At the beginning of the season, we talked a lot about the absence of Paul Lotman, and how the 49ers needed someone to step into those huge shoes.  Well, apparently Dean Bittner has big feet and a vertical to match.

Dean Bittner has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men’s National Player of the Week after leading Long Beach State to a pair of wins in the Active Ankle Tournament last weekend.

Bittner, a 6-7 junior right side/opposite, put away 13 kills, while also nabbing three digs and five blocks in the 3-0 win over IPFW. Then, in an exciting 3-2 triumph over No. 4 Penn State, Bittner scored 18 kills, four digs, six blocks and three aces in the victory. For the week, Bittner, who was named the tournament MVP for his outstanding play, hit .369 while averaging 3.88 kills and 1.38 blocks per game. This is the third time Bittner has earned the Division I-II Men’s National Player of the Week award. He was previously honored on April 14, 2008 and March 24, 2008 and is also the 16th athlete from Long Beach State to receive the award.

Report By LBSU