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March 20, 2002
LOS ANGELES-The No. 15-ranked Long Beach State men's volleyball team-behind Matt Meine's match-high 23 kills-snapped its 7-match losing streak by beating USC, 30-28, 30-32, 26-30, 30-25, 15-13, in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation contest on Wednesday (March 20) in the USC North Gym.
The 49ers improved to 8-15 overall and 6-11 in the MPSF. USC, playing its first 5-game match of 2002, dropped its seventh straight match to fall to 5-18 (its slowest start ever) and 2-15 in the MPSF.
Meine, who hit .350, was among 4 LBSU players in double figures in kills, joining David Lee (16), Jeff Wootton (11) and Tim May (10). Lee hit .448 and May, who had 7 blocks, hit .318. Wootton added 8 digs, Phillip White had a match-best 11 digs and Nathan Hagstrom had a match-leading 5 aces. The 49ers served 13 aces.
For USC, Brook Billings had 18 kills, 7 blocks and 6 digs, while freshman Blake Tippett had a career-best 17 kills while hitting .324 and getting 5 digs. Ian Gallagher added 12 kills and hit .429, Greg Burden had 8 digs and Phil Small had 6 blocks. The Trojans started three true freshmen (Tippett, Small and Chris McKniff).
In the first game, USC led 8-2 before LBSU tied it at 10-10 and the 49ers eventually opened up a 23-18 lead, but Troy pulled to within 29-28 before a Wootton kill ended it. USC was up 25-21 in the second game, but LBSU scored 7 of the next 8 points to go up 28-26, the Trojans tied it at 28 all and then at 30 all before a pair of 49er hitting errors gave USC the win. After the third game was knotted at 24-24, USC scored the next 3 points to gain an edge it never relinquished. Troy trailed 19-12 in the fourth game, but rallied back to take a 22-21 lead before LBSU scored 7 of the next 8 points and then held on. In the decisive fifth game, USC led 6-4, but LBSU scored 5 of the following 6 points before USC was able to tie it at 13-13, however, kills by May and Hagstrom gave the 49ers the match.
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USC next hosts top-ranked UCLA on Wednesday (March 27) at 7 p.m. in the USC Lyon Center (note the location change from the USC North Gym).
