three straight match sweeps at the hands of the same team would happen tonight, and take the cake in terms of defining the epitome of fail? Didn't think so? Then neither did anybody donning the Black and Gold at the Bren Events Center last night. Out of all the supporters there, I was surprisingly calm.
Somehow, I knew at the back of my head that I would hate to be anyone on the team if we were unable to figure these guys out. I did not think that my mind would be turning to baseball, softball, and track in a hurry. And I just had a gut feeling that it would be a Pepperdine-Penn State final. Perhaps the only Beach supporters who grimly knew the inevitable.
Actually, what got me really riled up was the guys from Staff Pro and the NCAA officials patrolling the aisles. Must be a very lonely job, and a very difficult one, to manage these sorts of things, but you gotta give them credit for taking these types of verbal abuse. That and my fellow supporters not getting loud to the end. I had to cheer Ryan KObane up. Ryan is the editor-in-chief of the Union Weekly.
This Long BEach State men's volleyball team is going to have to hide under a huge rock, and follow it up with some soul-searching in the long offseason. I don't think even Penn State, those beasts from the East, are going to stand a chance against Paul Carroll and company. The only way that Pepperdine can be stopped si that it meets the same fate that Lewis was dealt with in 2003 and Hawaii in 2002. Not something I wish for, but then again, Cal State Fullerton fans (those turds; your softball team will be dinner this weekend) had their schadenfruede episode when Larry Reynolds and Reggie Howard (those conniving bastards) made all my work two seasons ago look like it was in vain.
As I took the bus home, I passed by a banner that said, "Wilson Girls Soccer, 2007 National Champions. We Made History." Tonight, our guys made history. For all the wrong reasons.
You know, I have seen futility and ineptness of all shapes and sizes, but would you ever have thought that three straight match sweeps at the hands of the same team would happen tonight, and take the cake in terms of defining the epitome of fail? Didn't think so? Then neither did anybody donning the Black and Gold at the Bren Events Center last night. Out of all the supporters there, I was surprisingly calm.
Somehow, I knew at the back of my head that I would hate to be anyone on the team if we were unable to figure these guys out. I did not think that my mind would be turning to baseball, softball, and track in a hurry. And I just had a gut feeling that it would be a Pepperdine-Penn State final. Perhaps the only Beach supporters who grimly knew the inevitable.
Actually, what got me really riled up was the guys from Staff Pro and the NCAA officials patrolling the aisles. Must be a very lonely job, and a very difficult one, to manage these sorts of things, but you gotta give them credit for taking these types of verbal abuse. That and my fellow supporters not getting loud to the end. I had to cheer Ryan KObane up. Ryan is the editor-in-chief of the Union Weekly.
This Long BEach State men's volleyball team is going to have to hide under a huge rock, and follow it up with some soul-searching in the long offseason. I don't think even Penn State, those beasts from the East, are going to stand a chance against Paul Carroll and company. The only way that Pepperdine can be stopped si that it meets the same fate that Lewis was dealt with in 2003 and Hawaii in 2002. Not something I wish for, but then again, Cal State Fullerton fans (those turds; your softball team will be dinner this weekend) had their schadenfruede episode when Larry Reynolds and Reggie Howard (those conniving bastards) made all my work two seasons ago look like it was in vain.
As I took the bus home, I passed by a banner that said, "Wilson Girls Soccer, 2007 National Champions. We Made History." Tonight, our guys made history. For all the wrong reasons.
The only good day was Saturday.
As I catch wind of the news that the Los Angeles Galaxy lost to Toronto Football Club 4-3, I realized that this weekend, the only good day was Saturday. And it was for a number of reasons.
* Bridgette Pagano may have choked against Cal Poly in softball, but Brooke Turner didn't. She ended up winning the series the following day.
* The baseball pulled off a suddenly rare win over UC Irvine, 5-1.
* The women's tennis team toasted Pacific, 7-0.
* And the biggest prize of the day...see below.
As I made my way back to campus from the events at the Billie Jean Tennis Courts and at Blair Field, I had to look for a couple buses leaving Wally's house. There was a step show getting ready to be going on inside the Myd. I got on the student bus. We were heading off to Northridge, in the heart of the San Fernando Valley. There was a men's volleyball game going on down there.
During the entire 12 hours I was out and about, I ate to what amounts to a Texas-sized last meal. Here's what I ate and drank.
* One cup of green tea.
* Three cans of Dr. Pepper.
* Two cans of Pepsi.
* Roughly a gallon or two of water (it was hot outside!)
* One whole pizza (Large, vegetarian [green pepper topping]). I kid you not.
* One giant bowl of salad topped with Feast from the East sesame dressing
* Six or seven packages of SkyFlakes crackers
* Three Sunflower Cracker sandwiches
* One banana, maybe two
* Three round tostadas caseras
* One bowl of Bush's Baked Beans
* One can of Sprite
* One can of Squirt
* A sip of wine (Nasty-tasting, I might add)
* Three pieces of chocolate
Add plenty of walking, and running, and jumping, and cramping, and screaming, and the calories were burning up. But back to the trip.
So, as we got to the Matadome, we ended up standing next to the Matador student section. It was Senior Night in Northridge, and the guys had never lost a game in the Matadome (which really ISN'T a dome, just a glorified high school gym). We had to fix that, especially after they edged us in five at the Gold Mine.
As the game progressed, a courageous CSUM student waved her banner at us. I told her, "If I get my hands on it, I am tearing it to shreds. Don't wave it in our section. Don't risk it." She eventually complied. I joked with Mark Andrews and the guys about Cal State Northridge's epithet as Porn Star State University. Hey, they ARE located in the San Fernando Valley. And I even joked that we passed by houses that might have had adult film scenes taken, or are being taken right now. I went so far as to suggest that the Playboy Mansion was close.
