The 2025 NCAA men's volleyball tournament? Pure electricity. And at the center of it all, Long Beach State. They didn't just win. They took over.
Long Beach State Sends a Message
Let's set the stage. The Long Beach State Beach, hungry for glory since their back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019, faced off against UCLA for the championship. And just like that, Long Beach crushed UCLA in three straight sets. No mercy, no question. This wasn't just a win. This was a statement.
The Beach's performance was nothing short of straight up dominant. Skyler Varga and Moni Nikolov were the stars of the show. Nikolov, earning the title of Most Outstanding Player, was unstoppable. UCLA had no answer for his firepower.
The Road to the Title
This year's tournament was expanded to nine teams, with the Northeast Conference finally getting its automatic bid. The action kicked off at Penn State's Rec Hall, but the real drama unfolded at Ohio State's Covelli Center. The Beach, an at-large team, stormed through the competition, proving their doubters wrong.
And let's give a nod to the other All-Tournament standouts: Finn Kearney from Hawai'i, Ryan Barnett from Pepperdine, and Zach Rama and Cooper Robinson from UCLA. But in the end, it was Long Beach's night.
What's Next?
This is Long Beach's fourth national title, but it feels like just the beginning of another dynasty. With players like Varga and Nikolov leading the charge, don't be surprised if they're back on top next year. Handled business.
The Beach is back, and they mean it.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
