 
49ers Head Into Final Weekend Looking For League Title
April 8, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
LONG BEACH, Calif. - THE RECORDS •Beach Tied For First In The MPSF Long Beach State is 21-5 overall and 16-4 in the MPSF after winning at Pacific (3-2) and at Stanford (3-0) last weekend. The 49ers close out their regular season this weekend as they play at UC Santa Barbara on Friday at at No. 2 CS Northridge on Saturday. If the 49ers win both matches, they win the MPSF regular season title and host the MPSF Tournament. Long Beach State is ranked No. 4 this week in the CSTV/ AVCA Coaches Poll and No. 4 in Molten/Volleyball Poll. UCSB is 9-16 overall and 6-14 in the MPSF. CS Northridge is 21-5 overall and 16-4 in the MPSF and ranked No. 3 in the country. THE COACH •Alan Knipe In Eighth Year as Coach Alan Knipe (Long Beach State, 1992) is 153-86 (.640) in his eighth year as the head coach of the 49er men's. Knipe, the 2004 AVCA National Coach of the Year, is in his 16th year in association with 49er men's volleyball (three years as a player, five years as an assistant, eighth year as the head coach). THE SERIES •49ers Trails UCSB, 42-31 •49ers Lead CS Northridge, 32-26 Long Beach State trails in its series with UC Santa Barbara by a 42-31 count. The 49ers defeated the Gauchos in five games at home on March 1. The 49ers lead their series with CS Northridge by a 32-26 count. The Matadors won the first meeting in Long Beach in five games on February 29. BEACH ROLL PAST STANFORD •Riley Leads Way With 12 Kills Freshman Josh Riley had 12 kills and five blocks to lead the 49ers to a 30-24, 30-25, 30-17 win at Stanford on Saturday night. The 49ers hit only .189, but they limited the Cardinal to a .043 (32-28-93) hitting percentage. Dan Alexander added nine kills, four aces and five blocks while hitting .467 and Paul Lotman had eight kills, three aces and eight digs. The 49ers had 15.0 team blocks in the match and 10 service aces. 49ERS OUTLAST THE TIGERS •Beach Wins In Five Games The 49ers and the Tigers went the distance on Friday night before Long Beach came out on top in five games, winning 30-24, 26-30, 30-24, 30-32, 15-12. Paul Lotman and Dean Bittner both had 25 kills and Josh Riley had a career-high 14 kills and seven blocks. Long Beach recorded 15.5 team blocks in the contest and hit .277. Setter Mike Klipsch had 63 assists and 10 digs for his second double-double of the year. 49ERS CLINCH A SPOT IN MPSF TOURNAMENT •Secure A Home Match In Quarterfinals The 49ers can finish no lower than third place in the MPSF standings, which means they will host an MPSF Tournament Quarterfinal match (April 19) at worst. The 49ers are still in the hunt for the regular season title, as they are tied for first place at 16-4 with BYU and CS Northridge. If the 49ers win both matches this week they win the MPSF regular season title and host the tournament (April 24-26). If they lose one, or both, they would finish in third place. 20-WIN SEASON •Fourth Time In Past Five Years The 49er men's volleyball team reached 20 wins this season with its win last Friday at Pacific. With its 21 victories, the 49ers have hit the 20-win plateau for the fourth time in the past five seasons. It is the 15th time in school history they have reached 20 victories. Over the past five years the 49ers are 105-49 (.682). LOTMAN ON CAREER CHART •Hits 1,300 Career Kills/600 Career Digs Senior Paul Lotman (Lakewood) is currently No. 8 on the 49er career kill chart with 1,352 kills. Lotman is the 17th player in 49er history to reach 1,000 career kills. He had a career-high 32 kills in the win at Ohio State on February 22. Lotman also has accumulated 615 career digs and ranked 10th in LBSU history. He also stands third on the 49er service ace chart with 127 aces. NATIONAL STATISTICS •Six 49ers Are Nationally Ranked In the most recent NCAA National Statistics, the 49ers are second in the country in hitting percentage at .321. Individually, setter Mike Klipsch leads the country in assists at 13.83 per game. Paul Lotman ranks third in kills per game at 5.53, second in points per game at 6.52 and second in aces per game at 0.545. Dan Alexander is second nationally in hitting percentage (.500) and fourth in blocking at 1.46 blocks per game. Dean Bittner is -fifth in kills (4.77) and sixth in points per game (5.66). Tommy Pestolesi is averaging 0.382 aces per game to rank No. 15 nationally. Rounding out the 49ers in the national rankings is libero Dustin Watten who is 15th in digs at 2.41 per game. SINGLE SEASON MARKS •Lotman Breaks Service Ace Record Senior Paul Lotman has 52 aces this season breaking the old 49er single season mark of 43 set by Scott Touzinsky in 2001 and 2002. His .054 aces average also ranks first, surpassing the old mark of .049 by Touzinsky in 2001. Here's where some current 49ers rank right now on the single season charts. Dan Alexander is second in hitting percentage at .500, trailing Duncan Budinger's .512 set in 