Daily 49er, February 22, 2018

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH

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VOL. LXVIX, ISSUE 52 | FEBRUARY 22, 2018

49er

BRANDING

Out with the old in with the new — sort of Administration and marketing department still back and forth about identity.

By Kat Schuster News Editor

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Photo Illustration by Drew Mametsuka

C

al State Long Beach has been tacking on names and logos to the school’s identity since it opened its doors in 1949. Today, the school flirts with two names: Cal State Long Beach for academia and Long Beach State for athletics. Along with having two names, the school

also sports three to four clashing mascots and an unmeasurable amount of logos to choose from. It’s time the school put it’s bureaucratic differences to rest and finally pick a lane.

To read the Daily 49er staff’s editorial, see page 6.

f there is one thing most members of Cal State Long Beach can agree on, it’s that the school has commitment issues. First of all, what is the university’s official name — CSULB or Long Beach State University? Is the mascot a prospector, a pyramid, the 49er or the Beach?

A revolving door of logos, various acronyms and conflicting mascots has screamed identity crisis for nearly 70 years.

Andy Hoang, associate vice president of marketing and communications for the university, was hired in 2013. Ever since, he has been working to remedy the school’s lack of consistent branding — and he’s received mixed reviews.

“Regardless of what business or organization you’re from, lacking a cohesive and consistent look weakens your identity,” Hoang said. “It does not put you in a position of strength as a unified organization.”

After several years of research and combing through statistics about the school and the Cal State University system, Hoang and his team have launched what they feel will unify the school — the Strengths and Strategies initiative. This initiative inspired the “no barriers” campaign and has updated older university logos. Under the campaign, Hoang has also taken steps with his team to upgrade the school’s website to a modernized video-storytelling platform.

The logo From new athletic uniforms to the newly built 6-foot “GO BEΛCH” letters at the West Campus Turnaround, the initiative is present everywhere on campus.

While the letters are a part of the strategy, funds for marketing were not used for the structure of the letters.

For the past year, large banners have see IDENTITY, page 3

2 NEWS

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CAMPUS ACTIVITIES

Students dress to impress 2018 Spring Job Fair draws out prospective applicants looking to secure employment.

By Sarah Vehrs

Assistant News Editor

Students could be seen decked out in slacks, dresses and ties — eager to hand out their freshly printed resumes to employers.

On Feb. 21, the annual spring job and internship fair took place in the University Student Union ballrooms.

The two-day event brought over 125 employers for students to explore career options, as well as network and gain insight on the current job market.

All students were encouraged to attend the event, which ran from noon to 4 p.m. However, Wednesday was specifically for government and social services jobs, and Thursday was for business and healthcare jobs.

According to the Career Development Center’s website, the event provided an opportunity for students to meet with a large number of employers who specifically look to employ Cal State Long Beach students.

“I always want to take advantage of [events like these] because you don’t get things like this when you’re out of college,” said Victor Ngo, a senior studying engineering. “Everytime I attend this event in the fall and in the spring, an interview from some em-

Sabrina Flores | Daily 49er

2018 Spring Job and Internship Fair was centralized around opportunities in both the government and the social services sectors.

ployer seems to come out of it.”

Companies such as chemical manufacturer Buckeye International, were focused on students’ experiences and work ethics, according to Brian Blake, a training and recruiting manager.

“We’re simply looking for folks who have a college degree; we accept all majors, but also [look for students who] have a desire to do outside sales, ” Blake said.

Even though the program stated that students in all majors could

benefit from this experience, not all students were content with the lack of diversity.

Will Hass, a business management alumni who graduated last fall explained that he didn’t find what he was looking for.

“I was here to look for a job at places like OCTA and Caltrans but there’s actually a lot of law enforceament positions here,” Hass said. “I worked six years in retail, so I’d really prefer not to go back into a position like that.”

Some students were expecting a

wider breadth of employers at the event. Horacio Narvaez, a senior studying business management, wonders if the school considers students who are in less popular majors.

“I think that it is really cool that the school offers these opportunities for us to attend, but I think about my friend who is a art major, and they never have an event for them to advance their professional careers, Narvaez said.”

Wayne Camp contributed to this article.

