AVCA National Player of the Week: Josh Riley

Leading up to the MPSF tournament, senior outside hitter Josh Riley was named Sports Imports/ AVCA National Player of the Week. We recently caught up with Josh and asked about the award and his time at Long Beach State.

Black and Gold Insider: How did it feel to be named national player of the week?

Josh Riley: It was an honor to be named player of the week, but it was better to get the win up at Stanford. I would not have gotten the award if it was for not the team winning.

Can you give a bit of a recap of the season?

Josh Riley: The season was a great turn around from the 2010 season and we were very close as a team. We had some emotional wins and some emotional losses but over all the season was great.

What was your favorite part about playing volleyball at Long Beach State?

Josh Riley: My favorite part about playing volleyball at LBSU was hands down playing in the Pyramid and the guys on the team.

Does one memory in particular stand out over your career here?

Josh Riley: Going to the final four, or winning that first playoff game against Stanford.

What does it mean to bleed Black and Gold?

Josh Riley: It means the world to me because no one works harder than we do.

This Week At Long Beach State (4/4/2011)

Welcome back from spring break students and fans, do we ever have a busy week for you to get back in the Black and Gold swing of things. There are a total of ten home sporting events this week for Long Beach State across four different sports.

Tuesday
It all gets started Tuesday with the Dirtbags vs. San Diego State Aztecs @ Blair Field, 6:30 p.m.

The Dirtbags come home after a series win against Pacific in the opening weekend of Big West Play, and will face an Aztecs club in mid-week action that comes limping in with a 9-19 record, having most recently lost two out of three to Oral Roberts. SDSU is 2-4 in midweek games.

Wednesday 
Men's Volleyball vs. UC Irvine @ Walter Pyramid, 7:00 p.m.

The Black and Blue Rivalry Series is on once again at the Pyramid with LBSU men's volleyball taking on the rival Anteaters. The 'Eaters and 49ers are ranked No. 4 and 5 respectively in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll. The two squads split their previous two matches earlier in the year, with Long Beach coming out on top Jan. 7, 3-1 at the UCSB Elephant Bar Tournament. UCI earned their own 3-1 victory over LB State Feb. 16 at Bren.

Friday
Women's Tennis vs. Oregon Ducks @ Rhodes Tennis Center, 2:00 p.m.
The 49ers and Ducks will take a break from conference play and battle on the hard court. Oregon is 7-11 on the year, and have lost their last five matches. LBSU holds a 13-5 record overall, most recently winning two out of three matches during a Mid-West Road Trip.

Dirtbags vs. UC Davis Aggies @ Blair Field, 6:30 p.m.
Big West play continues for the Dirtbags, taking on Davis in a weekend series. Long Beach State won their series this past weekend against Pacific, and were only denied a sweep of the Tigers because of a three run rally in the ninth of game three. Davis was swept by Fullerton this past weekend, as they were outscored by the Titans 25-2

Saturday
Women's Tennis vs. Cal Poly Mustangs @ Rhodes Tennis Center, 11:00 a.m.
Beach Tennis will tangle with ranked Big West foe Cal Poly in a crucial match for both teams.

Softball vs. Cal State Northridge @ 49er Softball Complex, 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m.
49er softball returns to Long Beach for a Big West showdown with the Matadors. CSUN are 13-20 overall on the year while LBSU boasts a 23-12 record, going 11-3 at home. Erin Jones-Wesley will look to continue her dominant freshman campaign in game 1.

Dirtbags vs. UC Davis Aggies @ Blair Field, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday night should see a packed Blair Field for Troy Tulowitzki bobblehead night. The first 1,500 fans at Blair will receive a replica of the former Dirtbag and now major leaguer. Come early to insure you can take Tulo home with you.

Men's Volleyball vs. UC San Diego Tritons @ Walter Pyramid, 7:00 p.m.
49ers host another MPSF foe Saturday night in the 'Mid.

Sunday
Softball vs. Cal State Northridge @ 49er Softball Complex, 1:00 p.m.

Dirtbags vs. UC Davis @ Blair Field, 1:00 p.m.

Baseball and softball wrap their weekend series with day games on Sunday. 


Hope to see you at the games this week, Go Beach!

MPSF Athlete of the Week: Antwain Aguillard (3/28/2011)

Senior Antwain Aguillard locked up this week's MPSF and Long Beach State Athlete of the Awards by hitting a blistering .695 (41-0-59) with no errors in two wins over Pacific and Stanford on the road last weekend, setting a career-high with 24 kills against the No. 2 Cardinal in the win. The Black and Gold Insider caught up with Antwain to hear about his impressive weekend.

Black and Gold Insider: How does it feel to be recognized as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Molten Player of the Week?

Antwain Aguillard: To be recognized as the MPSF player of the week is a great honor to have. It is an award that our team shares together because it was not just an individual effort. We rely on each other a great deal to succeed and compete on a high level like we do.

You helped defeat No. 2 ranked Stanford with a career-high 24 kills, what was the key to that victory?

Antwain Aguillard: The key to this victory was sticking together, and staying cohesive after going down two games to one.

What do you think this team needs to continue to do in order to compete at this level?

