|  Author | Topic: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR" (Read 925 times) |
bigfan
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|  | LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Thread Started on Jan 7, 2006, 8:55am » | |
49er men's VB a quiet success
By Bob Keisser, Sports Columnist
Inside SOCAL
Most people don't realize that Long Beach State has its own stealth bomber.
The men's basketball program of late causes high levels of fear and loathing, the Dirtbags are a cult hit, the women's volleyball program is all about pedigree, not pedicure, and even tennis and softball have had their moments of grandeur.
Men's volleyball? Under the cover of darkness, it's probably been as consistent a success as any athletic program on campus.
The program, which won a national title in 1991, made it to the NCAA title match in Ray Ratelle's penultimate season in 1999 and did so again in 2004, Alan Knipe's team suffering a heartbreaking five-set loss to BYU.
The program got jobbed for a Final Four berth by the NCAA in 2000, Ratelle's finale, and again last year, the team ostensibly earning a bid to the court only to get stiffed in the committee room when it came time for bids to be handed out.
It has done all that while playing in the most difficult conference in collegiate sports, the equivalent in football of lumping all of those teams that got BCS bids into one conference, at the same time that the sway of college sports is doing its best to squeeze the sport out of existence.
Clearly, this is a program that could use a bit more love than it's been getting from the general 49er populace and fans in general. Neither Knipe nor any of his quality players are complaining, mind you, but they are aware that they're underexposed.
"We fly a little below the radar of other sports, and that's OK," Knipe said before taking his team to UC Santa Barbara this weekend for a season-opening tournament featuring all of the top teams in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). "I don't worry about carrying a torch.
"Winning in general brings the good out in anything. It really hasn't changed much since I played here (1990-92) or was an assistant (1996-2000). We feel we have a chance to beat anybody from any conference, and we're always in the hunt."
Last year's team closed the regular season with 11 wins in its last 13 matches and won two matches in the MPSF tourney before losing in the finals to eventual national champ Pepperdine. When the NCAA selection committee sat down to decide what team would get an at-large bid, it took UCLA, which had lost its first-round MPSF match, over the 49ers.
The Bruins had the advantage of being a perennial power, having a legend as coach in Al Scates and serving as host of the NCAA Final Four. When it comes to the big schools getting their way, men's volleyball has a lot in common with Division I-A football.
Knipe is only using 2005 as subtext for 2006. This year's team stands on its own merits as a national title contender. The 49ers return three senior starters in setter Tyler Hildebrand, outside hitter Robert Tarr and middle blocker Duncan Budinger, junior middle blocker Teddy Liles, a core of talented role players and a fleet of talented freshmen.
Knipe signed nine players in the last recruiting period and his class was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Volleyball Magazine. Three of those newcomers are expected to contribute in 2006 6-6 outside hitter Daniel Fabry, 6-5 Gavin Christensen from Wilson High and 6-7 middle blocker Daniel Alexander.
"With no disrespect to anyone, we thought we deserved to be there (the 2005 Final Four) knowing how good we were playing late in the season," he said. "Our system just doesn't allow for the four best teams to get in (the Final Four).
"We can't do anything about that. It was out of our control, so we're trying to not dwell on it and use it as a building block for this year."
One has to use big blocks to get to the top of NCAA volleyball.
The NCAA gives its only three Division I conferences an automatic bid, the MPSF and leagues in the Midwest and East, leaving one at-large spot. Beginning in 2007, the tournament field will expand to eight and the chances of a worthy West Coast team getting geographically pinched will be reduced.
The MPSF is the Everest of amalgamated conferences. There are five Big West teams (the 49ers, UC Irvine, UCSB, Pacific and Northridge), three Pac-10 programs (USC, UCLA and Stanford), Pepperdine and Loyola from the West Coast Conference and BYU, Hawaii, San Diego State and UC San Diego.
"That's like taking Texas, USC, Miami, Florida State, Ohio State and Notre Dame from college football and putting them into the same conference." Knipe said. "And only a couple of those teams would get a (bowl game).