Only in Northridge do you hear Kenny Loggins and some industrial music that has the sitgma of being associated with gay/lesbian nightclubs. So, I got my nasty on for a bit, even going to so far as to do some booty shaking, mocking the sleazy mojo that ISaac Kneubehl, Cody Loe, Eric Vance, and the rest of the pricks wer riding on.
I directed the students in the cheers, posed for the camera, did the things that I was known for doing. I was surprisingly calm for the bulk of the game, a sharp contrast to the game at the Gold Mine.
When Paul Lotman got the final kill off the touch in Game 3, we flooded the court. But before that, the guy looking over the CSUN Student Section told us not to leap over the equipment. As a gesture of goodwill, I shook his hand, saying, "Thanks for having us." I flung my shirt in the air, and joined the leaping mass of humanity. It was like jumping with the men's basketball team as they made their case for the Big West title a year ago. Good times they were. I said to any other Matador faithful remaining, "THAT'S for beating us in the Gold Mine and ruining our then-perfect home campaign." I left the place laughing like a [Monson?] Maniac. It was a nice feeling, one I haven't felt in a long time. And I left the Valley, knowing that it has an implicit apology from the Masters of Le Sexy Volleyball for their transgressions.
Great timing, apology accepted, now let's kick some ass in about 11 days time.
It should be noted that we actually SHARE the regular season title with BYU, but since we kicked their tails at the Myd, we get to host the semis and finals.
* Bridgette Pagano may have choked against Cal Poly in softball, but Brooke Turner didn't. She ended up winning the series the following day.
* The baseball pulled off a suddenly rare win over UC Irvine, 5-1.
* The women's tennis team toasted Pacific, 7-0.
* And the biggest prize of the day...see below.
As I made my way back to campus from the events at the Billie Jean Tennis Courts and at Blair Field, I had to look for a couple buses leaving Wally's house. There was a step show getting ready to be going on inside the Myd. I got on the student bus. We were heading off to Northridge, in the heart of the San Fernando Valley. There was a men's volleyball game going on down there.
During the entire 12 hours I was out and about, I ate to what amounts to a Texas-sized last meal. Here's what I ate and drank.
* One cup of green tea.
* Three cans of Dr. Pepper.
* Two cans of Pepsi.
* Roughly a gallon or two of water (it was hot outside!)
* One whole pizza (Large, vegetarian [green pepper topping]). I kid you not.
* One giant bowl of salad topped with Feast from the East sesame dressing
* Six or seven packages of SkyFlakes crackers
* Three Sunflower Cracker sandwiches
* One banana, maybe two
* Three round tostadas caseras
* One bowl of Bush's Baked Beans
* One can of Sprite
* One can of Squirt
* A sip of wine (Nasty-tasting, I might add)
* Three pieces of chocolate
Add plenty of walking, and running, and jumping, and cramping, and screaming, and the calories were burning up. But back to the trip.
So, as we got to the Matadome, we ended up standing next to the Matador student section. It was Senior Night in Northridge, and the guys had never lost a game in the Matadome (which really ISN'T a dome, just a glorified high school gym). We had to fix that, especially after they edged us in five at the Gold Mine.
As the game progressed, a courageous CSUM student waved her banner at us. I told her, "If I get my hands on it, I am tearing it to shreds. Don't wave it in our section. Don't risk it." She eventually complied. I joked with Mark Andrews and the guys about Cal State Northridge's epithet as Porn Star State University. Hey, they ARE located in the San Fernando Valley. And I even joked that we passed by houses that might have had adult film scenes taken, or are being taken right now. I went so far as to suggest that the Playboy Mansion was close.
Only in Northridge do you hear Kenny Loggins and some industrial music that has the sitgma of being associated with gay/lesbian nightclubs. So, I got my nasty on for a bit, even going to so far as to do some booty shaking, mocking the sleazy mojo that ISaac Kneubehl, Cody Loe, Eric Vance, and the rest of the pricks wer riding on.
I directed the students in the cheers, posed for the camera, did the things that I was known for doing. I was surprisingly calm for the bulk of the game, a sharp contrast to the game at the Gold Mine.
When Paul Lotman got the final kill off the touch in Game 3, we flooded the court. But before that, the guy looking over the CSUN Student Section told us not to leap over the equipment. As a gesture of goodwill, I shook his hand, saying, "Thanks for having us." I flung my shirt in the air, and joined the leaping mass of humanity. It was like jumping with the men's basketball team as they made their case for the Big West title a year ago. Good times they were. I said to any other Matador faithful remaining, "THAT'S for beating us in the Gold Mine and ruining our then-perfect home campaign." I left the place laughing like a [Monson?] Maniac. It was a nice feeling, one I haven't felt in a long time. And I left the Valley, knowing that it has an implicit apology from the Masters of Le Sexy Volleyball for their transgressions.
Great timing, apology accepted, now let's kick some ass in about 11 days time.
Golden turnaround: Men's volleyball wins MPSF title
No. 4-ranked 49ers sweep CS Northridge in three close games to clinch first outright league title in program's history.
By: Bobby Chore
Posted: 4/12/08
NORTHRIDGE - Back in late February, the Long Beach State men's volleyball team had to watch No. 3-ranked CS Northridge celebrate a five-game victory over The Beach on the hardwood of the Gold Mine Gym. It was the 49ers' first home loss of the season and they entered the Matadome Saturday night with intentions of avenging the setback.
LBSU surely did and got more than it bargained for.
The No. 4-ranked 49ers battled with CSUN for three hard-fought games and won all of them (32-30, 30-27 and 30-26) to clinch the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title and the top seed in the upcoming league tournament.
Ironically, LBSU (23-5, 18-4 MPSF) dealt the Matadors (22-6, 17-5 MPSF) their first home loss of the season in front of a crowd of 1,481. The raving screams of Matador fans didn't sidetrack the 49ers, especially sophomore opposite Dean Bittner, who notched a game-high 22 kills on a noteworthy .645 attack clip.