MASCOT

ASI distances itself from Pete Senators discuss honoring indigenous students through dissociating from the Gold Rush era.

By Lorraine Debbas Staff Writer

The Prospector Pete mascot was the topic of debate at this week’s Associated Students Inc. Senate meeting Wednesday.

According to ASI senators, indigenous students have been fighting for the school to dissociate from the Gold Rush era since the ’70s and the statue has served as a painful reminder for these students and their community.

In a previous Daily 49er article, American Indian Studies director Craig Stone addressed

the problem indigenous students had with Prospector Pete and called him an icon for genocide.

According to Stone, prospectors were behind mass killings of California Indians during the Gold Rush.

“The students are constantly reminded of a traumatic past,” said Leen Almahdi, senator of health and human services. “We could get input from indigenous students and see what they really want as a mascot.”

To accommodate indigenous students, ASI Senate passed a resolution for its first reading to remove the Prospector Pete statue in front of the Liberal Arts-5 building.

Cal State Long Beach is built on sacred grounds once belonging to the Tongva tribe, an indigenous group who inhabited the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands for

Even if we were to rebrand the statue those associations still exist. We are not just trying to address the visual aspect. What do we do to atone for the historical damage that has happened? That is what we are trying to address.

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centuries before American colonization. During the Gold Rush era, the people of the Tongva tribe were forced from grounds that were historically theirs.

“The children of these tribes were taken,” Senator-at-large Thulani Ngazimbi said. “The girls were taken and used as maids on one coast, and the boys were taken to be gardeners on the other coast. This was systematically planned by the U.S.

government in order to remove the people’s culture.”

The statue was created by an art major in 1967 and was not supposed to resemble a prospector.

“It was students [who] dubbed him the name Prospector Pete,” said Senator-at-large Danielle Carancho. “There is a Visual Artists Rights Act that protects any sculpture without the consent from the artist from being removed.”

“The reality of what happened to our ancestors in 1848 still affects us today,” Ngazimbi said.

“Even if we were to rebrand the statue those associations still exist. We are not just trying to address the visual aspect. What do we do to atone for the historical damage that has happened?

That is what we are trying to address.”

Senators suggested rebranding the statue without getting

rid of it by forming a committee of indigenous students in order to pick a new mascot and bring awareness to the campus about replacing the statue. Senators suggested that removing the statue was step one for honoring indigenous students.

They also introduced the idea of replacing the statue with a plaque that honors native culture or having indigenous students paint a mural.

“I think becoming more equitable in the process of picking a mascot is very important,” Ngazimbi said. “The students who have been affected by this should have a say.”

Senators discussed the desire to rebrand the campus and stick with the Beach theme without forgetting the history of Native Americans.

“The intention isn’t to shame but to educate people on this part of history,” said Ngazimbi.

NEWS 3

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IDENTITY continued from page 1

lined the fences around every construction site on school grounds, showcasing the name “Long Beach State University” with smaller type underneath reading “A California State University Campus.” This imagery is repeated in advertising and promotional materials displayed around the university.

All of this effort to attain a concise and unified look begs the question: is the school rebranding? University officials have answered no.

“Andy [Hoang] is really enthusiastic about this [initiative],” said Terri Carbaugh, associate vice president of public affairs.

“But there are no plans to rebrand or change the name [of the university].”

According to professor of classics Douglas Domingo-Forasté, when the university first started using “The Beach,” it was to increase applications to the campus. Now that the school has just received a record 102,000 applicants for the fall semester, some are beginning to wonder if placing value in the aesthetic of the school is still important, and if the “GO BEΛCH” letters are well thought out.

“I’ve always thought we were a little far from a beach to call ourselves [The Beach],” said Forasté in an email. “Also, many people have pointed out that without the crossbar in the A of BEACH, it could easily be a Greek lambda Λ and read GO BELCH.” Since the new campaign was introduced at homecoming last fall, it has some campus members wondering if the initiative was worth the money. According to Hoang, the only funds used

Hunter Lee | Daily 49er

A “Long Beach State University” sign hangs on a fence by the Peterson Hall building. As part of the Strengths and Strategies initiative, the university has seen an update in its logos.

so far have been to pay his staff and for a year-long contract for a full-page advertisement in campus publications, with a price tag of $10,000.