"That's also what makes it great. There isn't a program that we play without a reputation, and we're accustomed to meeting and beating the best. We're not in awe of anyone."
Indeed, the 49ers' season opening win over USC Friday in the first round of the Santa Barbara tourney was their 11th consecutive win against the Trojans. Besides this tourney and their 22 MPSF games, the 49ers will also play three of the top programs nationally, Penn State, Midwest power Ft. Wayne and Ohio State. There are no soft spots on the schedule.
Part of that is a reflection of the most absurd numbers in NCAA sports. Gender equity has been a good thing but its mandate has eroded men's volleyball.
There are only 22 Division I men's programs and just 80 programs in the entire nation. Women's volleyball? There are 988 NCAA schools playing the sport 312 in Division I, 265 in Division II and 411 in Division III.
"Men's volleyball gets lost in the shuffle because it isn't media driven," Knipe said. "It doesn't get the national public relations that women's volleyball does because of the sheer number of teams. Women's volleyball is comparable to football when it comes to college sports.
"What gets overlooked is that some of the best athletes in the world play volleyball, and the sport is amazingly popular worldwide. So the limitations have nothing to do with the popularity or attractiveness of the sport."
Nationally or locally. There's still plenty of time for 49er fans to amend their New Year's resolutions and add seeing more spikes, digs and a shot at a national title to their list of things to do in 2006.
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midwestr
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| | Re: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Reply #1 on Jan 7, 2006, 12:27pm » | |
I can't believe they're still complaining about not going to the Final Four last year. I mean, they got swept by Pepperdine in the MPSF finals so they had basically no chance of getting in. I thought this was a dead topic but apparently they can't move on from something that happened 8-9 months ago.
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wadjam
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| | Re: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Reply #2 on Jan 7, 2006, 8:48pm » | |
Midwestr,
He wasn't complaining about not getting in. Coach Knipe has dealt with it and moved on. I can assure you of that. How would you like to get screwed to UCLA when they lost in the first round in the MPSF to NORTHRIDGE? They should have been in and everyone knows it. This very same topic came up around 5 years ago and UCLA was on the short end and Scates was bitter about it. This year the same thing happened to LB STATE and Scates said that they should have gone. He did a total 180!!!! I would be bitter too!!! This will just make this year that much better when we win it all.
GO BEACH!!!
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VBbeast
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| | Re: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Reply #3 on Jan 10, 2006, 8:10am » | |
I thought the title to the article was a bit funny myself. Flying under what radar?!
If anyone doesn't know the Beach is good they haven't been paying much attention. <shrug>
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vballmom
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| | Re: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Reply #4 on Jan 10, 2006, 8:30am » | |
Quote:I thought the title to the article was a bit funny myself. Flying under what radar?!
If anyone doesn't know the Beach is good they haven't been paying much attention. <shrug> |
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I think the point of the article is that they don't get much attention on campus or in the community compared with the baseball and basketball teams, even though they are at least as successful.
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"Faced with the choice between changing ones mind, and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everybody gets busy on the proof."
John Kenneth Galbraith
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Surfin D Beach
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| | Re: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Reply #5 on Jan 10, 2006, 12:00pm » | |
That's exactly the point...
Basketball and baseball always take up the spotlight for sure...
Bob's referring to the Beach fans and community who aren't die-hard volleyball...
The volleyball team definitely deserves more attention (although all of us students at the Beach pretty much know that we have a volleyball powerhouse of a campus) 
GO BEACH
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GOOOOOOO BEACH!!! LONG - BEACH - STATE!!! |
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bigfan
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| | Re: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Reply #6 on Jan 11, 2006, 1:20pm » | |
Quote:
Quote:I thought the title to the article was a bit funny myself. Flying under what radar?!