Senior outside hitter Paul Lotman added 10 kills, the last one hitting CSUN's back corner to seal game three and the match for the 49ers, as they jumped in excitement and celebrated with the LBSU fans who made the trip to the San Fernando Valley.
Game one featured 15 tied scores and four lead changes, but LBSU came out on top behind Lotman's six kills. The 49ers led the entire way in game two and had their biggest margin at 23-16 after Lotman and Alexander combined for a double block. It was Bittner who was dropping kill after kill on CSUN. Bittner finished with nine kills in game two, as the 49ers appeared to have control of the match. The Matadors, however, wouldn't go down easy.
CSUN jumped all over the 49ers at the beginning of game three and took a 16-12 lead off a double block. The Matadors extended the lead to six with an 18-12 advantage, but LBSU responded with a furious 5-1 run to cut the lead to two and took over from there.
Two kills by Bittner and a service ace by Lotman tied the game for the 49ers at 20, and a block by freshman outside hitter Josh Riley gave them the lead.
The teams traded leads until several hitting errors by the Matadors put the game out of reach. Lotman's scintillating kill brought the 49er faithful onto their feet and the MPSF title back to Long Beach. Head coach Alan Knipe pumped his fists and the assistant coaches raised their arms in victory.
LBSU, coming off a frustrating 11-17 season a year ago, began the season on a major roll, as the team ran through several opponents to go 9-0. The 49ers then lost their first match at Pepperdine and began to hit the tougher part of their schedule in the middle season. Consecutive losses to No. 7-ranked UC Irvine and No. 6-ranked UCLA put the team's focus into question, but the 49ers managed to right the ship with a four-match winning streak, all on the road, culminated with a surprisingly short three-game sweep of the Matadors.
After the match, an energetic Knipe spoke of the team's intensity and dramatic turnaround toward the end of the regular season.
"The things that we weren't satisfied with - our intensity, our focus - we had to watch videos and be extremely aggressive on this road trip," Knipe said. "We needed to get back to the things that we trained at. We'll have a short memory; I have a lot of faith in my guys."
Knipe spoke of the team's high work ethic and dedication to practice at the beginning of the season, and reinforced his words after the big victory.
"The 11-17 season and this year speaks for itself," Knipe said. "One year later [after last season], it took an extremely huge effort for us to get back together. It's rewarding and it shows the quality of our gym."
Bittner, who called the Matadome "one of the loudest places [he's] been in," said the team had an answer for the raving sea of red.
"We just got a little louder with each other," Bittner said. "Confidence was pretty much there the whole time. It's a huge weight off our shoulders."
The No. 1-seeded 49ers will host the MPSF Tournament for the first time in the program's history. The tournament begins April 19 with quarterfinals matches. LBSU's opponent is yet to be determined. © Copyright 2008 Daily 49er
It should be noted that we actually SHARE the regular season title with BYU, but since we kicked their tails at the Myd, we get to host the semis and finals.
Quick hits, 4/12/2008
Some quick hits from today's action...
Men's volleyball
BoBA...is in heaven. Long Beach State FINALLY, FINALLY defeats Northridge, sweeping them, 3-0, at the Matadome. That's the way to find forgiveness from me. Now it's time to regroup, and get ready to host the MPSF Final Four on April 24 and 26. You know how the Montreal Canadiens are starting their 16 to 25 campaign? Well, we are preparing for a 4 to 2 Campaign. 4 straight match victories clinches our second NC. Will the Masters be up for the challenge? Find out in 12 days.
Softball
This time it was Bridgette Pagano playing the role of goat for our teams. We were up 3-0, and Cal Poly storms right back in the second game to win 4-3. Of course, Brooke Turner pulled her weight in the first one, a 3-1 decision. Can she clinch the series tomorrow? Find out at the 49er Softball Complex.
Women's tennis
And Pacific is swept 7-0 on Senior Day, and Stephanie Bengson gets Number 72. Let's see if our hoodoo against Fresno can be broken in a few days time.
Baseball
Holy smokes. UCI felled, 5-1. The Bags aren't throwing the towel just yet, which is not a bad thing. The series concludes at 2:30 at the Blair.
Men's volleyballBoBA...is in heaven. Long Beach State FINALLY, FINALLY defeats Northridge, sweeping them, 3-0, at the Matadome. That's the way to find forgiveness from me. Now it's time to regroup, and get ready to host the MPSF Final Four on April 24 and 26. You know how the Montreal Canadiens are starting their 16 to 25 campaign? Well, we are preparing for a 4 to 2 Campaign. 4 straight match victories clinches our second NC. Will the Masters be up for the challenge? Find out in 12 days.
Softball
This time it was Bridgette Pagano playing the role of goat for our teams. We were up 3-0, and Cal Poly storms right back in the second game to win 4-3. Of course, Brooke Turner pulled her weight in the first one, a 3-1 decision. Can she clinch the series tomorrow? Find out at the 49er Softball Complex.
Women's tennis
And Pacific is swept 7-0 on Senior Day, and Stephanie Bengson gets Number 72. Let's see if our hoodoo against Fresno can be broken in a few days time.
Baseball
Holy smokes. UCI felled, 5-1. The Bags aren't throwing the towel just yet, which is not a bad thing. The series concludes at 2:30 at the Blair.
Another mixed weekend, more so inept than successful
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The weekend did not start auspiciously well for my guys. The men's volleyball team played like the chokers they were against Northridge and Penn State last night. We were leading UC Irvine by two games, and then, in a collapse that made the Berlin Wall's fall look diminutive, we let the Anteaters rally in five. How pathetic. And I thought our chances of defending our surfboard were going to get better. At this point, we are down two games to one against UCLA. Could we get a rally going against these guys in the same fashion the Zots dealt us? One can only hope.