“Since now we are an extremely popular campus, I wonder why we pay marketing people to promote the campus,” Domingo-Forasté said. “The money could be spent on academics or student services.”

Despite a neatly packaged bundle of matching logos, fonts, new athletic uniforms, website platforms, a 6-foot sign and the same “GO BEΛCH” lettering gracing almost every new sign and screen around campus — Hoang’s work is not considered “rebranding.” He affirmed that his goal is to tell the story of the campus and the students who inhabit it, with an emphasis on “no barriers” to success.

“President [Jane Close] Conoley’s direction to our marketing team that the new Go Beach logo is to be presented primarily within the context of the No Barriers’ campaign,” Carbaugh said in an email. “While [the new logo is] modern and forward facing, it is to supplement, not supplant our traditional seal or other campus logos.”

According to Hoang, the ‘80s reminiscent “go beach” lettering will always be present in merchandise, perhaps in a “retro” section of the University Bookstore, but may eventually fade away.

“It’s going to phase out and it already has,” Hoang said. “When you take on something this big, it’s not as simple as walking in

We have a wealth of logos from which people can choose based upon their personal preference and taste.”

“

Terri Carbaugh, Associate VP of Public Affairs and turning on a light switch.

We want to be cognizant and respectful of cost.”

Alternatively, Carbaugh affirmed that none of the older logos will be less present or be replaced with the new one.

“Nothing will be phased out,” Carbaugh said. “We have a

wealth of logos from which people can choose based upon their personal preference and taste.”

Despite some level of bureaucratic discrepancies over the campaign, the Athletics department has seemingly accepted the change as the “GO BEΛCH” logo has replaced the retro logo on several team uniforms.

“We are using [the ‘GO BEΛCH’ logo] for the Dirtbags, and we’ve embraced the Beach name and look on our other teams with the new campaign,” said Andy Fee, athletic director.

“It isn’t a complete rebrand — we’re not going to spend needless money to do that.”

Although basketball players are still dribbling across a gym floor that bears the ‘80s retro “go beach,” Fee said that repainting the gym wasn’t completely out of the question.

“I think that will be an ongoing conversation, there are a lot of areas that have that [older] font,” Fee said. “If others want to look at the new font with the pyramid A, we’re open to that.”

The name Since the university’s opening in 1949, the school has undergone four name changes before

settling on Cal State Long Beach.

“In 1972, we became Cal State University of Long Beach. Somewhere during this timeframe, our athletic department kept their name, LBSU,” Hoang said.

“We have two names, if you’re in athletics, you’re at LBSU. If you’re on the academic side, you’re California State University, Long Beach.”

Currently, the argument still wages on whether the school should abandon “CSU” from the title and take an approach similar to San Francisco State or San Diego State.

Perhaps, to students, the most perplexing part of this argument is the fact that the school does have two names.

“I’m a transfer student here...

It was kind of confusing because I wanted to buy a sweater,” said Jeremy Detera, junior chemical engineering major. “So I was looking through the sweaters in the 49er shop and I was like, ‘CSULB, LBSU? Same thing, not the same thing?’ I don’t know, I wasn’t sure.”

Hoang said the new initiative was inspired by a Cal State System-wide brand analysis that was conducted in 2015, which revealed how some students viewed the campuses within the system. According to the assessment, students were asked “which of the five describes why you chose to attend a Cal State campus.” Students listed low tuition, campus location and the ease of getting in as their top reasons.

“Being cheap, easy to get into and the location are not things you want to lead with and be specifically known for,” Hoang said. “How about academic excellence?”

To read the rest of the story, please visit Daily49er.com

RESEARCH

Don’t rock the boat, baby

CSULB welcomes newest shark surveying vessel, the “Mustelus.”

By Hunter Lee & Sabrina Flores Staff Writers

Members of the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab are eager to test the waters in the newest addition to their collection of aquatic vessels.

The Shark Lab, headed by Professor Chris Lowe, recently received donations from two local shark enthusiasts that were used to purchase a new surveying vessel, dubbed “Mustelus,” the genus name for the grey smoothhound shark.

