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Thursday, July 18, 2013
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Former Long Beach State head coach Wuesthoff dies at 87 Bob Wuesthoff was a “great teacher and mentor.” By Jason Clark Sports Editor
Bob Wuesthoff, a former Long Beach State baseball head coach and the co-founder of 49er Camp, died Friday after a long battle with illness at the age of 87. A member of the LBSU Athletics Hall of Fame, Wuesthoff coached the LBSU baseball team from 1964 to 1969. “The Long Beach State baseball family extends our condolences to the W u e s t h o f f Bob Wuesthoff family,” current Dirtbags head coach Troy Buckley said to LBSU Athletics. “We have lost one of the finest people that have represented this program and university, yet his impact on the people that he touched will always live on and be remembered.” After passing the torch to fellow Hall-of-Famer John Gonsalves, Wuesthoff stayed involved in the university. He was a physical education professor and directed 49er Camp, which continues today as a program for increasing physical fitness for children. “He was a great teacher and mentor,” said Rick Hayes, the current 49er Camp director who also played baseball under Wuesthoff. “He had a great sense of humor, and he was very loyal to this university.” Wuesthoff is survived by his wife Gerry, his three children Rob Wuesthoff, Suzie Torrey and Tammie Smith, his sons-in-law Jeff Torrey, Peter Smith, and his three grandsons Tanner Smith, Riley Smith and Colter Smith. A memorial service will be held for Wuesthoff Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Blair Field.
Sara Berkson | Daily 49er
Team USA celebrates a point during its 3-1 victory over Japan Friday night at the Walter Pyramid.
USA Volleyball Cup ignites Pyramid The United States women’s national team defeats Japan 3-1 in front of a packed house. By Spencer Pirdy Assistant Sports Editor
An Olympic atmosphere swept over the Walter Pyramid on Friday night, as fans from all over Southern California converged to watch
‘Niner Notes Men’s basketball to open Puerto Rico Tip-Off against Michigan This year’s Puerto Rico Tip-Off bracket was announced Tuesday, revealing that Long Beach State will face last season’s NCAA finals runner-up Michigan in the opening round. Of the tournament’s four opening games, LBSU’s matchup against the Wolverines on Nov. 21 will be the only one televised nationally on ESPN2. The Beach, as well as Michigan, will play either Florida State or Virginia Commonwealth the following day,
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the United States and Japan women’s volleyball teams square off in the second match of the USA Volleyball Cup. With “Team USA” chants echoing throughout the crowd, American flags waving and a small handful of fans showing up dressed head to toe in patriotic regalia, it was a unique night at the Walter Pyramid. depending on how all four teams fare. With Michigan participating in the tournament, LBSU will face at least six of last season’s NCAA tournament participants in its non-conference schedule this year. The Beach will conclude the three-game tournament on Sunday, Nov. 24. Tip-off for the opening game is set for 2 p.m. PT at the Roberto Clemente Coliseo in San Juan. LBSU water polo’s Kotsia to compete for Greece in FINA World Championship LBSU Athletics announced Monday that the 49ers’ women’s water polo player Christina Kotsia was named to Greece’s Women’s Senior National
“It’s awesome to show my kids; I went to school with [former Long Beach State volleyball player] Danielle [Scott-Arruda] and it’s literally like the Olympics coming to Long Beach,” Long Beach resident Russ Fox said. The first set of the night was taken by Team USA, 25-17. However, set number two saw Japan jump out to an early lead and at one point pull away. After a quick timeout, USA started to gain momentum and mount what ultimately would be the comeback of the match. Team that will compete in the FINA World Championship in Barcelona, Spain. The Greek team will open the competition on Sunday against the 2012 Olympic gold medalist U.S. team, while the rest of the championship will continue through Aug. 2. Kotsia finished second on the team in scoring with 50 goals as a freshman last season, while leading the team in scoring 11 times as well as scoring in 17 consecutive games. Following the championship, the Athens, Greece native will also compete for Greece’s junior national team at the 10th FINA World Women’s Junior Water Polo Championships in Volos, Greece on Aug. 18.
Middle blocker Lauren Paolini led the way with 12 kills total for the Americans and played a major role in getting Team USA back into set two. The United States was able to force the set into extra points and take a 2624 win, going up two sets to none in the match. “It’s really cool to see everyone get into it, especially in the second set how close they were and how intense it got,” Southern California resident Peter Luis said. Down 2-0 in the match, Japan came out with vengeance in set number three. The Japanese took control from the beginning of the match and were able to throw Team USA off with energetic play. The final score for set three saw Japan bounce back with a 25-18 win, making the Japan contingent erupt with cheers. It was then that the teams found themselves in a familiar situation. Just the day before, Japan and the United States faced off in a four-set match in San Diego, where the Americans came out on top with a 3-1 victory. Both teams came out strong and went head-to-head with one another in the highly contestable set. In the end, team USA was able to squeak out a 2520 win, and with that a 3-1 game victory. “I think they both brought all they could to the court, and it was very entertaining to watch,” LBSU student Camillyn Morrison said. LBSU had a lone representative in the match, as Scott-Arruda took the court with the Americans at her alma mater. Scott-Arruda has played with Team USA for more than 16 years and won a silver medal in the London Olympics last summer. With the USA Volleyball Cup concluded, the Walter Pyramid will return to its role as a gym for the rest of summer. The next LBSU game at the Walter Pyramid will be played on Aug. 30, when The Beach takes on Illinois in the Long Beach State Mizuno Invitational. Former Dirtbag Joey Terdoslavich called up to Atlanta Braves Joey Terdoslavich became the most recent and 44th former Dirtbag to reach the major leagues on July 4 as he was called up to the MLB by the Atlanta Braves. In nine games with Atlanta this year, the converted outfielder owns a .188 batting average with a run scored. Before he was called up, Terdoslavich was hitting .318 with 18 home runs in 85 games in Triple-A Gwinnett. Terdoslavich is now the 13th former Dirtbag on an MLB roster, extending LBSU’s lead in the category. — Compiled by Assistant Sports Editor Daniel Astle
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