The Long Beach State Beach men's volleyball team is the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I men's volleyball team for the

Long Beach State University California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

Alan Knipe Alan Knipe (born January 1, 1969) is the head coach of the Long Beach State 49ers men's volleyball team and head coach of the 2012 Olympic Team United States men's national volleyball team. He played and coached at Long Beach State. As a player, ...

is the current head coach of 18 years, though he's been with the program since 2001.

Program record and history

{, class="wikitable" , - !Year !Head Coach !Overall
record !Conference
record !Conference
standing !Postseason , - , - , 1970 , Randy Sandefur , 6–4 , 3–2 , 3rd ,

Runners-up , - , 1971 , Randy Sandefur , 5–4 , 2–3 , 4th , NCAA Regionals , - , 1972 , Randy Sandefur , 6–8 , 2–4 , 5th , NCAA Regionals , - , 1973 , Randy Sandefur , 15–3 , 9–2 , 1st ,

Runners-up , - , 1974 , Randy Sandefur , 3–10 , 3–10 , 6th , , - , 1975 , Miles Pabst , 2–10 , 2–10 , 6th , , - , 1976 , Miles Pabst , 5–7 , 5–7 , 5th , , - , 1977 , Dick Montgomery , 4–10 , 4–10 , 6th , , - , 1978 , Dick Montgomery , 13–6 , 9–5 , 4th , NCAA Regionals , - , - , 1979 , Dick Montgomery , 14–9 , 9–9 , 6th , , - , 1980 , Dick Montgomery , 21–7 , 13–5 , 4th , , - , 1981 , Don Paris , 15–13 , 9–7 , 4th , NCAA Regionals , - , 1982 , Ray Ratelle , 15–15 , 4–12 , 7th , NCAA Regionals , - , 1983 , Ray Ratelle , 20–9 , 11–5 , 2nd , NCAA Regionals , - , 1984 , Ray Ratelle , 15–10 , 10–8 , 5th , NCAA Regionals , - , 1985 , Ray Ratelle , 14–19 , 3–15 , 9th , , - , - , 1986 , Ray Ratelle , 19–15 , 7–13 , 7th , , - , 1987 , Ray Ratelle , 18–15 , 5–13 , 7th , , - , 1988 , Ray Ratelle , 20–14 , 8–10 , 6th , , - , 1989 , Ray Ratelle , 22–9 , 12–8 , 6th , , - , 1990 , Ray Ratelle , 28–7 , 14–2 , 1st ,

Runners-up , - , 1991 , Ray Ratelle , 31–4 , 14–2 , 2nd ,

Champions , - , 1992 , Ray Ratelle , 27–4 , 15–1 , 1st , , - , - , 1993 , Ray Ratelle , 18–13 , 12–7 , 2nd , , - , 1994 , Ray Ratelle , 13–15 , 7–12 , 5th , , - , 1995 , Ray Ratelle , 18–9 , 12–7 , 3rd , , - , 1996 , Ray Ratelle , 21–6 , 15–4 , 2nd , , - , 1997 , Ray Ratelle , 19–10 , 12–7 , 2nd , , - , 1998 , Ray Ratelle , 22–7 , 13–6 , 2nd , , - , 1999 , Ray Ratelle , 22–4 , 17–2 , 1st , , - , - , 2002 , Alan Knipe , 13–18 , 9–13 , 7th , , - , 2003 , Alan Knipe , 17–13 , 11–11 , 8th , , - , - , 2005 , Alan Knipe , 22–10 , 14–8 , 5th , , - , 2006 , Alan Knipe , 22–10 , 14–8 , 4th , , - , 2007 , Alan Knipe , 11–17 , 6–16 , 10th , , -

Team facts

Head coach

* 1970–1974: Randy Sandefur * 1975–1976: Miles Pabst * 1977–1980: Dick Montgomery * 1981: Don Paris * 1982–2000: Ray Ratelle : Ray Ratelle was the Head Coach for 19 seasons with an overall win–loss record of 385-190 (.670) and conference record of 207-137 (.602), with 3 Conference titles and 3 NCAA appearances. 1990 NCAA Finalist and in his tenth year, won the first ever Men's NCAA Championship team title of any sport in Long Beach State's history of athletics. Ratelle was also named Coach of the Year in both 1990 and 1991. * 2001–present: Alan Knipe : Alan Knipe's win–loss record presently stands at 334-149 (.692 percentage). He has been to the final four a total of eight times: twice as a player (1990, 1991) and six as a coach (2004, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019). He was a member of Long Beach's—1991--