“We like to name our boats after species that we’re interested in study-

ing,” Lowe said. “This boat is mainly going to be studying baby white sharks and that the genus of that name was already taken, so we had to come up with a new name.”

One of the donations was used to purchase a Yamaha outboard motor, while the other covered the cost of the boat, a Boston Whaler.

“Mustelus” is the fourth boat that has been offered as a donation to the Shark Lab, with its predecessors being sold once they no longer meet the needs of the Lab. The Boston Whaler, due to being designed completely out of foam, is unsinkable and cost efficient. Though, it is not very fast.

“Most universities don’t have these kinds of resources,” Lowe said. “These are the tools that give our students a leg up in the competition. If you’re going to train somebody to be a marine

biologist today, and they have had no experience [boating], who would hire them?”

With many students eager to get out on the water, it can be hard for the lab to accommodate everyone. Some surveying trips can last up to a week, and with only one boat, the new addition is greatly appreciated by students and faculty.

“I’ve worked on all the boats that we have here helping with the white shark [research]. I’ve actually been on the Whaler overnight while we were tracking a shark. So that’s usually what we do with [the boats]. I know the lab’s going to use it a lot for sure.”

According to Lowe, the boat is one of five vessels that will be used for multiple purposes; it will function not only as a surveying boat, but as transportation for students working on

Catalina Island as part of the graduate school research program.

“During the summers we get pretty busy so they’ll probably be using one of [the boats] to go after white sharks,” said Jack May, a graduate student with a Masters in Biology. “And then with the other one we can also carry out other research. It basically allows us to do two things at once which is really nice.”

While “Mustelus” has not seen the water yet, Lowe is eager to get the motor started and hit the open sea, especially with the abundance of sharks in the area this time of year.

“Right now, there are sharks around and we’re just waiting for a good window of weather,” Lowe said. “Because when we do it, it has to be really calm, really flat and no swell because we’re working right in the surf zone.”

4 ARTS & LIFE

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FEATURE

Ten ways to tell a story Long Beach locals take to the stage with fresh talent and original comedy sketches.

By Samantha Diaz Arts & Life Editor

During the weekends, Agnes Arnold teaches a children’s choir.

On weekdays she wakes up, takes care of her three children and eats dinner with her family. After that, she drives to a small building in downtown Long Beach, takes the stage and acts out a variety of characters: a woman on a first date, inanimate objects and mermaids.

Agnes is one of 10 people who will be in the upcoming performance, “Grass-fed, free-range sketch show,” a collaboration between the award-winning improv troupe Held2gether and the Long Beach Playhouse.

The annual show brings together seasoned actors and newcomers and challenges them to create original sketches over the course of four weeks, then refine those ideas into a polished performance.

The characters and situations are all written by the performers themselves after being given a prompt from Director Darren Held. The prompt can be a simple idea; music, or a person at a party or a prop; a giant lollipop or sword.

After a half hour of working in different teams, actors present their sketches to Held and he chooses the best ones. Then they spend the next month or so tweaking and refining them for opening night just two weeks away.

“Sometimes a simple idea is better,” Held said. “A simple, funny clear concept. Then you can think of all the things that will make it better from there.”

What’s unique about the culture of improv-sketch is the people who make it up. Like Arnold, most of the performers have day jobs. They sit in offices and teach children, then meet up at night, becoming a dozen different characters in the span of hours.

Arnold plays in six of the 12 sketches chosen by Held that is set to perform opening night.

Held jokes that she was the lucky charm this year, as it’s her first year in the troupe and trying improv-sketch altogether.

“It’s kind of competitive, because we all want our sketches to make it,” Arnold said. “Then for every night after that, everybody tries to remember what we said.

You go home and you try to remember what happened and get ideas to make it better.”

Arnold recalls going home to her husband late at night and practicing her lines in front of

Courtesy of Agnes Arnold

Held2gether rehearses for their upcoming show, “Grass-fed, free-range sketch show” which premieres March 1. The improv troupe comes up with a variety of sketches, ranging from mermaids, above, and butchers.

him, bouncing around ideas and improvements. The sketches she’s starring in feature her as a multitude of characters.

“That’s the fun part,” Arnold said. “All the characters I play are so different from each other, sometimes I even go into a scene with the wrong accent. Of course it’s easiest to write from stuff you know, because you know how they would react to certain situations. I feel like every sketch I had a part in is my baby.”