If anyone doesn't know the Beach is good they haven't been paying much attention. <shrug> |
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I think the point of the article is that they don't get much attention on campus or in the community compared with the baseball and basketball teams, even though they are at least as successful. |
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SO mommy, does LBSU have the guts to win it all this year?
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vballmom
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| | Re: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Reply #7 on Jan 12, 2006, 12:10pm » | |
I think they have the determination and competitive spirit - let's just hope for an injury-free season.
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"Faced with the choice between changing ones mind, and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everybody gets busy on the proof."
John Kenneth Galbraith
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pepperdoody
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| | Re: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Reply #8 on Jan 12, 2006, 12:50pm » | |
GUTS MAYBE BUT UNLESS ONE OF THE FRESHMEN NUT UP , tHEY WON'T MAKE IT PAST THE 1 ST ROUND AS USUAL.
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wadjam
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| | Re: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Reply #9 on Jan 14, 2006, 4:44pm » | |
Pepperdoody,
What are you talking about? Long Beach State was in the MPSF Finals last year and was in the NCAA Finals the year before so what is the first round as usual stuff?
GO BEACH!!!!!
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VBaller23
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| | Re: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Reply #10 on Jan 15, 2006, 2:10pm » | |
Quote:| GUTS MAYBE BUT UNLESS ONE OF THE FRESHMEN NUT UP , tHEY WON'T MAKE IT PAST THE 1 ST ROUND AS USUAL. |
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You are an absolute MORON
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pepperdoody
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| | Re: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Reply #11 on Jan 17, 2006, 6:38am » | |
WOW CSULB HAS 1 NATIONAL TITLE AND 6 FINAL 4'S ( check out their website , I didn't make this up )
ucla HASN'T WON FOR A WHILE , BUT AT LEAST THEY ARE THERE MOST OF THE TIME . PEPPERDINE HAS BEEN IN THE FINAL FOUR IN 6 OF THE LAST 7 YEARS . BYU WON IT THREE TIMES . THIS IS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT . THEY CAN,T WIN THE BIG ONES . LOOK AT MCKENZIES'S FINAL YEAR , THEY SHOULD HAVE WON .
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huntz
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| | Re: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Reply #12 on Jan 17, 2006, 11:01am » | |
If you go by winning percentage Long Beach State has to be one of the best teams this decade, but in terms of championships they do take a back seat to other teams. The last time they won it all was in 1991. Since then Pepperdine has one it twice, UCLA has won it five times, and BYU has won it three times. Other teams to win since then include Penn State and Stanford.
Let's not joke around, they still have one of the best programs in the nation and are not to be taken lightly. At the same time they do seem to be one of those teams that just for some reason can't get the job done.
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sonofbarcelonabob
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| | Re: LBSU "FLYING UNDER THE RADAR"
« Reply #13 on Jan 17, 2006, 12:08pm » | |
Quote:If you go by winning percentage Long Beach State has to be one of the best teams this decade, but in terms of championships they do take a back seat to other teams. The last time they won it all was in 1991. Since then Pepperdine has one it twice, UCLA has won it five times, and BYU has won it three times. Other teams to win since then include Penn State and Stanford.
Let's not joke around, they still have one of the best programs in the nation and are not to be taken lightly. At the same time they do seem to be one of those teams that just for some reason can't get the job done. |
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If you go back 10 years, the dominant program in men's college ball is BYU, based on championships won and overall performance.
UCLA finished out the 90's very dominant during the Taliaferro/Naeve era, but hasn't done much since then (last year's runner-up finish).
Stanford had one stellar season where talent, drive, and performance all came together. They have dropped off the map since Big Daddy Shaw took over.
Lewis, Hawaii - will not beat a dead horse here.
Pepperdine - one championship last year after numerous Final Fours in which they choked ('98, 2002, 2003).
That's about it. LBSU has contended in the past. For some reason, something always seems to derail them in the post-season ('99 Polster injured in the semis, '00 #1 seed bounced by LMU, '04 tough loss to BYU, '05 "we got screwed by the selection committee riff").
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