2004. Dustin Watten's 2.41 dig average ranks sixth-best all-time. The single season mark of 2.53 was set by Curtis Jackson in 2000 and Zack Small in 1993. •Making A Mark In The History Books Senior Paul Lotman (Lakewood) currently is averaging a team-best 5.53 kills per game while adding 1.53 digs per contest, all while hitting an impressive .338. This past weekend he had 25 kills and four blocks in the five game win at Pacific. Saturday at Stanford he was limited to just eight kills in the three-game win over Stanford, but added three aces and eight digs. Lotman has tallied 20 or more kills in six of the past eight matches and 14 times this season. He has tallied double-figures in kills in 25 of the 26 matches this season. Lotman was named the MVP of the Active Ankle/Long Beach GuestHouse Classic where he averaged 5.67 kills per game. He had 29 kills and hit .420 in the five-game loss to Penn State. For his efforts that week he was named the MPSF Molten co-Player of the Week, the second time he has won that honor this year. Lotman had 27 kills and a season-high 11 digs on March 27 at UC Irvine, his third double-double of the year. His second double-double came on Feb. 29 vs. CS Northridge where he had 24 kills and 10 digs. Lotman had a career-high 32 kills, hitting .373 (32-10-59), in the 49ers win over Ohio State on February 22. Lotman ranks third in the nation in kills, and he's second in points and aces per game. He had his first double-double in the second Hawai'i match (1/11) with 26 kills and 10 digs. Lotman also possesses a potent serve as he leads the team with his 52 service aces, a new 49er single season record. Lotman is third on the 49er career service ace chart with 127 aces. Lotman also ranked eighth in career kills (1,352) and 10th in career digs (615). He was named the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week on January 22 and was the MPSF co-Player of the Week on January 14. •Leads Nation In Assists True freshman Mike Klipsch (St. Louis, Mo.) continues his strong play as the starting setter for the 49ers. Klipsch is averaging 13.83 assists per game this season, a mark which leads the nation. In league outings his 13.77 assists per game also tops the league charts. He has guided the team to a .321 hitting percentage this season (.312 in MPSF matches) as the 49ers have hit .300 or better in 14 of their 26 matches. In Friday's five game win at Pacific he had his second double-double of the season with 63 assists and 10 digs. Saturday at Stanford he had 31 assists and three blocks. On January 18 at UCLA he recorded his first double-double as a 49er with 56 assists and 11 digs. On January 11 in Hawai'i he had a career-high 69 assists, adding five digs and four blocks. Klipsch is fifth on the team with 69 blocks and he's third in digs with 136 (1.42 dpg). •Career-High 29 Kills vs. CS Northridge Sophomore Dean Bittner (Lakewood) tallied 25 kills, six digs and four blocks in Friday's five-game win at Pacific. Saturday at Stanford he had just five kills, but added five digs and seven blocks. He had 26 kills and four blocks the previous week at UC Irvine and followed that up with 20 kills vs. UCLA. Bittner was outstanding in the two wins over BYU. He had 18 kills and a career-high five service aces while hitting .387 on the first night, a three-game LBSU victory. Friday he had 22 kills, eight digs and six blocks while hitting .326. In the two matches he averaged 5.71 kills per game and hit .351 (40-14-74) and was named the Sports Import/AVCA National Player of the Week and the MPSF co-Player of the Week. Bittner has hit double-figure in kills in 23 of the 25 matches in which he has played. He's topped 20 kills 10 times, including a career-high 29 kills vs. CS Northridge on February 29 and 27 against Penn State on March 15. Bittner, who was named to the All-Tournament Team at the UCSB E-Bar Invitational and was the MPSF Molten co-Player of the Week (1/7), is averaging 4.77 kills per game while hitting .281. Bittner ranks sixth nationally in points per game (5.66) and fifth in kills per game (4.77). •Second In Nation In Hitting Percentage Sophomore Dan Alexander (Arcadia) leads the squad with his .500 hitting percentage and 133 total blocks. Alexander is averaging 2.67 kills per game and a team-high 1.46 blocks per outing. He ranks second in the nation in hitting percentage and he's fourth in blocking. Alexander sat out the Pacific match on Friday, but came back on Saturday at Stanford to record nine kills, five blocks and a career-high four aces while hitting .467 (9-2-15). He had a great weekend at Ohio State (2/22-23), averaging 4.43 kills and 1.43 blocks per game while hitting an amazing .789 (31-1-38). In Friday's win over the Buckeyes he had a career-high 18 kills while hitting .818 (18-0-22). Alexander has recorded two double-double's this season in kills and blocks. On Feb. 8 vs. UC San Diego he had 13 kills and 10 blocks. On Jan. 30 vs. Pepperdine he had 11 kills and 