Improv-sketch provided something for Arnold that traditional acting could not — a sense of flexibility.

After graduating with a masters in business association from Cal State Long Beach, she frequented Hollywood to attend auditions and classes.

The two-hour long daily commute became near impossible when she had her first child, then she heard about Held2gether and was introduced to the world of improv.

“I thought okay improv, that means no homework right?” Arnold said. “Because it’s all about the skills you learn in class and you perform those skills live and there’s a sense of thrill in that.”

It seems like this sense of urgency fits Arnold well, as she acts out movements from her sketches and hands her two-year-old son

Cheerios in the same breath. “[Improv comedy] is like a play on drugs,” Arnold said. “You have to develop your character as quickly as possible. You develop their history in two lines then you immediately move onto what they’re dealing with.”

“Grass-fed” is a breed of performance art that combines traditional plays, improv comedy and shorter sketches.

While the shows are written and rehearsed by opening night, there is a transformative process to it, one that changes constantly

as new ideas are brought out at the last minute.

The time frame is also much shorter than most actors are used to, giving them weeks to perfect their original sketches for the audience.

A week before moving into the Playhouse for rehearsals, Held describes the current phase as “panic mode” as performers are still waiting for pieces of their costumes and scrambling to put finishing touches on the musical aspect of the show.

“At this point, nobody’s even

laughing during rehearsals anymore because we’ve all heard the lines so many times,” Held said.

“You doubt if it’s even funny anymore then you go out to perform it and the audience might find totally different things about it funny than you imagined.”

“Grass-fed” will be have 8 p.m. showings from March 1-3 at the Long Beach Playhouse.

Tickets are $10 for Thursday and $15 for Friday and Saturday showings. You can purchase tickets by calling (562) 494-1014 or by visiting lbplayhouse.org.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Gabriel Victor Fabian Pre-Nursing

5

6 OPINIONS

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EDITORIAL

The Daily 49er Editorial Board encourages the university to pick a name — any name.

By Daily 49er Editorial Board

W

alking into the University Bookstore, one may expect to find a simple, school spirited garment. Instead they find a head-splitting multitude of clashing logos, mascots, school names and designs. Looking for a school-representing T-shirt in there is like digging through the sales pile at Ross. This is only a symptom of the identity crisis that has plagued Cal State Long Beach for the last 70 years.

Let’s face it Cal State University Long Beach has a problem. Or maybe Long Beach State University has a problem...or the Beach?

Sorry, but who are we? And who is our mascot? Are we a pyramid or a 49er?

It’s fairly obvious at this point that the bureaucratic powers that be have single handedly created this identity crisis by refusing to pull the trigger on creating a cohesive branding package that students and alumni can be proud of.

Despite having so many logos affiliated with the university, administration continues to add onto the already extensive portfolio. Most recently, this

It’s fairly obvious at this point that the bureaucratic powers that be have single handedly created this identity crisis by refusing to pull the trigger on creating a cohesive branding package that students and alumni can be proud of.

“

has become apparent in the massive “GO BEΛCH” letters at the West Campus Turnaround, replacing the classic “California State University Long Beach” installation and requiring infrequent cosmetic maintenance.

We have too many mascots, too many logos and two too many official names for the university. It’s time for someone to put their foot down and make a decision; however, it seems that administration is too afraid of stepping on anyone’s toes. As the saying goes, sh*t or get off the pot.

We at the Daily 49er Editorial Board believe that the university should commit to a full rebranding and align with LBSU athletics as Long Beach State.

Despite the newly showcased “GO BEΛCH” campaign, administration still maintains that there will be no rebranding. According to Terri Carbaugh, associate vice president of public affairs, the university has no

Daily 49er Miranda Andrade-Ceja Editor-in-Chief eicd49er@gmail.com

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plans to drop “CSU” from the name or phase out any of the existing logos.

“We have a wealth of logos from which people can choose based upon their personal preference and taste,” Carbaugh said in an email.

While this may seem like a fair compromise, it only adds to our cluttered identity. One only has to walk around campus to find the trail of mascots and logos the school has gone through.