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But this wasn't the only team to have a weekend from hell.
Ladies and gentlemen, let us have a moment of silence for the sudden, and horrifically unexpected passing of Long Beach State's baseball mojo, which, like so many brave souls that did not leave this ugly, yet beautiful [sic] world in vain, died honorably on the fields of Northern California. The body will be cremated, and the ashes will be sent to the University of California at Berkeley. Date for the possible resurrection has yet to be strenuously determined.
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Meanwhile, the softball team keeps its mojo alive. UC Davis was swept in a doubleheader today, by the scores of 1-0 and 8-3. Brooke Turner pitched a gem of a shutout, while Bridgette Pagano held her ground in the second game.
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A funny thing happened on the way back home, after I got back from doing some palleting and shredding of old documents down at the SPJA office in Anaheim (which was refurbished very well, looking like an actual office, decked with anime volumes for the staff to watch). On the OCTA Route 50, this old guy gets into a heated argument with the bus driver, and all the passengers were wondering why this scrooge was holding us up. Finally, we took another bus heading the same way, and the old geezer was arrested.
And I thought I had issues with some of my drivers. They now pale in comparison to this one.
---
As of this blog, the Galaxy choked in their season opener to the Colorado Rapids, the Bruin men's basketball team returns to the Final Four (thankfully without the likes of Florida and Ohio State), and the Angels complete their preseason tour with a rout of the San Diego Padres. I suppose in retrospect, it wasn't a bad day; after all, I was able to do something that I haven't done in a long time: take a photo of the daruma head from Anime Expo. This was something that was gnawing and gnashing at me since last year's convention. I am proud to say that I finally got this out of the way. Hallelujah. This, along with the verbal confrontation, made my day in more ways than one.
Post Number 401 on the Bedlam...and it isn't a happy one
March 24, 2008 was a landmark moment in the history of this blog, as it reached 400 posts. But today, March 27, 2008, should be a landmark moment in the annals of 49er volleyball ignomity. You can't expect to win matches, let alone championships if you let the opponent come from two games down to win in five. I mean, how the fuck is that possible to win anything?
If my guys learned something, it's to go to the nearest place of worship and seek penance. In a hurry. Cause there is no redemption when you let UC Irvine get one step closer to winning this year's edition of the Black and Blue Rivalry Series. In fact, in the words of Lee Corso, "Forget about it!"
And you know what? I have a gut feeling that that won't the last time we choke in five. That's three times SO FAR this year (as of this post) our guys failed to shut the door on our opponents when it goes the distance. This game, obviously, had to hurt, because the match shouldn't have gone the distance in the first place.
If I'm Alan Knipe, any hairs remaining on my head are gone. And I already have Dr. Bosley's number, in case my boys find salvation any way they can get it, cause they weren't going to see the light tonight. Nope, not with the way we played after Game 2; only a black hole.
Pathetic.
If my guys learned something, it's to go to the nearest place of worship and seek penance. In a hurry. Cause there is no redemption when you let UC Irvine get one step closer to winning this year's edition of the Black and Blue Rivalry Series. In fact, in the words of Lee Corso, "Forget about it!"
And you know what? I have a gut feeling that that won't the last time we choke in five. That's three times SO FAR this year (as of this post) our guys failed to shut the door on our opponents when it goes the distance. This game, obviously, had to hurt, because the match shouldn't have gone the distance in the first place.
If I'm Alan Knipe, any hairs remaining on my head are gone. And I already have Dr. Bosley's number, in case my boys find salvation any way they can get it, cause they weren't going to see the light tonight. Nope, not with the way we played after Game 2; only a black hole.
Pathetic.
On Mini Eggs, a job well done in Gardena and a few Beach teams rising
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Once per year, I like to take the Easter weekend to snack on Cadbury Mini Eggs. They are these little pieces of chocolate encased in a sugar shell. I first ate these many years back, after watching a commercial featuring those little crunchy, yet rich, fruits of the bunny. Since then, I have made it an Easter tradition to gorge on one bag of these Mini Eggs. I eat them for breakfast, with some King's Hawaiian rolls, or as a snack that won't hold you down and never give you up. At this time of the year, it is all the rage.
I am elated after knowing my scores on the GRE Verbal and Quantitative sections. I got a 450 on the Verbal and a 610 on the Quantitative. Both scores meet or exceed the expectations set by the program that I am applying for, the Graduate Program in Sport Management. They needed at least a 450 on both sections. What makes this really special is that I didn't have any training on this exam, save for a practice exam and a little GRE review book that I took from Kaplan. When I saw my score, I pumped my fist. The cameras saw me, but they knew that I achieved my target score.
Also, I was relieved to see my baseball, softball, and men's volleyball teams get some big victories this weekend. This is the type of consistency and performance I will be expecting from them the rest of this year.
A blind rage, and it couldn't be helped. A young man's kryptonite
Continued from my previous entry...
Unfortunately, I couldn't be any more wrong. At match point, I let out a blood-curdling scream in frustration. I yelled to the visiting fans "You don't know how much we wanted to beat you guys!" over and over again. Soon after, Northridge made it six straight against us, and I was just sick to my stomach. I hurled my souvenir bat in frustration, acknowledging that my guys were not going to be championship material, and that I was revoking their Masters of LSV license.
Personally, I was sick to my stomach. Mentally, I was a wreck. I hurled my bat in the direction of one of the players decked in red to show my disgust of our team's futility, and it missed wide right. I sent a message to the Daily 49er regarding the situation. I was a bit surprised, if not flattered, that they had to make a story out of it. Bastards.