Antwain Aguillard: For us to keep competing at this level, I think it is important that we take care of our side of the net. Hit our good serves, and get over the net to make good blocking moves.

You are a geography major, what is one place in the world you would love to have the opportunity to visit, and why?

Antwain Aguillard: I'd like to visit Chengdu, China because of my high interest in culinary arts. Chengdu is known for its extraordinary food.

How does your school pride affect your on the court performance?

Antwain Aguillard: My school pride affects my on the court performance for many reasons. First being that it is my last year and I want our program to be seen as powerful once again, therefore helping our future teams get highly rated recruits. Second, my school pride helps me to keep going because I, as well as my team, want to be national champions once again.

Antwain Aguillard- AVCA National Player of the Week

Antwain Aguillard was named the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week for January 31, 2011. The impressive middle blocker helped the 49ers to victory over Pacific and then No. 2 ranked Stanford. He had a season high 12 kills, and posted a .611 hitting percentage. Long Beach State is currently 6-3 overall, and 5-1 in conference play.

Hear Antwain discuss the team, his fondest volleyball memories, and what it means to play at Long Beach State below:

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LBSU Volleyball turns it up at home

College athletics is all about protecting home court, and no Long Beach State team has been more successful at that this year so far than the LBSU men's volleyball team. 49er men's volleyball is off to a perfect 4-0 start at home this year, having only dropped two sets combined in all of their matches in the friendly confines of the Walter Pyramid. This string of wins has led Long Beach State to be ranked No. 2 in the nation in the latest AVCA poll.

So what is leading to this dominance? Obviously good side out defense and a strong attack by the outside hitters is a must, but there is a little extra energy in the step of the 49ers and it is coming from a surprising place: the loud speakers of the Pyramid. For the first time this year, the team requested that music be played in between each point of their home matches.

"It helps with our energy and momentum," said senior middle blocker Antwain Aguillard. "You can see it in our record, it's definitely helped us at home."

"The music just gives us an extra boost of energy," added senior setter Mike Klipsch."It keeps the energy level in the crowd up, especially with the students, I see them dancing and singing along." 

That singing and dancing crowd has seen sweeps of UCSB, Pacific and then No. 2 Stanford, and might have played a helping hand in the dramatic 3-2 come from behind win the 49ers completed against cross town rival UCLA.

"I would say what is important about the music," said assistant Coach John Hawks. "Is that in volleyball plays, there's five to seven seconds of actual play and 21 to 25 seconds of down time, so music is able to take up all that awkward silence and just adds energy to the building."

So feel free to get out of your seat and sing along with the 49ers and help protect home court.

Athlete of the Week: Jim Baughman

This week's Long Beach State athlete of the week is men's volleyball's outside hitter, Jim Baughman. Jim lead the team with an impressive 15 kills in last Friday's upset win against UCLA.

Baughman is a junior majoring in communications. His high school resume is impressive, as he played both volleyball and basketball. His dedication to sport and studies won him not only athlete of the year honors, but student scholar accolades as well.

Baughman sat down with the Black and Gold Insider and answered a few quick questions: 

Q: How does it feel to be named Long Beach State Athlete of the Week?

A: Being named athlete of the week at Cal State Long Beach is such a great honor because of all the talent represented on campus. Our basketball team is having a great year along with many other sports on campus and to be noticed in such a large group of talented athletes is very rewarding.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about your two matches last week, what you and the team did well, and the perseverance the team showed in the comeback victory against UCLA?

A: Against Santa Barbara on Tuesday night our team was clicking in all areas. We are a very hard team to stop when we are playing our game. There was no letting up through out the entire match. Santa Barbara is a very good team so it was a great night for consistency.

Friday night was a different story. We started the match very slow and very hesitant, two things you do not want to do against a UCLA team who was on a five game winning streak at the time. However, we stayed calm and stayed together and found a way to bring home the victory. Every great team has off nights and I think it says a lot about our program that we were able to find a way to win.

Q: What do you guys need to do to continue to be successful?

A: We take a lot of pride in how hard we work in our practice gym. We just need to keep doing what we are doing day in day out and we will be prepared for anything.

Q. What music gets you pumped before a game?

A: I listen to a lot of Eminem and Kid Cudi before matches, but my pregame song is "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco.

Q: What does it mean to Bleed Black and Gold?

A: It means that we should always remember that we are not only representing an entire program, but an entire school in everything we do. Keep Long Beach State’s pride in the back on your head at all times. Go Beach!

Men's Vollyball: National Championship 20th Anniversary

Mark your calendars: The Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team will open the 2011 season right here in the Pyramid on Monday, Januray 3.

The 49ers will be serving it up against the Alberta Pandas at 7:00 PM, marking the beginning of the season which is also the 20th anniversary of the National Championships. Did you know that in 1991, the 49ers claimed the National Title against USC all the way at the Neal Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, HI? We've been the top four seven times, but it's time we celebrate the two decade mark with another national championship!

We'll be posting some fun videos and photos of the team soon so stay tuned to the Black and Gold Insider Blog, and we'll always have all our latest news on our Facebook page at Facebook.com/lbsuathletics
Let's show some school spirit and cheer on the team January 3!