Men's Volleyball, Sports

Volleyball combo named All-Region

Junior middle blocker Naomi Washington was named to the All-West Region team announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Wednesday.

Senior setter Nicole Vargas earned an honorable mention selection, as well.

Washington finished second in the Big West Conference with a .351 hitting percentage. She also led Long Beach State in blocks (115) and finished third on the 49ers in kills (288).

Vargas posted the fourth best single-season assist total in school history, collecting 1,259 assists in 2008. She became just the ninth player in 49er history to amass 1,000 career digs, recording 310 digs to finish with 1,018 for her career.

The pair helped LBSU qualify for its 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament, solely winning the Big West for the first time since 2001.

Washington and Vargas are the 23rd and 24th All-Region selections in school history.

Men picked 3rd in MPSF

Head coach Alan Knipe’s men’s volleyball team finished third in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation preseason coaches’ poll released Wednesday.

Long Beach State received two first-place votes and 87 points.

The 49ers finished last season with a 23-7 record, won the MPSF regular season title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

In the semifinals, LBSU lost to Pepperdine, which finished as the national runner-up and tied atop the preseason poll along with UCLA.

The ‘Niners open the season against Alberta on Jan. 2 and 3. The first day will be played in the Gold Mine at 4 p.m., while the second match will be at the Walter Pyramid at 7 p.m.

One Comment

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    Well everybody, another season of men’s volleyball is upon us. And the big question for Alan Knipe and the team this year is: “How far can this team go?” We all know Pepperdine has a big X on their backs, and so does Penn State, but can this team win the games that matter, and not underperform in ways that can win the disfavor of those supporters and followers of the game who have expectations as high as those they set for themselves?

    It’s a question that will be answered one match at a time, starting with a two-game series against Canada’s Iron Hammers, the University of Alberta Golden Bears. This series will give us some clear hints as to what the answer will be when all is served, set and spiked..

    Oh yes, and I wish a Happy New Year to you all. As always, Go Beach.

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