Well, so much for redemption.
After losing a four-set match to No. 2-ranked BYU on Thursday, the No. 4 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team showed little resistance Friday as it was defeated by the Cougars for the second night in a row.
This time, though, the 49ers were routed in straight sets — 25-23, 25-21, 25-22, in front of 3,296 at Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah.
LBSU hit a woeful .158, while BYU posted a .342 hitting percentage. The Cougars also held an 11-6 advantage in blocks.
Senior Kyle Friend led The Beach (12-12, 10-9 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) with nine kills, while freshman Taylor Crabb finished with eight kills, four digs and three blocks. Senior Kirk Francis also had a team-high five digs.
Futi Tavana paced the BYU (18-7, 14-6 MPSF) attack with 11 kills on a stellar .588 hitting percentage. Robb Stowell and Alex DaPron also finished with 10 kills apiece.
BYU stormed out to a 12-7 lead in the first set after a kill by Robb Stowell.
The 49ers eventually responded with an 11-6 run, capped by a Friend kill, to even the score at 18-18.
Tied at 21, The Cougars went on to outscore the 49ers, 4-2, down the stretch for the 25-23 win in the first frame.
In set two, LBSU took an early 8-6 advantage on a Crabb kill and stayed out front until BYU used an 8-1 run to take a five-point lead.
The Cougars went up by as many as six before The Beach roared back with three unanswered points, cutting the deficit to 23-20 on an ace by Josh Riley.
To no avail, though, BYU held on to take the frame, 25-21.
The 49ers started off strong in the third frame, holding an early 9-6 edge following a kill by Antwain Aguillard.
BYU then scored four straight points to go up, 10-9.
LBSU played catch-up from there and eventually tied it at 14-14 with back-to-back aces from Riley.
After trading points, the Cougars eventually pulled ahead, 20-18, and wouldn’t relinquish the lead en route to the 25-22 victory.
LBSU will return to action at the Walter Pyramid next week when it hosts UC Irvine on April 6. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
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