LBSU falls to rival UCLA in championship round

No. 2 Long Beach State (LBSU) and No. 1 University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) clashed in the Walter Pyramid Saturday night for the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship. The Southern California rivalry filled the stands with waves of blue and yellow-donned fans to crown the next champions.

The Beach avoided a complete sweep, but the reigning champion Bruins defended their title and took home the trophy for the second season in a row, beating LBSU 3-1.

UCLA head coach John Speraw and the Bruins served a heartbreaking defeat to Alan Knipe and the Beach that muted Long Beach fans and the LBSU student section for the majority of the game.

UCLA players celebrate and hold up the NCAA championship trophy in LBSU’s 3-1 loss in the NCAA championship on May 4, 2024. (Jonathan Bigall | Signal Tribune)

Senior outside hitter Ethan Champlin led UCLA in both offense and defense with 15 kills and 6 blocks. Redshirt sophomore Libero Matthew Aziz darted around the floor on defense, racking up 9 digs.

LBSU junior outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis led the Beach’s offense with 12 kills while DiAeris McRaven’s 6 blocks led the defensive front. The Beach were tripped up early by their attack errors, earning 7 in the first set. By the end of the night, the Beach racked up 24 attack errors to the Bruins’ 18.

UCLA stayed just a few steps ahead of LBSU in the first two sets. The Bruins took set one 25-21, only losing the lead twice. They took set two 25-20 while only falling behind once, despite the LBSU student section hurling insults and booing whenever a Bruin served.

LBSU Head Coach Alan Knipe talks to his players in LBSU’s 3-1 loss to UCLA in the NCAA championship on May 4, 2024. (Jonathan Bigall | Signal Tribune)

The Beach attempted a comeback in the third set, taking the Bruins into extra sets and winning 27-25. Senior libero Mason Briggs, who has been LBSU’s defensive stronghold in the tournament, did his best to build momentum by egging the crowd back into the match and drawing cheers from the home crowd.

LBSU tried to keep its season alive, but were bested in the fourth set and lost 25-21. UCLA’s Ethan Champlin deflected a spike from LBSU, prompting sophomore opposite hitter Skylar Varga into an error when he tapped the ball out of bounds. The Bruin bench stormed the court to dogpile their teammates as LBSU players once again fell to their rivals.