The university’s inability to settle on an identity is not a new problem, but one that stretches back to the school’s inception. According to an article by JJ Fiddler of the Press Telegram, CSULB alumni John Fylpaa has three degrees with three different names from this school.

Since the university opened in 1949, four name changes have occured before landing on a decision to keep two names. Just look at the fact that the school changed its name after one

Editorial Office

General Manager

Phone (562) 985-8000 Fax (562) 985-7994

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News Editor Kat Schuster cityd49er@gmail.com

year from Los Angeles-Orange County State College to Long Beach State College.

The identity crisis doesn’t only cause problems for the main campus, but also highlights a divide between the university and the athletics department.

When CSULB changed its name in 1972, the athletics department chose to continue using LBSU in competition. Adding to the confusion is the fact that the school’s baseball team has had its own “unofficial” name as the Dirtbags since 1989.

(If this is confusing for you, imagine the difficulty of reporting on the school and its teams while keeping these names straight.)

Although the campus hasn’t confirmed the switch in name, administration seems to be leaning toward Long Beach State, evident by the banners on the blue fences near campus construction.

The fact of the matter is, this isn’t a life-or-death situation. There are plenty of issues far more pressing than our university identity. However, the fact still remains: the buffet of brands and logos reads less like a unified college, and more like a hot mess.

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Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in this issue are those of the writers or artists.

The opinions of the Daily 49er are expressed only in unsigned editorials and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the journalism department or the views of all staff members. All such editorials are written by the editorial board of the Daily 49er.

Letters Policy: All letters and e-mail must bear the phone number of the writer and must be no more than 300 words. The Daily 49er reserves the right to edit letters for publication in regard to space.

SPORTS 7

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TENNIS

Another home setback for the 49ers Long Beach State women’s tennis only has one home win this season.

By Diego Gómez Staff Writer

Diego Gómez | Daily 49er

Long Beach State tennis head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello holds the LBSU record for most single-season wins in the program.

PROFILE

Two challenging decades at Long Beach State LBSU women’s tennis head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello has battled adversity during her 20 years with the team.

By Diego Gómez Staff Writer

Long Beach State women’s tennis head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello went through the most challenging period of her life during the 2004 season. She faced the struggle of chemotherapy fatigue and played the most trying set of her career when she was diagnosed with endometrial cancer.

Although she went through extensive surgery, the most successful coach in LBSU women’s tennis history missed only two days of practice. Her team went on to take the No. 4 seed in the Big West Tournament and became champions that season.

“That team just decided to take on responsibilities by themselves,” Hilt-Costello said. “ That was the most rewarding season. When I was down and out, the team stepped up and won themselves a Big West title.”

Hilt-Costello, 45, arrived at Long Beach as assistant coach in 1995 and only two seasons later, was promoted to head coach. She’s now in her 21st season, and has been enjoying her 14 years living cancer-free.

“There are always ups and downs,” Hilt-Costello said. “Every year is different, I would say it has been fun and it has been a privilege. I enjoy what I do, I feel lucky that I get to work on a college campus with these talented players day in and day out doing something I love.”

Hilt-Costello has taken the Long Beach tennis program into the elite. With a record of 345-147 (.701) in 20 seasons, she holds the LBSU record for most single-season wins, most career wins and the highest winning percentage at Long Beach. The eight-time Big West coach of the year and 2004 West region coach of the year has forged both a successful legacy at Long Beach as well as strong relationships with her players.

Assistant coach Anais Dallara played for Hilt-Costello from 2008 through 2012.

“Everything began from a player to coach relationship and then she became my mentor,” Dallara said. “When I graduated, she taught me to be the best coach I could be. Now she is not only my mentor, she is my friend, a very good friend.”

Hilt-Costello has always been a role model for her assistant coach. Dallara was born in France and did not speak any English at first and Hilt-Costello helped her with tutoring on a couple of occasions.

“She is trustworthy, I know I can count on her,” Dallara said. “In a motherly kind of way she has always been there for me.

Coaching different cultures is not easy, but she makes it seem easy. She brings us all together and reminds us we all have the same passion. She is devoted to this team,

that is why this program is successful.”

Pacholski, also from France, feels a similar connection with her coach.

“I think we think alike,” Pacholski said.

