Well, so much for redemption.
After losing a four-set match to No. 2-ranked BYU on Thursday, the No. 4 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team showed little resistance Friday as it was defeated by the Cougars for the second night in a row.
This time, though, the 49ers were routed in straight sets — 25-23, 25-21, 25-22, in front of 3,296 at Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah.
LBSU hit a woeful .158, while BYU posted a .342 hitting percentage. The Cougars also held an 11-6 advantage in blocks.
Senior Kyle Friend led The Beach (12-12, 10-9 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) with nine kills, while freshman Taylor Crabb finished with eight kills, four digs and three blocks. Senior Kirk Francis also had a team-high five digs.
Futi Tavana paced the BYU (18-7, 14-6 MPSF) attack with 11 kills on a stellar .588 hitting percentage. Robb Stowell and Alex DaPron also finished with 10 kills apiece.
BYU stormed out to a 12-7 lead in the first set after a kill by Robb Stowell.
The 49ers eventually responded with an 11-6 run, capped by a Friend kill, to even the score at 18-18.
Tied at 21, The Cougars went on to outscore the 49ers, 4-2, down the stretch for the 25-23 win in the first frame.
In set two, LBSU took an early 8-6 advantage on a Crabb kill and stayed out front until BYU used an 8-1 run to take a five-point lead.
The Cougars went up by as many as six before The Beach roared back with three unanswered points, cutting the deficit to 23-20 on an ace by Josh Riley.
To no avail, though, BYU held on to take the frame, 25-21.
The 49ers started off strong in the third frame, holding an early 9-6 edge following a kill by Antwain Aguillard.
BYU then scored four straight points to go up, 10-9.
LBSU played catch-up from there and eventually tied it at 14-14 with back-to-back aces from Riley.
After trading points, the Cougars eventually pulled ahead, 20-18, and wouldn’t relinquish the lead en route to the 25-22 victory.
LBSU will return to action at the Walter Pyramid next week when it hosts UC Irvine on April 6. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.
