Dean Bittner led three Long Beach State players with double-digit kills as the 49ers knocked off UC Santa Barbara 30-28, 30-20, 36-34 in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation showdown Saturday night at The Thunderdome.
Bittner had a match-high 15 kills and a .414 hitting percentage, while Josh Riley added 10 kills on.444 hitting. Tommy Pestolesi added 11 kills to push The Beach to the win.
Sophomore setter Mike Klipsch handed out 39 assists for LBSU (5-5, 4-3 MPSF), while Dustin Watten had 13 digs.
The 49ers will open a two-match home series with Hawai’i on Thursday at the Walter Pyramid. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Both teams will also meet on Friday at the same time.