The Walter Pyramid was rocking Friday night with 4,304 fans in attendance, the third-largest crowd in Long Beach State men’s volleyball history.
Long Beach State came into the game ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll but a tough No. 4 UCLA team came to play early. The game was a constant battle to take the lead with 37 total ties and 18 total lead changes.
UCLA’s six-foot-seven outside hitter Ido David scored a kill that began a 5-2 run for the Bruins and ended the game with a team-leading 15 kills.
The Beach and UCLA would give up costly service errors to one another but kills from redshirt senior Merrick McHenry and senior Ethan Champlin give the Bruins a 1-0 lead, winning the set 25-22.
“You have to be good and handle the fact that they’re going to make good plays and almost all the games end up being duece. You have to have a short memory,” head coach Alan Knipe said.
“The guys did a really good job when things got a little dicey at times, which will happen in the match, of having the ‘so what’ side out mentality.”
Long Beach State did just that as a 6-2 run boosted The Beach when sophomore outside hitter Skyler Varga started the run, giving them a 12-8 lead.
During the third set, however, it was announced that Natalie Reagan would be the Long Beach State women’s volleyball interim head coach next season after former head coach Tyler Hildebrand left The Beach.
The Beach would go on another 6-2 run in the middle of the set but UCLA would score five points of their own off three errors and two service aces, bringing the lead to 19-18 Long Beach State.
UCLA’s head coach Billy Martin didn’t realize he used all of his substitutions and because of that, UCLA had no setter for the final three points.
This blunder gave The Beach a huge advantage and after multiple errors by UCLA, Long Beach State would steal the set and take momentum from the Bruins, evening the score 1-1.
“Nathan Harlan did a great job […] he recognized [it] without us saying anything [about] their situation and he made sure he put four serves in a row to give us that opportunity,” Knipe said about the substitution error.
That set gave The Beach the energy to continue going back and forth against UCLA with senior opposite Clarke Godbold as he scored six key kills for his team.
UCLA’s Champlin gets a kill through the Long Beach State defense and gives UCLA set point 24-22, but two errors give The Beach a 24-24 game.
Champlin would get another kill, extending the lead to one. But kills from Godbold and a service ace from Alex Knight give The Beach the lead with a 2-1 set advantage.
Long Beach State refused to give up the lead during the last set with key contributions from Varga with his six kills in the set, helping The Beach with a 4-2 and 8-6 run to beat the Bruins 3-1.
Junior outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis helped with the scoring output as he had 18 kills and five digs throughout the night.
“We know this game was going to be tough serving from both ends so I was prepared to take some big swings,” Siapanis said. “I wasn’t serving throughout the game [but] I knew coach always had my back.”
“These are the nights these guys will remember for the rest of their lives,” Knipe said. “These packed arenas, the energy in the building—this is what athletes dream of.”
Long Beach State will look to continue their undefeated streak as they go to UCLA on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. to finish the two-game series.
This story was edited on Feb. 11, 2024 for accuracy.