February 7, 2007
Men’s Volleyball:
Vikings cruise to season-opening sweep of Orange Coast
The Long Beach City College men’s volleyball team continued right where it left off last season. LBCC rolled to an undefeated record on its way to the 2006 state championship and tonight, the Vikings opened the 2007 match schedule with 3-0 non-conference win over visiting Orange Coast College.
Long Beach swept the match over Orange Coast (0-1) by scores of 30-17, 30-25, and 30-27. The win was the Vikings’ 19th in a row dating back to 2006.
“We’ve been waiting for the season to get going,” said fourth-year LBCC head coach Randy Totorp. “The guys are eager to win another state title and they know what it takes to play at that championship level.”
Back for his sophomore season, 2006 state championship most valuable player Naseri Tumanuvao (Lakewood HS) led the Vikings with 17 kills and 12 digs. He also added 2 blocks.
Sophomore middle blocker Brett Massetti (Madera, CA) had a team-best 7 blocks to go with 4 kills and 1 ace. Freshman setter Jon Hellmann (St. John Bosco HS) posted 45 assists and added 5 blocks.
Also this past Saturday, the Vikings took first place at the Palomar Invitational tournament.
LBCC won its pool with a 5-2 game record. The Vikings beat San Diego City College 30-26, 30-8 and the San Diego All-Stars 30-28, 30-27, but lost their match to Moorpark 32-34, 30-19, 9-15.
In the quarterfinals, LBCC beat San Diego Mesa 30-15 and advanced to the final match with a 30-23 win over Palomar in the semis. In the championship, the Vikings rallied from a 16-21 defecit to edge the San Diego All-Stars 30-28 for the tournament title.
Long Beach (1-0) returns to action on Friday (Feb. 9) when it travels to Palomar College for a 6 pm non-conference match. |