“We tend to have the same opinion about stuff but sometimes a different way to approach it. All of us in the team have this connection with her depending on what we need to get better and improve. I see it as a good balance.”

Hilt-Costello follows discipline and intensity as primary guidelines to coach her team. Despite her roughness, players value her on and off of the court.

“Any problem we may have we can speak to her definitely,” said senior Lena Pacholski. “She finds a solution to it. She is here to help and that is very nice. She is a very involved coach, I have never had someone like her.”

Dallara also admires Hilt-Costello’s perseverance as a coach.

“She is tough and has so much character,” Dallara said. “She went through so much. The investment she puts on this team, this matters to her and that is the kind of philosophy she gives to this team.

We don’t have excuses.”

Hilt-Costello visualizes lifting her 15th Big West title this season and another 10 years, or more, coaching at the Rhodes Tennis Center.

“I love where I live, I love this university,” Hilt-Costello said. “I think this is an incredibly talented group of girls, we are going to have a strong season and I definitely see myself doing this for a long time to come.”

Long Beach State women’s tennis was upset 6-1 by Loyola Marymount in a match full of controversy. Multiple decisions by the umpires were questioned by both coaches, creating a tense atmosphere at the Rhodes Tennis Center.

“I think there were some interesting antics going on with the other team today,” Long Beach head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello said. “I’ve watched our girls play all season and we don’t make bad line calls, if we did we would address it. It was an interesting day of tennis.”

Loyola Marymount head coach Agustin Moreno felt his team deserved the win despite the small mishaps with the umpires.

“It’s part of the game,” Moreno said.

“I just think there should be more umpires here. There was no problem after that. I think we are in shape and that is why we won today.”

LBSU only has one win in four home matches this season, giving the team another disappointing loss at the Rhodes Tennis Center.

“It is a little disappointing,” Hilt-Costello said. “We missed a few game plans and missed our opportunities. We hope to jump over the hump in the next couple of weeks. It has been a bumpy start this season — we have a lot of work to do.”

Long Beach freshmen Sadaf Sadeghvaziri and Georgia Gulin defeated Lions Camila Tumosa and Elvira Juravliova 6-0 in the first doubles game, but the extra point was awarded to Loyola Marymount after they defeated the 49ers in the remaining two doubles matches.

Sadeghvaziri tied the game 1-1 when she got the best of senior Anna Romeka, beating her 6-2, 6-1. She ended up giving her team the only point of the afternoon after the Lions won their five remaining singles matches.

“I feel I fought for every single point,” Sadeghvaziri said. “I focused on the small goals during my match.

We all fought in all of the courts, I feel there were lots of problems with out of bounce calls but I mean it’s tennis, there is not much you can do.”

Long Beach will head to Los Angeles at 4 p.m. Saturday to play against USC at the Marks Tennis Stadium.

8 SPORTS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM | SPORTSD49ER@GMAIL.COM

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

LBSU passes its toughest test yet 49ers beat No. 2 Bruins for the second time this season at Pauley Pavilion.

By Zackery Handy Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES — The two best volleyball teams in the country squared off for the second time in five days Wednesday at Pauley Pavilion. No. 1 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team edged out No. 2 UCLA in a nail biting four set match.

LBSU (14-0) came into the match just five days after taking down UCLA (14-3) in a similar four set fashion in front of a record-setting crowd at home.

The 49ers were able to overcome a second set loss and defeat the Bruins 25-21, 23-25 25-19, 25-21.

Long Beach silenced the crowd early on by easily taking the first set 25-21. The teams would trade five point runs in the second set, forcing both teams to use all of its timeouts before either team reached 20 points. Momentum was on the Bruins’ side, and a late

Zackery Handy | Daily 49er

No. 1 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team huddles up in Wednesday’s game against No. 2 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.

run from senior outside hitter JT Hatch ended the second set to even the match.

In typical Long Beach fashion, the core three juniors stepped in. Outside hitter TJ DeFalco, opposite hitter Kyle Ensing and setter Josh Tuaniga took over and brought Long Beach to victory in

the final two sets. “[Long Beach State] challenges you to figure out where you need to improve,” said UCLA head coach John Speraw.

