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For the first time since 1984, the Long Beach State women’s volleyball team opens its season with a new head coach. Recently retired head coach Brian Gimmillaro didn’t miss a match in the last 32 years, and only missed one practice in that time (not due to illness but to recruit a high school player). Gimmillaro didn’t even miss practice after he had knee surgery, hobbling into the gym that afte...

MANHATTAN BEACH >> While players down on the sand Thursday were trying to qualify to get into the main draw of this week’s Manhattan Beach Open, four rather terrific beach volleyball players were up on the pier for the Walk of Fame ceremony honoring their 2016 championships at the granddaddy of them all. Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson, and Emily Day and Brittany Hochevar were the happy recipients of plaques they could take home. And they were overjoyed knowing that identical plaques would be forever embedded in the concrete deck of the pier. For Gibb, it was his third such honor, so his ...

The Long Beach Mizuno 17s had a weekend to remember, claiming a title in Mieapolis at the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships. Competing in the National Division, the second-highest of five brackets at the touament, Mizuno swept through to the championship. The team, made up mostl...

LONG BEACH >> It wouldn’t be a championship Sunday at the World Series of Beach Volleyball in Long Beach without Phil Dalhausser. The three-time Olympian has been in the gold medal match of all five WSOBV events, and this year he won his third title along with partner Nick Lucena. The American...

LONG BEACH >> Familiar faces are navigating unfamiliar circumstances this weekend at the World Series of Beach Volleyball in Long Beach. Some of the best players in the world are adjusting on the fly to new partners, fast playing surfaces and the USA vs. The World exhibition format. The inaugu...

LONG BEACH >> Veteran Brittany Hochevar is one of four Long Beach State alumni retuing to Long Beach this weekend for the fifth aual World Series Of Beach Volleyball and Long Beach Presidents Cup exhibition touament. The WSOBV features inteational competition for men and women and open...

Long Beach State will name Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer as its new women’s volleyball coach, athletic director Andy Fee confirmed Monday moing. McKienzie-Fuerbringer will be the successor to legendary coach Brian Gimmillaro, who won three national titles and recently aounced his retirement after 32...

Long Beach State will name Joy McKienzie-Fuerbringer as its new women’s volleyball coach, athletic director Andy Fee confirmed Monday moing. McKienzie-Fuerbringer will be the successor to legendary coach Brian Gimmillaro, who won three national titles and recently aounced his retirement after 32...

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Sam Lewis, Outside Hitter, Long Beach Poly, Senior If Sam Lewis had one request, it’s: Please stop asking him how tall he is. “Oh, I have a sign on me at all times that says, ‘Ask me how tall I am and if I play basketball and how the weather is up here,’” the Long Beach Poly seni...

In the volleyball wing of the Walter Pyramid at Long Beach State, Brian Gimmillaro has been doing a lot of packing. The legendary coach has helmed the women’s volleyball team at the university for 32 years, achieving unprecedented success. When Gimmillaro aounced his surprise retirement Wednesday ...

ANAHEIM >> Both the Cerritos and Katella boys volleyball teams had their dreams of wiing CIF titles dashed at different stages of the recently completed championship touament. Katella lost in the semifinals Southe Section Division 4 playoffs, while Cerritos lost in the Division 5 final. ...

A confident and more energized Long Beach Poly boys volleyball team came to play in the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs, but it wasn’t enough on Thursday night at home. After an upset win on the road in the opening round, the Jackrabbits (10-8) gave Notre...

The Long Beach State men’s volleyball departed the city Monday moing, bound for Columbus, Ohio and the NCAA Final Four. And they just might retu home as national champions.The 49ers are ranked No. 1 in the nation and are proud flag-bearers for the city. How proud?“Let me put it like this,” said 49ers coach Alan Knipe. “We could have gotten a direct flight from LAX or we could leave from the Lo...

The No. 2-ranked Long Beach State men’s volleyball team hosts two matches at Walter Pyramid this weekend as part of the aual ASICS Touament. The 49ers (17-2, 13-1) face George Mason at 7 p.m. on Friday and Loyola (10-6, 6-3) on Saturday at 7 p.m. LBSU setter Josh Tuaniga leads the nation with 11.56 assists per set and middle blocker Amir Lugo-Rodriguez is tied for first in the NCAA with 1.31 blocks. Sophomore TJ DeFalco is seventh in the nation with 4.12 kills.Beach volleyballThe No. 7 49ers (4-0) are in Manhattan Beach for four matches as part of the UCLA Invitational. LBSU starts at 10 a.m. Saturday moing against No. 2 Florida State and then face Georgia State at noon. On Sunday, the 49ers...