Men's VB National Championship Team; coming up a game short in coaching the 2004 team to NCAA Runners-up, he coached the 49ers to its second and third

championships in 2018 and 2019. He was the head coach of the U.S. National Team, until 2012, and he returned to

LBSU California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

upon completing his service. : Under him,

Scott Touzinsky Scott Joseph Touzinsky (born April 22, 1982) is an American volleyball player and coach. He was a member of the U.S. national team 2007–2018. With the national team, Touzinsky played in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and won a gold medal. Person ...

was a Long Beach State assistant coach. Touzinsky was suspended by

USA Volleyball USA Volleyball (USAV) is a non-profit organization which is recognized as the national governing body of volleyball in the United States by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). It ...

in July 2018 because of a pending investigations by the

United States Center for SafeSport The United States Center for SafeSport is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2017 under the auspices of the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017. SafeSport is tasked with ad ...

. Since the NCAA doesn’t fall under SafeSport jurisdiction, Touzinsky wasn’t prohibited from coaching in college. The complaint against Touzinsky related to when Touzinsky was a player on the USA National Team. Touzinsky left the program in April 2019 after it was revealed he was sanctioned by the SafeSport following an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

Conference

* 1970–1978: SCIVA ** Overall Record (incomplete): 50–56 * 1979–1985: CIVA ** Overall Record: 114–82 * 1986–1992: WIVA ** Overall Record: 165–68 * 1993–2017:

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) is a college athletic conference with members located mostly in the western United States, although it now has members as far east as Pennsylvania. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I ...

(MPSF) ** Overall Record: @Good, ~79.5% * 2018–present: Big West Conference ** Overall Record: 19-1

Home court

The volleyball team played in the Goldmine gymnasium at CSULB until 1994. Since November 30, 1994, the team has played at the

Walter Pyramid The Walter Pyramid, formerly known as The Long Beach Pyramid, is a 4,000-seat, indoor multi-purpose arena on the campus of Long Beach State University in Long Beach, California. History The Walter Pyramid was officially opened on November 30, 19 ...

. The 18-story tall complex has played host twice to the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championships (2001, 2003). Its infrastructure utilizes 18,000 steel tubes and connection modules. It cost approximately $22 million to build.

National championships

* 1991: NCAA by defeating USC With an overall record of 31 wins and just 4 losses, the 1991 NCAA Men's Volleyball Champions swept three out of their five post-season opponents. In the WIVA Tournament (Irvine, CA) the 49ers beat

UCSB The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

and

SDSU San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

3–0 before overcoming county/national nemesis, the

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

Bruins 3–2. From there it was on to Hawaii for the '91 Final Four. 'the Beach' said aloha to Penn State in a clean sweep 3–0; they then needed an extra game winning 3–1 over longtime rival USC for their first national championship to date. 1991's team included these mentionable leaders: Alan Knipe, Brent Hilliard (NCAA Final Four MVP), Brett Winslow, Matt Lyles, Zach Small, Jason Stimpfig and Ray Ratelle (Asics/VB Mag. & AVCA C.O.Y.). No other 'BEACH' Men's VB Team has ever won as many games as this singular team; they were a combined 89% in their win-lost ratio. * 2018: Won second NCAA title by defeating UCLA 3-2 (at Westwood,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

). They defeated Ohio State University (defending national champions) 3–1 in the semi-finals. With co-Valuables Josh Tunaniga, JR-Setter AND TJ DeFalco, JR-Outside Hitter, eight thousand in the stands were treated to a thrilling five-setter match (in overtime) favoring the men of south L.A. county. * 2019: Won third NCAA title by defeating Hawaii 3-1 (at Long Beach). LB defeated Pepperdine University 3–1 in the semi-finals. Back to back national championships for the first time in school history.

Notable players

Taylor Crabb Taylor Crabb (born January 26, 1992) is an American beach volleyball player who plays as a left-side defender with his partner Taylor Sander. He has won eight tournaments on the AVP Pro Tour, as well as one gold medal on the FIVB World Tour. ...

– 2013 AVCA P.O.Y.; AVCA 2013 & 2014 1st Team All-American, 2012 Volleyball Magazine 3rd Team All-American *

Bob Ctvrtlik Robert Jan "Bob" Ctvrtlik (; born July 8, 1963) is an American volleyball player, Olympic gold medalist, businessman and former member of the International Olympic Committee. He is a 1985 graduate of Pepperdine University. Early life Bob Ctvr ...

