LONG BEACH — The top-ranked Long Beach State men’s volleyball team remained unbeaten and earned a sliver of revenge on Friday night, defeating third-ranked UCLA, 3-1, at the Walter Pyramid in a rematch of their NCAA title match last spring.
Skyler Varga had 12 kills and Daniil Hershtynovich had 10 for Long Beach, which won, 25-21, 20-25, 25-16, 25-22. Moni Nikolov had seven aces, five kills and 35 assists, and Lazar Bouchkov led the team in blocks as LBSU (9-0) held the Bruins (6-2) to a .304 hitting percentage.
Zach Rama led UCLA with 15 kills and Cooper Robinson added 10 blocks and six digs for the Bruins, who defeated LBSU in four sets for their second straight national title last May at the Pyramid.
Long Beach stayed ahead of the Bruins (6-2) throughout the first set. LBSU held a 10-8 lead then extended the margin to 23-16, but the Bruins took five of the next six points to get within 24-21 before a UCLA service error ended the set.
UCLA found its rhythm in the second frame, but neither team built more than a two-point lead early. UCLA took a 9-7 lead on a Cameron Thorne kill and a David Decker ace, then went ahead 12-9 when Matthew Edwards hit one off the Long Beach block for a point. The Bruins went ahead by three again at 21-18 and rode that momentum to a set point at 24-19. Bouchkov kept Long Beach alive with a kill, but UCLA answered with a Rama kill to take the set and knot the match.
The third set stayed competitive with runs of momentum for both sides. A huge block from Nikolov and DiAeris McRaven gave Long Beach State its first lead of the set at 6-5, and another Nikolov ace pushed the lead to 11-7. McRaven continued to be a force at the net as he and Nikolov helped fuel a three-point run for a 17-11 lead. The pace of the match picked up as Long Beach opened a 22-15 lead. Nikolov’s fourth ace produced a set point and Long Beach took control of the match.
Nikolov added three aces to begin the fourth set and Long Beach opened a 12-8 lead before the Bruins ran off three points in a row. Long Beach surged ahead 23-18 before the Bruins closed to within 24-21 with Andrew Rowan serving. A Siapanis hit off the block created match point for Long Beach, and a UCLA service error ended it.
The teams will square off again on Wednesday night, this time at Pauley Pavilion.