For the second consecutive game, DeFalco provided a much needed spark and would completely take over the match. He

finished with a game-high 23 kills (.500) to go with six digs, three assists and two blocks.

On the opposite side of the court, Ensing would finish just behind him with 19 kills (.400), seven digs, one block and one assist. “[Ensing] makes my job really

easy,” DeFalco said. “It is unbelievable to have such a force on that side, making the other team be worried about both pins.”

Tuaniga continued his consistent play in pacing the 49ers offense to an impressive .408 hitting percentage on the night.

He would notch the 49ers only double-double of the match with a season-high 57 assists and 13 digs, while also adding two kills.

Bjarne Huus would fall just a single kill shy of a double-double, finishing the match with nine kills and 11 digs while adding three blocks and two assists.

Long Beach showed grit battling back from multiple deficits in every set of the match.

“I think both teams did a really good job of showing responses tonight,” Long Beach head coach Alan Knipe said. “Responding with execution, responding with emotion, responding with energy and effort. I think both teams were throwing everything they had.”

The top team in the nation has passed its toughest test and will now begin its inaugural conference schedule in the Big West.

Long Beach is on the road for a 7 p.m. match against CSUN March 2 at the Matadome.

COLUMN

The 49ers struck gold with freshman duo Long Beach may have found its 1-2 punch of the future.

By Jarrod Castillo Staff Writer

I

t has been a long season for Long Beach State’s women’s basketball team. With the team’s massive turnover during the offseason and loss of experience on the roster, the 49ers have lost the thunder they possessed in previous years.

However, the 49ers (4-22, 2-10 Big West) can take solace in the fact that they may have two of the most dynamic scorers in the Big West Conference with freshman guard Shanaijah Davison and forward Naomi Hunt.

Although inexperienced, they have shown glimpses of maturity and look ready to lead the team in the future.

Davison possesses a playstyle similar to Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook. She can score in transition using her athleticism and agility, spot-up on the 3-point line and hit from long range or stop on a dime for a midrange two, just like Westbrook.

The moves she has in her repertoire have helped her to 10th in the Big West in scoring. She

also leads the 49ers at 14 points per game. Although her shooting percentages of 37.7 percent on twos and 34.1 percent on threes can increase in order to be a truly effective player, low percentages come with facing a D1 defense for the first time.

Davison’s defense is also noteworthy, as she averages 1.7 steals per game, tied for eighth in the conference. Additionally, she dishes out three assists per game, second on the team and 12th in the Big West.

“She’s a very talented young lady,” head coach Jeff Cammon said of Davison after the 49ers’ game against Cal Poly Jan. 25.

“She’s trying to be efficient with the looks she’s going to get, but also understanding that she has the ability to also make her teammates better.”

Her indecision between distributing and scoring has led to 3.9 turnovers per game, which is second in the Big West. In order to be a serious threat on offense, her ball control needs some improvement.

Meanwhile, Hunt’s playstyle is similar to current Thunder forward Paul George. She can play as the number one option, evident by the fact that she led the team in scoring three times throughout the season, with a career-high 28 points against UC

Joseph Kling | Daily 49er

Long Beach State women’s basketball freshmen forward Naomi Hunt, left, and guard Shanaijah Davison use a pick and roll in Jan. 25 game against Cal Poly.

Santa Barbara Jan. 20.

Hunt can also play off the ball by setting screens and she has the ability to roll to the basket or pop out to the 3-point line, where she is a 52 percent shooter. That percentage leads the Big West, with 4.2 attempts per game.

“She puts the work in,” Cammon said of Hunt after the loss against Davis Feb. 3. “She can do

a lot of things out there and she’s only going to get better.”

Overall, Hunt is hitting 55.3 percent of her shots, fifth in the Big West and scoring 11.2 points per game, ranking 17th. Hunt is 12th in conference in steals with 1.5, showcasing her knack for tough defense. Her rebounding needs some work, however, as she ranks 35th in rebounding, aver-

aging 3.2 per game. Once those totals are up, she will be considered a complete threat.

Though the 49ers may not look that imposing now, giving Davison and Hunt a proper offseason to work on their respective games will yield results. Don’t look now, but soon the duo will be bringing the “Thunder” back to the Walter Pyramid.