Our team's defeat to Northridge had huge adverse effects on my state of mind. I was lethargic, irritable, and I just had a feeling that all the energy I put into hoping that we would stop this streak of futility was all in vain. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I felt indifferent, antisocial, and not even the medication I took could change my mood. If I could look at myself from a different angle in the Gold Mine, seated where the old alums are, and see what unfolded, I would shake my head in disbelief.
All I could think about was that game, and everything that happened. Not even our sweep of Wichita State at Blair Field, nor the softball game's recent tear, or even the guys rebounding against UC Santa Barbara could change my mood. Not even my parents cheering me up could change my mood. Any attempt to placate me was like talking to a wall. It was useless.
Just thinking about that game causes me to go in a blind rage, like Audie Murphy did after he wiped out the people that killed his friend in World War II. If I were to redo that situation, I wouldn't want to go through that again.
Unfortunately, I couldn't be any more wrong. At match point, I let out a blood-curdling scream in frustration. I yelled to the visiting fans "You don't know how much we wanted to beat you guys!" over and over again. Soon after, Northridge made it six straight against us, and I was just sick to my stomach. I hurled my souvenir bat in frustration, acknowledging that my guys were not going to be championship material, and that I was revoking their Masters of LSV license.
Personally, I was sick to my stomach. Mentally, I was a wreck. I hurled my bat in the direction of one of the players decked in red to show my disgust of our team's futility, and it missed wide right. I sent a message to the Daily 49er regarding the situation. I was a bit surprised, if not flattered, that they had to make a story out of it. Bastards.
Our team's defeat to Northridge had huge adverse effects on my state of mind. I was lethargic, irritable, and I just had a feeling that all the energy I put into hoping that we would stop this streak of futility was all in vain. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I felt indifferent, antisocial, and not even the medication I took could change my mood. If I could look at myself from a different angle in the Gold Mine, seated where the old alums are, and see what unfolded, I would shake my head in disbelief.
All I could think about was that game, and everything that happened. Not even our sweep of Wichita State at Blair Field, nor the softball game's recent tear, or even the guys rebounding against UC Santa Barbara could change my mood. Not even my parents cheering me up could change my mood. Any attempt to placate me was like talking to a wall. It was useless.
Just thinking about that game causes me to go in a blind rage, like Audie Murphy did after he wiped out the people that killed his friend in World War II. If I were to redo that situation, I wouldn't want to go through that again.
Full circle, futility, and a bunch of lucky Ithaca bastards.
I was feeling rather giddy a few days ago, although at the same time, I was slow getting up. I didn'tget the chance to pinch myself until I began to blog this. Hours before, I saw my Long Beach Satte softball team methodically dismantly then-undefeated, #5-ranked Florida, 2-1 in 10 innings. It's not very often that I getr to see any Long Beach team outside of men's volleyball beat a Top 5 opponent, so this win was extra special. As I said, it's going to be monster momentum as they face the Wahine again to start the UNLV Tournament. Hey, evening the score doesn't look too bad, now. They can take that.
After I went to Chipotle to wolf down another burrito from another day at ROP, I did some house-cleaning on campus. Anime Club T-Shirt purchase order processed: check. Tickets from the past couple days of action recorded: check. Materials for UCI bus trip ready: check.And so we were off.
---
So, this African marathon guy with a bald spot comes over and tells me I can't use my bat to accompany the foot stomping on our side of the Bren Events Center. He's the black analogue to Micol Coppock. We talked a little bit, his background about his family, it's-not-about-Long Beach State -and-UCI crap, and every other lame [sic] attempt to get some sympathy from me. Well, in spite of an effort that Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire could equal, it went one ear and out the other.
Apparently, this guy has NOT been to our Walter Pyramid. And he does not realize that the atmosphere there is louder than the Bren Events Center by a country mile. At the Myd, this type of stomping is the norm. He'd best stay out of our way because that's how we do it, no matter where we are.
Might as well consider a flight back, if his wife and kids are his biggest priority. Actually, I recommend it. Humph.
---
I so hoped the men won their game. I would have forgiven the guy telling me about his life-story. Instead, the Great Hoopspression of 2008 continued for the guys, and I have no love lost for the green card flasher. Maybe not until our men's volleyball team finishes the deal down there on the 27th.
---
I think now I should hold off on the Chipotle. When the day ended, I ate three burritos from Chipotle (one carnitas, two carne asada from the bus), a Monster, a Rockstar, a cup of green tea (my throat is going through torture), and a wry smile on my face.
All that was missing was the water. I took care of that when I got home.
---
As the day ended, I had mixed feelings. But as the 94 went downtown and the 193 went northbound frm downtown, I just had a gut feelings things were going to look up the next day. Northridge has a nasty five-game win streak against us. It had to fall today. I just had to. In the Gold Mine.
Unfortunately, I couldn't be any more wrong. Northridge made it six straight
against us, and I was just sick to my stomach. I hurled my souvenir bat in
frustration, acknowledging that my guys were not going to be championship
material, and that I was revoking their Masters of LSV license.
That was also the first win in the Gold Mine in nearly two decades for the Matadors.
Alan Knipe and crew going to have to wake up and smell the roses. Pathetic sons-of-bitches couldn't get it done, and placate my already obvious lack of sanity. I need to order a straightjacket.
---
I just heard that Cornell is the first team dancing into the tournament. Ironically, two years ago we beat these guys in the Walter Pyramid, and this was the same coach that coached this year's edition of the Big Red.
You lucky Ithaca bastards.
After I went to Chipotle to wolf down another burrito from another day at ROP, I did some house-cleaning on campus. Anime Club T-Shirt purchase order processed: check. Tickets from the past couple days of action recorded: check. Materials for UCI bus trip ready: check.And so we were off.
---
So, this African marathon guy with a bald spot comes over and tells me I can't use my bat to accompany the foot stomping on our side of the Bren Events Center. He's the black analogue to Micol Coppock. We talked a little bit, his background about his family, it's-not-about-Long Beach State -and-UCI crap, and every other lame [sic] attempt to get some sympathy from me. Well, in spite of an effort that Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire could equal, it went one ear and out the other.
