Going into tonight’s match at No. 7 Long Beach State (2-2, 1-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation), there will be a noticeable difference with No. 8 UCLA (3-2, 1-1).
“We have a libero now: Jamey Ker,” coach Al Scates said. “He was a lot better the second game he played than the first game he played, so he’s got the job.”
Since losing two of their top liberos to injury and academic ineligibility, the Bruins have been struggling with passing. However, after a win over No. 9 Santa Barbara in three sets, the team may have what it needs in Ker and a greatly improved passing game.
“I’ve been working hard all first quarter, waiting for my opportunity,” Ker said. “I’m glad I finally got to get in. The first game I think I was shaking off the jitters, and then I got more comfortable passing and playing defense.”
The Bruins will likely need good passing from Ker against a strong Long Beach State team.
“Their team is at full strength, so it should be a good match,” Scates said. “They’re 1-0 in league, they just beat UC San Diego, which has a good team this year, and in three straight (sets).”
Leading the 49ers is junior opposite Dean Bittner, who leads the MPSF in kills and points per game. In the win over UCSD, Bittner hit .500 and had 24 kills.
“They set (Bittner) in all six rotations,” Scates said. “He’s a good hitter. I think he had 50 sets in their last match, so they’re going to go to him a lot.”
Long Beach State also tops the MPSF standings for team assists and kills per game, so the challenge is set for the Bruins.
Scates says the game plan will be to challenge the block and try to keep their hitting errors under 8 percent, something they were able to do against the Gauchos last Friday.
Another highlight from the win over UC Santa Barbara was junior outside hitter Garrett Muagututia, who hit .414 with 14 kills and ended the game with 16.5 points.
“Garrett played great defense for us last match and really had a breakout match,” Scates said. “He’d been in a slump and he challenged the block and hit it off the block ““ he looked like his old self.”
With the team starting to come together, tonight’s match is an important one.
To add more intrigue, the Walter Pyramid at Long Beach State is a very unique and challenging place to play.
“It’s pretty tough. You toss the ball and it’s hard to see sometimes,” redshirt junior Brett Perrine said.
With a new libero set in the lineup, the team is hoping for new development.
“As long as we keep passing, everything will be fine. Everything else will come,” Perrine said.