The No. 4 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team was swept by host and No. 14 UC Santa Barbara at Robertson Gymnasium on Saturday.
The 49ers (1-2) lost in three sets, 25-30, 19-30, 26-30, to the Gauchos in the finale of the 45th annual Elephant Bar Restaurant Collegiate Invitational.
Playing without All-American Dean Bittner, LBSU hit just .107 in the opening set to get off to a slow start
UCSB (2-1), the top-seeded team in the tournament, hit a match-high .600 to seal set two.
In the final set, the ‘Niners out-hit the Gauchos .243 to .229, but three LBSU attack errors down the stretch allowed UCSB to take a 30-26 win to close the match.
Junior outside hitter Tommy Pestolesi led The Beach with 11 kills.
The 49ers return to the net to host UC San Diego in the home opener on Friday at the Walter Pyramid. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