10 blocks. Alexander has just 40 hitting errors all season on 406 swings. He had hit double figures in kills in 13 times this season and in blocking three times. •Junior Leads Team In Digs Junior libero Dustin Watten (Long Beach) is averaging a team-high 2.41 digs per game for the 49ers, having appeared in all 96 games. He has hit double digits in digs 11 times this year, including nine of the past 14 matches. Friday at Pacific he tallied 10 digs and three assists. At UC Irvine (3/27) he had 13 digs and five assists. He recorded 12 digs in the win over IPFW and he was named to the ASICS All-Tournament Team. He currently is 15th in the nation, and 8th in the MPSF, in digs per game. On January 11 in Hawai'i, Watten had a career-high 19 digs in the four-game win. Watten also has shown that he has soft hands as he is second on the team in assists with 52. •2nd On Team With .400 Hitting Percentage Senior Fletcher Anderson (Los Gatos) is currently second on the team with his .400 hitting percentage. Anderson is averaging 1.31 kills and 1.05 blocks per game. He has hit .444 or better in 14 of the 26 matches this season. Friday at Pacific he had seven kills, two aces and a career-high eight blocks in the five-game victory. Saturday at Stanford he had four kills and seven blocks. In the four-game win over BYU (3/21) he hit .444 (4-0-9) and recorded two service aces and six blocks. At Pepperdine (2/13) he hit a career-high .778 (7-0-9). Anderson's 98 total blocks is second on the squad. Anderson has tallied six or more blocks in five of the last six matches, averaging 1.48 blocks per game during that span. In the win over UC Irvine at the UCSB E-Bar he had a season-high nine kills while hitting .692 (9-0-13). •Career-High 14 Kills at Pacific Freshman Josh Riley (Manhattan Beach) had a big weekend in Northern California. Riley, who has been in the starting line-up in seven of the past eight matches, averaged 3.25 kills and 1.50 blocks per game in the two matches. Friday at Pacific he had a career-high 14 kills and seven blocks as Long Beach won in five games. Saturday at Stanford he led the squad with 12 kills, adding five more blocks and hitting .261 (12-6-23). Riley has hit double figures in kills in four of the past five matches, averaging 2.48 kills per game during that span. On March 27 at UC Irvine he had 11 kills and seven digs. On March 21 vs. BYU he had a career-high 11 kills, adding six digs, while hitting a solid .400 (11-3-20) in the four-game win over the Cougars. Riley is currently is averaging 2.24 kills and 1.09 digs per game while hitting .264. •Career-High 16 Kills Vs. IPFW Senior Adam Schlesinger (Newport Beach) earned a start on March 14 at opposite against IPFW as regular starter Dean Bittner rested a sore ankle. Schlesinger came through in a big way finishing with a career-high 16 kills and hitting .444 (16-4-27) in the four-game win. He also added three digs, three blocks and two aces. Previously this season Schlesinger had been used mainly as a blocking sub in the front line for setter Mike Klipsch. In his first three seasons Schlesinger was a setter, appearing in a total of 11 matches and 20 games. He had a career-high 47 assists against CS Northridge on January 5, 2007. •Season-High 8 Kills vs. UCSD Sophomore Tommy Pestolesi (Huntington Beach) recorded a season-best eight kills in the win over UC San Diego on Feb. 8. Pestolesi added three blocks and a team-high nine digs. In the win over UCSB on March 1 he had six kills and a career-high seven blocks. On the year he is averaging 1.29 kills and 1.24 digs per game. He has 21 aces on the year in 55 games, for an average of 0.382 aces per game, a mark which ranks No. 15 in the country and No. 4 in the MPSF. •Freshman Sees Action For The 49ers Freshman Kyle Friend (Boca Raton, Fla.) is averaging 1.10 kills and 2.10 digs per game in 21 games. He played one game at Pacific garnering two digs. At Pepperdine (2/13) he played two games and finishing with a kill and four digs. In the four-game win at Hawai'i (1/11) he had five kills, while adding a career-best 17 digs and three aces. •Career-High 5 Blocks vs. UCSB/Pacific Senior Luke Shea (Fullerton) played all five games on Friday at Pacific finishing with two kills, five blocks and an ace. The five blocks ties his season-high. Against CS Northridge at home he had two digs and three blocks. Against UCSB he picked up his first kill of the season, while adding a career-high five blocks in the victory. Shea has appeared in 22 games this year and has recorded 15 blocks (0.68 bpg). •Season-High 4 Kills vs. Pacific Junior Gavin Christensen (Long Beach) played in all three games in the win over Pacific (3/5), recording a season-high four kills, two digs and two blocks. Christensen then played three games vs. Stanford in the back row, recording one service ace. Christensen has played in a total of 36 games this season, mainly as a serving sub. |
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