This match? Straight up dominant.
Long Beach State took the NCAA men's volleyball championship by storm, sweeping UCLA in a clean 3-0 victory. And just like that, the Beach claimed their fourth title in program history. Moni Nikolov, the towering 6-foot-10 freshman, led the charge with six kills and four aces. He started the night with an opening-serve ace and ended UCLA’s dreams with a hammer of a kill.
UCLA Had No Answer
Trailing 1-0 in sets, UCLA had a glimmer of hope, leading 18-13 in the second. But Long Beach State? Different. They stormed back with a 12-5 run to snatch the set 25-23. You could feel it coming.
In the third, Alex Kandev's kill put Long Beach State ahead at 4-3, and they never looked back. Kandev was a problem for UCLA, posting a .452 hitting percentage.
Beach Ran the Show
The Bruins came in with the second-best hitting efficiency nationally, but they were stifled. The Beach out-hit UCLA .354 to .192. No joke, they had no answer for Long Beach State’s length and firepower.
This was the third meeting between these powerhouses this season, and Long Beach State owned a 9-1 set advantage. UCLA was chasing a historic three-peat, but the Beach handled business and shut that down.
Born for This
Nikolov summed it up best: "Not for one second did we think we were going to lose that game. We were born for this." That confidence? Intense.
Long Beach State, now 30-3, becomes the national champion for the first time since 2019, adding to their titles from 2018 and 1991. Coach Alan Knipe, once a player on that '91 team, knows what it takes to win.
And from here… well, don’t be surprised if they keep this streak alive. Long Beach State is the real deal.
Source: latimes.com