Apparently, this guy has NOT been to our Walter Pyramid. And he does not realize that the atmosphere there is louder than the Bren Events Center by a country mile. At the Myd, this type of stomping is the norm. He'd best stay out of our way because that's how we do it, no matter where we are.
Might as well consider a flight back, if his wife and kids are his biggest priority. Actually, I recommend it. Humph.
---
I so hoped the men won their game. I would have forgiven the guy telling me about his life-story. Instead, the Great Hoopspression of 2008 continued for the guys, and I have no love lost for the green card flasher. Maybe not until our men's volleyball team finishes the deal down there on the 27th.
---
I think now I should hold off on the Chipotle. When the day ended, I ate three burritos from Chipotle (one carnitas, two carne asada from the bus), a Monster, a Rockstar, a cup of green tea (my throat is going through torture), and a wry smile on my face.
All that was missing was the water. I took care of that when I got home.
---
As the day ended, I had mixed feelings. But as the 94 went downtown and the 193 went northbound frm downtown, I just had a gut feelings things were going to look up the next day. Northridge has a nasty five-game win streak against us. It had to fall today. I just had to. In the Gold Mine.
Unfortunately, I couldn't be any more wrong. Northridge made it six straight
against us, and I was just sick to my stomach. I hurled my souvenir bat in
frustration, acknowledging that my guys were not going to be championship
material, and that I was revoking their Masters of LSV license.
That was also the first win in the Gold Mine in nearly two decades for the Matadors.
Alan Knipe and crew going to have to wake up and smell the roses. Pathetic sons-of-bitches couldn't get it done, and placate my already obvious lack of sanity. I need to order a straightjacket.
---
I just heard that Cornell is the first team dancing into the tournament. Ironically, two years ago we beat these guys in the Walter Pyramid, and this was the same coach that coached this year's edition of the Big Red.
You lucky Ithaca bastards.
The wheels fell off
When I found out that Paul Carroll returned tonight in the lineup for Pepperdine against us. I thought one thing.
The wheels fell off. That ruined an otherwise subtle day with the men's basketball team defeating Davis, and me getting the official word from Enrollment Services.
Curse you Press-Telegram for giving me the wrong information. You told me that we won the the match, only to find the exact opposite. Nice going, guys.
Shit.
The wheels fell off. That ruined an otherwise subtle day with the men's basketball team defeating Davis, and me getting the official word from Enrollment Services.
Curse you Press-Telegram for giving me the wrong information. You told me that we won the the match, only to find the exact opposite. Nice going, guys.
Fish and chips and volleyball...a Friday night house party?
Sam German was a British chocolatier who introduced his own brand of chocolate, German chocolates, in 1852. Fast forward over a century later to 1957, when an anonymous homemaker (with presumably too much time on her hands) submitted the recipe for German chocolate cake (dispelling the myth that it was a creation from Germany). The recipe called for Sam's baker's chocolate, combined with coconut, and native pecans. Mr. German would be surprised that this was, in a way his legacy. And I don't think Hitler would have had the luxury to taste this treat. If he did, he'd embrace it just as much as exterminating the Jews, that's for sure.
---
I'm blogging this outside the doors of the green entrance of the Mike & Arline Walter Pyramid. This is the smoking zone. Thank God there are no puffers right now. I write this at the top of the steps. Below me is the Ukleja Family Hall of Honor, where a meeting with Diane Higgs and the Graduate Program in Sport Management would be in order in a couple hours. (As of this blog, it's already done.)
The Dirtbags have finished their afternoon training, and have headed off to their dorms, homes, classes and what-have-you. They would clash with the National Chumps from Rice University in about two weeks time, kicking off a schedule to die for, especially if you're from the Boston Red Sox.
I am writing about Friday's volleyball contest against UC San Diego. A buzzer sounds. Practice is going on, with Mary Hegarty's women's basketball team practicing for the game against Pacific and Jake "the Snake" Harry on Thursday. Looking at the Tritons' record (4 wins and 7 losses) as the Campus Bell rings 5:00, the Tritons come into the contest like lambs to the slaughter. They are just as talented as, say, our men's basketball team. I have to question Monson's uniform last Saturday. I mean, what the hell what he trying to impersonate. Bloody Chuck Norris? An impersonation that Billy Barty could have done better at? Or has this poor guy lost his mind, like I did when we fell to Bakersfield (oh mercy, I don't want to take about that game)? I leave it to your responsibility to ask the Taekwondo Master about that. I was in awe with his ability to accurately kick the advertisement board in frustration like a side show gone wrong. I have my way of showing my frustration, but Dan Monson takes it to a higher [sic] level. The student is pleased.
Now, back to the fools from La Jolla. First off, WHY is Kevin Ring still their head coach? I mean, heading into the season he was 7 and 50. As in 7 wins, and 50 losses. (He currently is at 11-57 heading into this match.) Note that the Department of Athletics web site does not mention about the inept record in Ring's bio, because if that was mentioned, their would be severe recruiting repercussions.
Also, the team is playing without one of their aces, so to speak. Their Donovan Morris of the team, if you will. His name is Will Ehrman, a 5-11 sophomore from Punahou, in Honolulu, and he is out due to a severe injury. Because of this, the Tritons are playing the type of volleyball that is so poor, their women would dust them off. Atrocious. That's why they come into this match like lambs to the slaughter. Everyone in the Pyramid (even the UCSD faithful) knows that the Tritons are going to be sandwiched, roofed, aces, killed, and every expletive by the likes of Paul "The Chopman" Lotman, Dustin "The Stache" Watten, Mean Dean Bittner, Danny Arcadia (Dan Alexander), Michael P. Klipsch (Setterney At Law), Fletcher Anderson (a.k.a. #8), and Tommy "Cretino" Pestolesi and the crew.