ANAHEIM — Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait’s opposition to extending a host city contract with USA Volleyball could result in the Olympic medal-wiing U.S. national men’s and women’s teams leaving their home training base for the past decade, the Orange County Register has leaed. USA Volleyball chairman Lori Okimura said, without the city’s renewal of an agreement that expires Dec. 31, the sport’s national goveing body would not only likely move the national teams out of Anaheim but the city would definitely lose the lucrative 2020 USA Volleyball Open touament at the Anaheim Convention Center as well as dozens of other volleyball events, costing the city millions of dollars in hotel and tourism revenue...

“We play when we want to play,” said Lancers coach Mike Wadley, whose team let its foot off the gas pedal in the third set. The Lancers were without a starting back row player and didn’t always have crisp passing. But front row players Destynie Viliamu and Julia Crawford were solid wire-to-wire. Viliamu had 14 kills, five aces and two blocks and Crawford had 12 kills and three blocks. “We could have done better, but it was great to start with a win,” Viliamu said. NORWALK 3, BELLFLOWER 0 >> The Lancers (3-4) opened Suburban League play with a sweep victory at home. — Mike Guardabascio Boys water polo NEWPORT HARBOR 10, WILSON 7 >> Unforced errors and some bad luck kept the Bruin...

After falling out of the national Top-25 rankings because of two home losses last weekend, the Long Beach State women’s soccer team is back at George Allen Field on Sunday at noon to host DePaul. “Not every weekend is going to go perfectly,” LBSU coach Mauricio Ingrassia said of the 2-1 losses to Loyola Marymount and No. 13 Pe State. “We went though some adversity, but that’s life and we have to figure it out. I thought we played well, but were just unlucky.” Starting goalkeeper Ashton McKeown re-injured her surgically repaired shoulder before the LMU game on Friday and will be out again this weekend. Sophomore Imani McDonald, a Long Beach Poly High School alumnae, will get the start again. ...

Three days after wiing the Pasadena Poly High School touament, St. Anthony (6-0) rolled to a sweep of Mary Star on Tuesday. Saints freshman setter Misabella Bareford led the attack with 36 assists, six kills and two aces. Senior libero Maddie Mizraji was the Poly touament Most Valuable Player and Sage Gamble and Bareford were named to the all-touament team. The Saints are at Valley Christian Thursday at 5 p.m. LONG BEACH POLY 3, NEWPORT HARBOR 0 >> The Jackrabbits were dominant on the road with a 25-17, 25-6, 25-18 sweep. Junior Chastity Ah-Hong led Poly with nine kills and five aces. VALLEY CHRISTIAN 3, PARAMOUNT 1 >> After dropping the first set, the Crusaders (3-5) came back ...

ANAHEIM — Southe Califoia dominates the history of American volleyball from a Golden State-loaded U.S. team at the first Olympic volleyball touament in 1964 to the Anaheim-based U.S. men’s and women’s teams capturing bronze medals last month at the Rio Games. “When you think about volleyball, you think about Southe Califoia,” said Anthony Breeman, Sports Anaheim’s manager of sports events. Now all that history will have a home. The 2017 launching of the Southe Califoia Indoor Volleyball Hall of Fame was aounced Wednesday. The hall will be housed at the American Sports Center in Anaheim, the training base for the U.S. men’s team since 2006, the U.S. women since 2009. “I’m excited about somet...

SoCal Prep Legends girls athlete of the week: Alexa Gallegos, St. Joseph volleyball By SOCAL PREP LEGENDS GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK NAME: Alexa Gallegos SCHOOL: St. Joseph SPORT: Volleyball YEAR: Senior Noteworthy: Gallegos had a fever of 102 degrees last weekend but still dug deep to lead the Jesters to a third-place finish at the Lakewood Molten Touament. Over four matches Saturday and Monday, Gallegos averaged 11.25 assists per set, and added six blocks, eight aces and 14 kills. Head coach Jeri Estes said he was impressed with the way his captain distributed the ball as well as the way she battled through illness to help the Jesters ea a trophy. Advertisement Digital &...