Men's Volleyball, Sports

Men’s volleyball to play matches in L.A., the O.C.

The No. 6 49er men’s volleyball team returns from a 12-day hiatus tonight when it travels to Pauley Pavilion to take on the No. 9 UCLA Bruins.

The match is scheduled for 7 p.m.

LBSU (7-5, 6-3 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) will attempt to maintain momentum after notching a win at UC Santa Barbara and two victories over Hawaii at the Walter Pyramid.

The Bruins (7-8, 4-5 MPSF), on the other hand, are fresh off back-to-back losses on the road against Pepperdine and Southern California.

The 49ers are led by junior opposite Dean Bittner, who is second in the MPSF at 5.59 kills per set. Senior libero Dustin Watten is tops in the conference with 3.80 digs per set. UCLA’s top offensive performer is freshman middle blocker Nick Vogel, who is sixth in the conference with a .431 hitting percentage.

The ‘Niners defeated the Bruins, 3-2, in the teams’ previous meeting at the Pyramid on Jan. 21.

LBSU travels south to Orange County to face No. 2 UC Irvine (12-3, 8-2 MPSF) on Saturday at 7 p.m.

The 49ers split the season’s two meetings against the Anteaters. The Beach swept UCI in Santa Barbara back on Jan. 10, but lost, 3-1, in a showdown at the Pyramid on Jan. 23.

The Anteaters are second in the conference with a .318 hitting percentage, while holding opponents to .224 hitting — also good for second in the MPSF. UCI’s attack counters with sophomore middle blocker Kevin Wynne, who is hitting at a .453 clip.

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