As giddy as the 49er faithful get about men’s basketball, the show pony in the LBSU stable this year will be men’s volleyball. After hardly breaking a sweat beating the best of the Canadian clubs that did the snow bird tour last week, the weekend was even better and Monday’s national poll saw the Beach rise from #4 to #1 in the nation.
Last weekend the Niner side claimed the 2014 UCSB Asics Invitational title with a 3-1 victory over Harvard in Goleta and did so convincingly, 25-18, 20-25, 25-19, 25-13. To get to the title the Beach boys went undefeated in pool play knocking off UC San Diego, No. 14 Cal State Northridge, IPFW and No. 2 UCLA in best-of-three set exhibition matches. Harvard, who would have won the spelling bee division, won they other half of the pool but had no answer for the Niner power, finesse and block (the 49ers also out-blocked the Crimson, 12-to-4.)
As pair of seniors–Taylor Crabb and Dalton Ammerman- were the feature 49ers by combining for 37 kills and 18 digs. Crabb finished with 19 kills on .429 hitting, while Ammerman registered 18 kills (.353) and good enough to merit the hardware as the tournament MVP. Together the pair had nine digs and three blocks each. Their work was made even more efficient with the setting of Senior Connor Olbright who directed the offense to a .381 attack percentage with 55 assists. The 49ers ran away late in the fourth set for a convincing 25-13 victory. After trailing 6-5, Long Beach State went on an 8-1 run, which ended with a Yould kill, to go up, 13-7. The two teams then traded points before the 49ers went on to outscore the Crimson, 10-3, down the stretch for the 12-point win.
Next up is a “don’t overlook us now” visit to sort of chippy No. 15 Cal Baptist Thursday and then really chippy No. 3 BYU on Saturday likely in front of the BYU TV cameras.
The gentlemen of hoop, technically in last place in the Big West based on non-conference work, get TV themselves vs. UC Irvine
Thursday, 8PM on Fox Sports Prime Ticket) then the less produced Big West TV vs. UC Davis Saturday, at 4PM, Both games in the Walter Pyramid. The Monson men are 4-10 after a hard fought loss to No. 25 Missouri, 69-59 over the weekend. Tyler Lamb helped the 49ers jump out to a quick start, but foul trouble and a late push by Missouri allowed the Tigers to take a 69-59 win. Long Beach State had a chance to tie the game at 57 with under six minutes to play, but it didn’t work.
Meanwhile the ladies of hoop beat Denver, 88-68 after great work by freshmen Anna Kim and Raven Benton who led four 49ers in double figures with 22 points each. They play as the front half of that Black and Blue rivalry double dip with their UC Irvine game Thursday, at 5PM, before traveling to UC Davis Saturday, 2PM,
Finally the calendar turns to tennis for the annual Beach Classic all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the plush (12 courts, nice scoreboard and sound system) confines of the Rhodes Tennis Center. Play begins are 10AM each day, starting with doubles and featuring the Beach, CSUN, Denver and Portland State.
WHERE ARE THEYS-We start with some women’s volleyball folk including the former LB setter Ashley Vazquez, came in highly regarded out of Puerto Rico and then later transferred to the U of Arkansas. She has a new address, Caguas, PR where she now plays for the las Criollas de Caguas team. In her senior year at Arkansas Ashley earned all-tournament honors at the season-opening Arkansas Invitational…dished out a season-best 30 assists in four-set win at Tulsa…served a career-high seven aces in five-set comeback win against New Mexico…tied for the third-most aces in a single match in program history…tied for second on the team with 26 service aces…had an ace in 14 of 30 matches…notched first career double-double with 23 assists and career-high 14 digs at LSU.
Want more okay here are notes on another trio of LB formers, Quincy Verdin (the free swinging outside hitter from 2008) is in Finland, Ashley Lee is in Switzerland and recent sand star Delainey Aigner-Swesey needs another year to graduate, but expect her to play for pay overseas next summer.
So if you were channel surfing Saturday night it was indeed NFL referee Bill Vinovich back in the NFL after a medical leave after a five year hiatus from the field.
Vinovich was a referee from 2005-2006 (he started in the NFL as a side judge in 2001) and was out from the league since then due a heart condition. He is well known to Big West basketball fans for his work around the west coast… In the real world Bill is a Walter Mitty clone as a CPA.
Back to the blue shirts, how was Sunday for our favorite NCAA ump? Ump Larry Randall was climbing around his east long Beach estate taking down Christmas decorations.
Niner hoop alum Craig Hodges is in North Korea this week with Dennis Rodman and friends for a friendly game to honor President Kim Jong Un’s birthday. Kenny Anderson, Vin Baker. Doug Christie and Cliff Robinson will join Hodges on the US side.
Now a “we are not sure where he is” note. The popular campus figure, a one time pro footballer with the nick name of “Popeye”, hasn’t been seen for a while Muscular but always carrying a big old metal crutch, the gentleman’s real name is Kenneth Melvin Fowler and his last residence was downtown near Ocean Blvd. on Medio St. Let us know if you have some news.
Last add where are theys, a special treat for me this week was the arrival of my Florida State Seminole tomahawk chopping brother Andy, wife Christine, son Christopher and my nephew Jeff in for the Auburn thriller. They did their part to keeping California green with expenditures of Florida dollars but likely didn’t need the plane to fly home.
MOPPING UP DUST-Add to the list of emerging basketball stars the names of Chris Gulley and Anna Kim. It was a loss to Mizzou but Gulley tied a career high with 13 points, his second time in double-figures in his career. Attendance was just under 9,000 due to classes being out and the weather being rotten, (a condition the announcers noticed) the crew did have many nice words about the Niners. They were also predicting (incorrectly I believe) that the tough out of conference schedule would earn the Beach an at-large NCAA bid…ain’t gonna happen…The emerging star for the ladies had to be freshman Kim (out of Coach Jody Wynn’s alma mater, Brea Olinda HS). She has won the Big West Women’s Basketball Player of the Week award for her 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including a 4-for-5 effort from behind the arc. Her 22 points, eight field goals and four 3-pointers were all career highs, (and impressively she played only 26 minutes, and added three steals and two assists to her stat line. –DR. DAN