They say you’re always getting better, or getting worse—there’s no staying the same. Well, the coaches of the MPSF would disagree, as they picked the Long Beach State men’s volleyball team to finish exactly where they did in the conference last year: seventh.
LBSU received 58 points a year after finishing seventh in the MPSF with a 14-14 overall record. The 49ers return six starters from last year’s MPSF playoff match against Pepperdine. The team is deep with experience returning seven players who started at least 12 matches last season and nine players who started at least one match.
Senior Dean Bittner, a first-team All-America pick last year and 2010 national player of the year candidate, should lead the 49ers chase for a national title. Bittner finished last season third in the nation in kills (5.51/game), 13th in aces (0.38/game), 32nd in hitting percentage (.307) and 43rd in blocks per game (1.01 game). He enters the season eighth all-time at LBSU in career kills with 1,370, and is fifth in Beach history in service aces (89) and fifth all-time in career matches with 20 kills (29).
Bittner will be joined by fellow All-America (2008) pick Dan Alexander. The senior middle blocker earned first-team All-America honors as a sophomore. He earned third-team All-MPSF honors as a junior despite being struggling with injuries for most of the season. He enters the season 10th all-time in career blocks at Long Beach State with 369, while ranking fifth all-time with seven matches with double-digit blocks.
Setter Mike Klipsch, a two-year starter, returns for his junior season to run the 49ers offense. As a true freshman he led the nation with 13.82 assists per game and was selected as the MPSF Freshman of the Year, while being named third-team all-league. Last year as a sophomore, Klipsch finished fourth in the country in assists with 13.490 per game.
The Beach also returns four experienced outside hitters and a returning starter at middle blocker along with Alexander. Junior outside hitter Josh Riley finished second on the team in kills last season with 3.47, while starting 18 matches. Senior outside hitter Tommy Pestolesi was third on the team in kills with 2.58 per game while starting 12 matches, and junior outside hitter Kyle Friend started 23 matches and averaged 1.55 kills per game.
Sophomore Jim Baughman started all 28 LBSU matches at middle blocker as a freshman last year and finished with 1.98 kills and 0.93 blocks per game to earn a spot on the MPSF All-Freshman Team. He led The Beach in hitting percentage (.405) and block solos (12), and ranked in the top five all-time among LBSU freshmen in service aces (tied for second) with 22, block assists (tied for fourth) with 93 and total blocks (fifth) with 105.
LBSU will look to replace starting libero Dusty Watten who completed a stellar career last season. Junior Kory Matsukado, junior college transfer Kirk Francis and freshman Cody Watten, Dusty’s younger brother, are battling to fill the void.
A handful of newcomers led by junior college transfer Antwain Aguillard are challenging returning starters for playing time, which should make this year’s LBSU team deeper and more talented.
From LBSU reports