Now here's the kicker: in our last game with these punks, we had a rough year of our own. One of those defeats (17 in all, against 11 wins), did come at the hands of the Tritons, in La Jolla. This was the first defeat in 10 matches, snapping a winning streak dating back to the days of the Great Touzinsky (Scott). And the kicker after that: the last time those Tritons won here was in 1983 - in the Gold Mine, during Ray Ratelle's second season, with Bob Ctvrtlik at the controls! Those punks have never won a match at the Myd, and the last time they won a game was in 1995, in Game 2. That was the only gmae they EVER one. The last time they were here, they were swept. Overall, they are 3-47 against us (as of right now).
I think the Tritons owing us some fish and chips after this glorified scrimmage is over has a nice Ring to it. Don't you think?
---
I'm blogging this outside the doors of the green entrance of the Mike & Arline Walter Pyramid. This is the smoking zone. Thank God there are no puffers right now. I write this at the top of the steps. Below me is the Ukleja Family Hall of Honor, where a meeting with Diane Higgs and the Graduate Program in Sport Management would be in order in a couple hours. (As of this blog, it's already done.)
The Dirtbags have finished their afternoon training, and have headed off to their dorms, homes, classes and what-have-you. They would clash with the National Chumps from Rice University in about two weeks time, kicking off a schedule to die for, especially if you're from the Boston Red Sox.
I am writing about Friday's volleyball contest against UC San Diego. A buzzer sounds. Practice is going on, with Mary Hegarty's women's basketball team practicing for the game against Pacific and Jake "the Snake" Harry on Thursday. Looking at the Tritons' record (4 wins and 7 losses) as the Campus Bell rings 5:00, the Tritons come into the contest like lambs to the slaughter. They are just as talented as, say, our men's basketball team. I have to question Monson's uniform last Saturday. I mean, what the hell what he trying to impersonate. Bloody Chuck Norris? An impersonation that Billy Barty could have done better at? Or has this poor guy lost his mind, like I did when we fell to Bakersfield (oh mercy, I don't want to take about that game)? I leave it to your responsibility to ask the Taekwondo Master about that. I was in awe with his ability to accurately kick the advertisement board in frustration like a side show gone wrong. I have my way of showing my frustration, but Dan Monson takes it to a higher [sic] level. The student is pleased.
Now, back to the fools from La Jolla. First off, WHY is Kevin Ring still their head coach? I mean, heading into the season he was 7 and 50. As in 7 wins, and 50 losses. (He currently is at 11-57 heading into this match.) Note that the Department of Athletics web site does not mention about the inept record in Ring's bio, because if that was mentioned, their would be severe recruiting repercussions.
Also, the team is playing without one of their aces, so to speak. Their Donovan Morris of the team, if you will. His name is Will Ehrman, a 5-11 sophomore from Punahou, in Honolulu, and he is out due to a severe injury. Because of this, the Tritons are playing the type of volleyball that is so poor, their women would dust them off. Atrocious. That's why they come into this match like lambs to the slaughter. Everyone in the Pyramid (even the UCSD faithful) knows that the Tritons are going to be sandwiched, roofed, aces, killed, and every expletive by the likes of Paul "The Chopman" Lotman, Dustin "The Stache" Watten, Mean Dean Bittner, Danny Arcadia (Dan Alexander), Michael P. Klipsch (Setterney At Law), Fletcher Anderson (a.k.a. #8), and Tommy "Cretino" Pestolesi and the crew.
Now here's the kicker: in our last game with these punks, we had a rough year of our own. One of those defeats (17 in all, against 11 wins), did come at the hands of the Tritons, in La Jolla. This was the first defeat in 10 matches, snapping a winning streak dating back to the days of the Great Touzinsky (Scott). And the kicker after that: the last time those Tritons won here was in 1983 - in the Gold Mine, during Ray Ratelle's second season, with Bob Ctvrtlik at the controls! Those punks have never won a match at the Myd, and the last time they won a game was in 1995, in Game 2. That was the only gmae they EVER one. The last time they were here, they were swept. Overall, they are 3-47 against us (as of right now).
I think the Tritons owing us some fish and chips after this glorified scrimmage is over has a nice Ring to it. Don't you think?
The next exciting episode of the Masters...
- Paul Lotman inches closer to the Thousand Kills Society
- Based on my counts, he is now at 971 kills. He is on pace to join the club on the first road match of a February stretch against Pepperdine.
- The crowd ooohs, aaahs, and everything in between.
- A sheer testament to a great victory for Alan Knipe's crew.
- The Revenge Tour continues.
- Yes, for two reasons. 1. USC's women's tennis team swept us the day before. 2. USC beat us on our home floor last year. But we aren't through with them yet.
- Athleticism...Le Sexy Volleyball revived!
- This is what happens when all that practice in the summer and fall pays off, as well as conditioning the right ways.
- The explanation behind, "There are ALTERNATIVES."
- A clear pun on Trojan latex condoms, spermicide, lubricants, etc. Now, don't get me wrong, Trojan is a trusted brand among those who want to practice safe sex. But, I pointed out that there are other brand that provide just as effective protection, maybe even better. Of course, mention abstinence, and all bets are off.
- Yours truly bounces, bends, falls flat, sings, dings, bangs, hangs and rises, adjusts his frowns a la Yin from Darker than Black, dons faces, and even gives the Masters a tongue-lashing for nearly letting USC successfully back into Game 2. (And also flings shirt off.)
- This was a fun game. I just witnessed it.
- New single from the Beach Band: Muse's "Knights of Cydonia."
- A solid rendition, too.
- Side adventures of Brigham Young against Cal State Northridge.
- BYU took out the Matadors, 3-1.
