Well, that was a nice perk—as you are undoubtedly aware by now, Long Beach State men’s volleyball coach Alan Knipe was named head coach of the USA Volleyball program a few months back, taking a three-year leave of absence to try and lead the USA to a second straight gold medal.  Friday evening, his USA World League roster (as well as the US A2 team) held their first team scrimmage on the Long Beach State campus, in the Gold Mine, putting on an impressive (and free) display of size and skill.

Of course, Knipe was far from the only 49er in attendance.  The three Long Beach State alums on the Olympic team are on the World League roster (David Lee, Tom Hoff, and Scott Touzinsky), where they have been joined by Paul Lotman.  On the A2 roster, Dean Bittner, Dustin Watten, Tyler Hildebrand, and Robert Tarr bolster the black and gold ranks to a total of eight players (out of 36 on both teams).  LBSU has more players on the rosters than any other university—Penn State is second, with five, followed by USC, at four.

“Yeah, it’s pretty ridiculous how many guys we have,” laughed Lotman after the scrimmage. 

The A2 team went first, at five, with the team split in half, one side wearing blue and the other wearing red—Bittner played a solid match, and Watten’s hustle was impressive as always at libero, as their red team swept, 25-23, 25-23, 25-20.  At seven, the National team (which is slated to begin international competition in the Netherlands next weekend) did the same, with the red team again sweeping, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23.

Lotman, the lone ‘Niner playing in the red, was limited in the first two sets as he’s working back from a minor shoulder injury.  “I took a three week vacation and then tried to come back and just go all the way,” he said.  “It’s just been sore, but it’s okay.”  He played most of the third, and almost visibly loosened up on the court—though Penn State’s Matt Anderson may have been the most impressive player on the court.

As his team signed autographs after the match, Knipe (eschewing his familiar black shirt for a white USA Volleyball polo) seemed mostly pleased with his teams’ performance in the scrimmage.  “It’s literally the first thing we’ve done,” he said.  Asked if the event was more for volleyball fans or the coaches, he responded, “It’s a little bit for everything.  We needed to just get some film on everyone.”

Lotman said the adjustment to playing on the international level has been an enjoyable challenge.  “You can’t swing the same swing, or serve the same serve against these guys,” he said.  “You have to raise your levels.”

Lotman and the rest of team USA will get their first taste of international competition June 13th and 14th in Rotterdam, for the first event of the World League schedule.  With 2008’s gold still fresh, the challenge is certainly attainable, even if the match isn’t in the friendly (and for many, familiar) confines of the Gold Mine.

Dustin Watten, barefoot and in his stylish Nick Van Exel jersey, scaled the bleachers to pull out the volleyballs caught on top during the A2 game—nice.