The 2025 NCAA men's volleyball championship? Owned by Long Beach State. And let's be real, it wasn't even close.
DOMINANCE DEFINED
Long Beach State didn’t just win. They swept UCLA 3-0. Straight up dominant. Set scores? 25-22, 25-20, 25-23. The team was a machine, and UCLA had no answer.
Alex Nikolov was the force. He ran the show with 18 kills and a .480 hitting percentage. UCLA's blockers just couldn’t keep up. And just like that, the match was flipped.
Long Beach's defense? Rock solid. Mason Briggs dug up everything, racking up 15 digs. They were a wall, and UCLA felt the pressure.
A HISTORY OF CLASHES
This victory adds another chapter to the fierce rivalry. Remember 2018? Long Beach edged out UCLA 3-2. And in 2024, UCLA had their moment, winning 3-1. But this time? Long Beach took over.
UCLA's Merrick McHenry tried to spark something with 12 kills, but it wasn’t enough. Long Beach handled business, plain and simple.
LOOKING AHEAD
With this win, Long Beach State claims their third title in seven years. They've now set the bar high for the next season. You could feel it coming. John Speraw's UCLA squad will be back, no doubt, but they'll need to regroup.
This championship? A statement. Long Beach State is the real deal. That’ll do it.
Source: NCAA