– Asics/VB Mag. honorable mention All-American (1983), First U.S. Olympic Team Member/49er who won Olympic Medals in men's volleyball (1988, gold; 1992, bronze) * Torey Defalco – a.k.a. The Brethren, T.J. DeFalco; 2017 and 2019 AVCA Player of the Year. Four-time AVCA First Team All-American * Tyler Hildebrand – 4 yr starter who simultaneously doubled as the U.S. National Team's setter (2003–2012), three-time AVCA—and Asics/VB Mag.--1st Team All-American (2004–2006), all 3rd team

MPSF The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) is a college athletic conference with members located mostly in the western United States, although it now has members as far east as Pennsylvania. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I ...

15th Yr. Anniversary Team. Current Associate Coach (2013–present). * Tim Hill – two-time all SCIVA Conference Player, AVP Hall of Famer *

Brent Hilliard Brent William Hilliard (born April 13, 1970) is an American volleyball player and coach who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics. He was born in San Gabriel, California San Gabriel (Spanish language, Spanish for "Gabriel, St. Gabriel") is a ...

– four-time All-American (1990 Asics/VB Mag. Freshman; AVCA 1st Team: 1991, 1992; AVCA 2nd Team: 1993; Asics/VB Mag. 1st Team: 1991–'93), 1992 AVCA National Player of the Year, MVP of 1991 Final Finals, all 1st team

15th Yr. Anniversary Team, U.S. Olympic Team Member (1992, Bronze Medalist). Hilliard's #7 jersey is retired hanging in LBSU's Pyramid. *

Tom Hoff Thomas John "Tom" Hoff (born June 9, 1973) is a retired American volleyball player. He was a middle blocker and has been with the U.S. national team from 1996 until 2009. He is a three-time Olympian in volleyball Olympics: 2000, 2004 and 2008. ...

– two-time AVCA—and Asics/VB Mag.--1st Team All-American (1995, 1996), U.S. Olympic Team Member (2000; 2004; 2008, gold medalist), all 2nd Team

15th Yr. Anniversary Team, Collegiate triple-doubles leader (K-B-D) * Mark Kerins – Asics/VB Mag. 1st Team All-American (1990), Asics/VB Mag. 2nd Team All-American (1989), AVP Beach Pro (1993–2000), Senior captain of the most superior 49er men's team assembled in

history. * Alan Knipe – two-time AVCA—and Asics/VB Mag.--All-American (1991, 2nd team; 1992, 1st team), 2004 AVCA Coach of the Year (LBSU Men's VB), U.S. National Team Coach (2009–2012), 2017 MPSF C.O.Y. * David Lee – 2004 AVCA 1st Team All-American, 2008 Olympic gold medalist. * Paul Lotman – 2008 AVCA 1st Team All-American & National Player of the Year * David McKenzie – three-time All-American (AVCA 2nd Team: 1999, AVCA 1st Team: 2000, 2001 & Asics/VB Mag. 2nd Team: 1999, Asics/VB Mag. 3rd Team: 2000), holds the NCAA record for kills in a game (58/106 attempts), all 3rd team

15th Yr. Anniversary Team, sibling to Joy Fuerbringer (class of 1993, NCAA National Women's VB Champion, AVCA All-American) * Miles Pabst – two-time All-American who led the team to the 1973 NCAA Final Four, U.S. National Team Member, First 49er to return to

as head coach (1975–1976) * Dodge Parker – Pioneer from VB factory

Punahou School Punahou School (known as Oahu College until 1934) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 3,700 students attend the school from kindergarten through twelfth grade, 12th grade. Protestant missionar ...

('69 class), 1986

Hall of Fame Inductee, NCAA Men's VB (1970, 1973) &

International Volleyball Association The International Volleyball Association was a short lived co-ed professional volleyball league in the United States from 1975 to 1980. Like other major sports leagues in the United States, it had two geographic divisions. However, its teams wer ...

's Star, U.S. National Team Member (1973–'80ish) *

– 2001 MPSF Co-Freshman of the Year, 2004 AVCA First Team All-American, and 2004 NCAA All-Tournament, 2008 USA Olympic Gold Medalist * Josh Tuaniga – 2018 NCAA MVB POY. Four-time AVCA All-American (2016–2019), 2016 Off the Block all-Freshman, inaugural 2018 BWCT MVP. * Brett Winslow – four-time All-American, 1996 Olympian and team captain of the 1991 national title squad. Winslow's #15 jersey is retired hanging in LBSU's Pyramid.

References

External links

* {{California State University, Long Beach