The Long Beach State men’s volleyball team opens MPSF action this week with a road match at UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday and a home match against No. 2 Cal State Northridge on Friday.

The 49ers opened the 2010 season in Santa Barbara where it competed in the Elephant Bar Restaurant Collegiate Invitational last Thursday and Friday. The 49ers opened the tournament with a 3-2 loss to NAIA power California Baptist before handing host UCSB a 3-2 loss in the nightcap Thursday. LBSU then dropped the fifth-place match losing to defending national champion UC Irvine 3-1 on Friday. The Beach won the first set against the Anteaters, but couldn’t hold on.

The Beach is ranked ninth in the first AVCA Coaches Poll of the regular season. The Beach finished with 117 points after finishing the UCSB tournament 1-2. LBSU opened the season ranked seventh in the preseason poll. This week’s opponents are ranked 14th (UC Santa Barbara) and second (Cal State Northridge) in the poll.

Dean Bittner climbed to seventh in the Long Beach State record books in career kills last week at the UCSB tournament. Bittner finished with 63 kills in the three matches to move his career total to 1,433 kills passing Paul Lotman (2005-08) for seventh on the all-time list. He needs 123 more to tie Robert Tarr (2003-06) for sixth on the list. Bittner also had 20 or more kills in a match twice (30 vs. Cal Baptist; 22 vs. UCSB) in the tournament to run his career total to 31 matches with 20 or more kills. He is fifth on the all-time list at LBSU and needs three more to pass Mark Kerins (1987-90) for fourth. Dan Alexander moved into ninth in career blocks with 378 passing Brett Schroeder (1989-92) on the all-time list. He needs four more to pass Teddy Liles (2004-07) for eighth on the list. Mike Klipsch pushed his career assist total to 2,984 while playing in just one match in the tournament. He is fifth on the career list at Long Beach State and needs 143 more to pass Steve Walker (1995-96) for fourth all-time. 

From Reports By LBSU