In a close match at the Walter Pyramid that went to five sets on Friday, The Beach won against Loyola Chicago 3-2 to continue its six-game winning streak.
The Long Beach State fans made their presence heard, taunting the Ramblers during each serve and arriving in pajamas as they shouted chants all game long.
Junior outside hitter Nathan Harlan explained how he gets into the moment with a full crowd. “Being a serving sub for the last two years has prepped me into games like that,” Harlan said.
LBSU Junior outside hitter Clarke Godbold was a key player in the victory, as he compiled a total of 20 kills by the end of the game; setting a career high.
The Beach had 41 digs as they edged the Ramblers by the narrowest of margins.
Sophomore outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis demonstrated why he earned the chance to be on the floor by serving three aces in the match. With a dive that made him run into the announcers, Siapanis was able to rescue the third set for The Beach.
It was a back-and-forth match that seemed that it would end in the fourth set with LBSU winning sooner, but the Ramblers remained persistent and extended the match to a final set.
With 65 combined assists LBSU demonstrated what it’s like to effectively work as a team.
Redshirt Junior setter Aidan Knipe heavily contributed to the total amount of assists finishing the contest with 54.
Throughout the match, the middles for LBSU were efficient to the point where head coach Alan Knipe said this is the best he’s seen them up till now.
“It’s something we’ve been pushing in practice, we’ve been trying to have a big presence in the middle of the court, front row and back row,” Knipe said.
The Beach will continue to put their winning streak to the test when they visit UCLA on Thursday Feb 9.
“The details I won’t get into. They’ll be good, they’re a talented team and we’ll worry about that next week,” Knipe said.