Reports From LBSU

The Long Beach State men’s volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to No. 10 UC Irvine Wednesday evening at the Bren Events Center. Game scores were 30-21, 31-29, 28-30, 30-28.

The Beach fell to 12-14 on the season and 8-11 in MPSF action, while UCI improved to 13-13, 8-11 MPSF.

Dean Bittner led the 49ers with 22 kills, while Jim Baughman finished with 14. Dan Alexander chipped in 13 kills, while Kirk Francis anchored the defense with 10 digs. Conor Eaton directed the offense with 57 assists.

UC Irvine pulled ahead midway through the first set to pick up a 30-21 victory. After LBSU tied it up at 10-10, the Anteaters went up and never looked back as they led the rest of the way. UCI went on to outscore The Beach 14-7 down the stretch as a 49er attack error ended the opening game in favor of the home team.

In the second set, a Baughman kill gave Long Beach State a 27-24 advantage, but UC Irvine scored three straight points to even the score. The teams were also knotted at 28-28 and 29-29 before the Anteaters used a kill by Carson Clark and a 49er hitting error to claim game two, 31-29.

LBSU wouldn’t go down quietly, however, as they rallied in the third set, taking a 14-9 lead on an Alexander kill. The Beach eventually went on an 11-5 run, capped by a Tommy Pestolesi kill, to go up 25-18. UCI then turned the tables, scoring five unanswered points to pull within two, but the 49ers were able to hold on as a kill by Bittner kept The Beach alive with a 30-28 win. 

In a tightly played fourth game that saw three tie scores late in the set, it was UCI that came out on top, 30-28, for the match.

Long Beach State returns to action on Friday when it takes on UCLA at the Walter Pyramid. First serve is set for 7 p.m.