Photo courtesy Matt Brown/Long Beach State athletics.

Paul Lotman, a 6-7 outside hitter for then-No. 5 Long Beach State University, has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week after guiding his team to wins over two nationally-ranked opponents last week. In the 49ers’ first match of the week, a sweep over defending champion and then-No. 7 UC Irvine, Lotman scored 17 kills, four digs, three aces and three total blocks in the win. He was just warming up, as he put away 25 kills, while digging up nine balls in Long Beach State's 3-1 win over then-No. 4 UCLA. For the week, Lotman hit .307, while averaging 6.0 kills, 1.86 digs and 6.86 points per game. The two wins also helped the 49ers climb one spot in the CSTV/AVCA Division I-II Men's Coaches Top 15 Poll to No. 4. Lotman’s honor marks the 15th time a player from Long Beach State has been named Sports Imports/AVCA Division I-II Men's National Player of the Week. He was also the last 49er player to receive the honor, on March 19, 2007. Long Beach State is coached by Alan Knipe.