Recap of LBSU vs. California Baptist – Volleyball news
The men’s volleyball teams from Long Beach State (LBSU) and California Baptist University (CBU) came into competition on Wednesday, January 25.
The Long Beach State University hosted the match, which provided a competitive edge to home squad and allowed the No. 11 LBSU to demonstrate a stellar performance. They finished the match in straight sets 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-10), while the Walter Pyramid
sports hall in LBSU echoed the victory slogans at the end of the match. With win over Lancers of California Baptist University, the 49ers of LBSU improved to 3-4 record on the year. On the other hand, the losing side fell to 1-4 in the season.
The 49ers were hugely supported by senior Jim Baughman, who contributed match-high 12 kills with an outstanding hitting percentage of .647. He was the real hero of the match. The sophomore Taylor Crabb also struggled in the match and added seven kills, whereas
Connor Olbright registered 22 assists and 7 digs.
Overall, the LBSU recorded a .333 attack percentage and .429 hitting percentage, which paved the way of victory for them.
The Lancers had the contribution of 18 kills from the trio of Jonathan Tuttle, Joseph Fitzpatrick, and Aaron McCalmont. Each one of them scored six kills, while Fitzpatrick had relatively high hitting percentage in the match.
The hosts enjoyed a great rhythm and tone in the match. They started off with powerful shots and put pressure on the rival side with amazing delivery of serves. They picked up an early lead and quickly stretched the gap of points. CBU trailed behind with
five points at 8-3, while LBSU continued with same pace. Olbright showcased his wonderful skills and poked the balls in rare gaps. The 49ers moved from 8-3 to 14-6. The guest team tried different methods to overcome the opponent but failed to do so. The visitors
could not sustain the pressure and received 16-25 loss in the first stanza.
In the second frame, Lancers hit back strongly and threw everything in attack. However, the charged-up LBSU did not acknowledge their efforts. The 49ers kept a good command on the ball and did not allow CBU to come up. The visiting team struggled at snail’s
pace and as they scored 3 points, the LBSU had reached 10 points on the scoreboard (10-3). Furthermore, the LBSU pulled ahead with the help of better play and closed second set at 25-18.
The 49ers carried the momentum into third set and built a lead of 10-4. The Lancers tried to catch up with the 49ers but faced utmost resistance. Eventually, they dropped the decision after losing third set in row, 10-25.
The interim Head Coach of CBU, Allan Vince, commented, “This was a tough match, but a great opportunity for us to learn from our mistakes. We need to be a much more refined, razor sharp team, especially with another tough match against Cal State Northridge
coming up on Friday.”
Next up, the Cal Baptist squad will go against Princeton on Monday at the Van Dyne Gym. The 49ers will return to action at the same Walter Pyramid arena next week. They will also have the match with Princeton volleyball team.
Tags: