On Friday night in the Gold Mine Gym, the Long Beach State men’s volleyball team began their 2009 campaign with the first of two exhibitions against the defending Canadian national champion Alberta Golden Bears.  The low ceiling and multi-colored lines on the Gold Mine Gym floor hearken the 49er days of yore, and on Friday night the team on the floor began the quest for an identity.

For the first time in four years, Co-National Player of the Year Paul Lotman wasn’t wearing number two, and that means two things.  One, the team will need to raise the overall level of play.  And two, a clutch playmaker needs to emerge.  Even though the 49ers were swept, 24-30, 24-30, 27-30, returning All-American Dean Bittner could be the answer to the second question.  He led all hitters with 24 kills on .356 hitting and took over in the third set like Lotman used to do.

Alberta went .341 hitting on the night, as Joel Schmuland led the Golden Bears with 16 kills on .400 hitting, and Justin Merta went a perfect five-for-five with no errors.

Alberta opened the first set with a 4-1 run, and would never be threatened seriously in the set. Alberta opened a five-point cushion at 14-9 after a Spencer Leiske kill, and the 49ers would never cur the lead to less than three for the remainder of the set.

Long Beach State made their most serious run at the Golden Bears in the second set, taking a 9-7 lead on a four-point run led by a Jim Baughman service ace. Alberta responded with a run of its own, eventually taking a three point lead at 16-13. The 49ers would tie the score once more at 21, but Alberta would again push out to a 30-24 win, their second straight.

Set three was the closest of the three, featuring six lead changes, but .406 hitting from Alberta combined with a number of service errors for Long Beach State kept the 49ers from taking a set in the finale, a 30-27 loss. The 49ers finished with 18 service errors, and just 3 aces on the night.

The 49ers will get a second chance at Alberta tomorrow, facing the Golden Bears in the Walter Pyramid at 6 p.m. Long Beach State will then start the regular season at the UC Santa Barbara Tournament beginning on January 9.

From Reports By Long Beach State Sports Information Department