From LBSU reports
The night started off hopeful for the Long Beach fans who came out to the ‘Myd on Friday for the men’s volleyball team’s matchup against the No. 3 Pepperdine Waves. The Beach, ranked sixth, took the first two sets, but were unable to finish the job, eventually losing the night, 30-21, 30-24, 30-32, 26-30, 12-15.
The Beach drops to 8-8 overall and 7-6 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, while the Waves improve to 11-2, 9-3 MPSF.
Junior Dean Bittner led five 49ers in double figures with a career-high 33 kills, while hitting for a .349 clip. Classmate Tommy Pestolesi finished the evening with a double-double, recording 12 kills and 15 digs. Sophomore Josh Riley added 19 kills and freshman Jim Baughman chipped in 13 on .600 hitting.
Sophomore Mike Klipsch led the 49er offense to a .319 hitting percentage with 74 assists, while senior Dustin Watten tallied a game-high 16 digs.
Pepperdine took an early 10-6 lead on a service error by junior Dan Alexander, but LBSU proceeded to use a 7-0 run, capped by a Baughman kill, to go up 13-10. The 49ers would stay in control the rest of the way as Bittner ended the set at 30-21 with a kill off the Wave block. The Beach hit an impressive .400, while holding Pepperdine to a .290 percentage.
The 49ers carried their momentum into the second set as they led the entire way. LBSU jumped out to an 8-3 advantage on an Alexander ace, but the Waves slowly chipped away, pulling within one at 12-11. The two teams then traded points until The Beach went on a 5-1 spurt to close out the game. Riley put down the final point with a hard-driven ball down the line. LBSU continued its effective hitting, posting a .347 clip in game two.
The Waves came out strong in the third set going up by a 19-14 margin, but the 49ers battled back as strong defensive performances from Pestolesi and Riley allowed The Beach to win several long rallies. LBSU pulled within two (22-20) on a huge block by Klipsch and Alexander and eventually evened the game at 26 and 28 on Pepperdine hitting errors. The Waves wouldn’t go down quietly, however, as Long Beach State held off three set points before a Paul Carroll kill ended the 49ers’ chances at a sweep.
Pepperdine, which trailed for most of game four, rallied late to run away with a 30-26 win, forcing a decisive fifth set. The Waves went up 26-24 on a double block by Carroll and Rodnei Santos and eventually sealed the victory on Carroll’s 27th kill of the night.
Pepperdine took control in the final set, pulling out a 15-12 win.
The Waves rode the arm of Carroll, who had 31 kills and only three errors on 60 attempts (.467). He also led the team with 13 digs.
Long Beach State will continue its four-game homestand next weekend when it hosts the Active Ankle Tournament, March 13-14. The 49ers are set to face IPFW on Friday with first serve set for 7 p.m.