- Dean Bittner avenges Trojans' Dirty Tactics of violation of "Dahleeeng"
- In a very solid way, too. Dean is an awesome specimen. At 6-foot-7, 187 pounds, the Lakewood High grad continues to make more than a splash. In this match, he had 13 kills and five blocks.
- Who is Dahleeeng!?
- Paul Lotman.
- No, seriously, who is Dahleeeng!!?
- Paul Lotman. Seriously.
- USC's men miss the Wench from Wroclaw, Asia Kaczsor (who is still a whore for single-handedly breaking our hearts last autumn).
- If you have been following Brian Gimmilaro's ladies last semester, you know the story. Long Beach State's men would prove too much for Mick Haley's Helens, but we will never really know for sure.
- JR's take on USC women, and their impurity in the eyes of the Beach
- Spent too much money. More than likely knows someone who knows someone who knows someone, etc. I put my university's poon in a more positive light than theirs.
- The spinaround...and the Night Boat to Cairo!?.
- Before the match, I spun myself dizzy. The result of caffeine put to good use. Night Boat to Cairo is a song from the debut album of Madness, entitled, "One Step Beyond." I sung that minutes before the match, and the spinaround was afterward. Definitely surreal.
- We are still third in the nation.
- Confirmed
On the next exciting episode of "The Masters of Le Sexy Volleyball..."
- Paul Lotman inches closer to the Thousand Kills Society
- The crowd ooohs, aaahs, and everything in between.
- The Revenge Tour continues.
- Athleticism...Le Sexy Volleyball revived!
- The explanation behind, "There are ALTERNATIVES."
- Yours truly bounces, bends, falls flat, sings, dings, bangs, hangs and rises, adjusts his frowns a la Yin from Darker than Black, dons faces, and even gives the Masters a tongue-lashing for nearly letting USC successfully back into Game 2. (And also flings shirt off.)
- New single from the Beach Band: Muse's "Knights of Cydonia."
- Side adventures of Brigham Young against Cal State Northridge.
- Dean Bittner avenges Trojans' Dirty Tactics of violation "Dahleeeng"
- Who is Dahleeeng!?
- No, seriously, who is Dahleeeng!!?
- USC's men miss the Wench from Wroclaw, Asia Kaczsor (who is still a whore for single-handedly breaking our hearts last autumn).
- JR's take on USC women, and their impurity in the eyes of the Beach
- The spinaround...and the Night Boat to Cairo!?
A perfect January of sexy volleyball comes to a close
And so, a successful, exciting, and most importantly, PERFECT January of sexy volleyball from Long Beach State's men draws to a close. Excuse me while I get some tissues, my nose is bleeding.
It should be noted that McDannald used to write for the Viking at Long Beach City College. Another example of the connection between LBCC and LBSU. This was a fun game for our gentlemen, but are just getting started.
As always...fasten your seat belts.
Men's volleyball keeps the winning record
LBSU, 7-0, defeats Pepperdine in three matches.
By: Tracy McDannald
Posted: 1/31/08
In an early-season battle of two top-5 teams in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 15 national rankings, No. 3 Long Beach State swept visiting No. 5 Pepperdine, 3-0 Wednesday at The Walter Pyramid.
The 49ers (7-0 overall, 5-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) extended the Waves' losing streak to three matches, winning 30-21, 32-30, 30-21.
"We come in to win," LBSU senior outside hitter Paul Lotman said. "It doesn't matter who we play or where we play."
Coming off 12 days rest, LBSU received a strong effort from Lotman, who posted a game-high 16 kills despite not recording any kills in the first game. He wasn't alone, though, as sophomore middle blocker Dan Alexander posted a double-double with 11 kills and 10 blocks, while hitting .562 to lead the team. Freshman setter Mike Klipsch added 36 assists and eight digs in the victory.
"[The players] have worked hard to be better," said head coach Alan Knipe. "The best thing is their eagerness to be better. Now we have to focus our attention on USC."
Last season, LBSU finished with just an 11-17 record, but Alexander said the time in between seasons was anything but time off.
"We worked really hard to get strong and [this year we're] not going to take a day off," he said.
The Waves (4-3 overall, 4-3 MPSF) were led by outside hitters J.D. Schleppenbach and Cory Riecks, who recorded 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
LBSU was led by Alexander in game one, as he posted five kills and hit a perfect 1.000 to jumpstart the 49ers.
Then, Lotman came alive and he recorded 10 kills in game two - the only game the Waves challenged the 49ers. Alexander provided the exclamation point in the game, giving LBSU a 29-21 lead with an emphatic return for the kill.
The frenzied crowd at The Walter Pyramid jumped on Pepperdine early in game three, eliciting a chant of "o-ver-ra-ted" as the team cruised past the Waves to keep its record perfect.
The 49ers stifled Pepperdine with a combination of Alexander and sophomore opposite Dean Bittner dominating and blocking balls at the net. The Waves, playing without injured outside hitter Paul Carroll, registered a -.065 hitting mark.
The two teams will meet again at Pepperdine on Feb. 13.
LBSU came into the match losing just two games all season (3-1 wins at Hawaii and UCLA), while sweeping its other opponents.
"[The stat] isn't nearly as important as it is just a nice stat," Knipe said. "We've played well early and some crucial games went our way."
LBSU returns to the net to host the No. 11 Trojans (4-5 overall, 3-3 MPSF) on Feb. 1 at The Walter Pyramid at 7 p.m.
The 49ers swept the Trojans 3-0 in the season opener at the UC Santa Barbara Collegiate Invitational on Jan. 4.
"We played them early in the fall and won," Alexander said, "but they're a lot better now."
© Copyright 2008 Daily 49er
It should be noted that McDannald used to write for the Viking at Long Beach City College. Another example of the connection between LBCC and LBSU. This was a fun game for our gentlemen, but are just getting started.
As always...fasten your seat belts.
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