By Naoki Gima
LOS ANGELES– Following a 3-1 victory over the defending NCAA champions, UCLA, the previous night at The Walter Pyramid, The Beach would be handed a 3-1 loss of their own as the Bruins used their home-court advantage to hand The Beach their first loss of the season.
The first set was as close as it could be, as the Bruins took the first set with a score of 29-27. Both teams traded points toward the end of the set but it would be the Bruins that came out on top.
02/10/2024 – Los Angeles, CALIF: Long Beach State men’s volleyball freshman middleblocker Lazar Bouchkov (black #27) blocks a kill attempt against UCLA at the Pauley Pavilion. Bouchkov would end the game with three block assists and six kills as the Beach fell to the Bruins 3-1. Photo credit: Naoki Gima
The Beach evened the odds by taking the set with the same scoreline, winning the set 29-27. At this point in the game, it seemed as if both teams had figured out one another and neither team could gain an advantage.
It would be in the third set where things started clicking for the Bruins. The Beach would give up multiple runs against the Bruins and UCLA would capitalize on that as they won the third set 19-25 and the final set 20-25.
Long Beach State men’s volleyball head coach Alan Knipe highlighted the main factors that led to the loss and acknowledged the things that UCLA did well.
02/10/2024 – Los Angeles, CALIF: Long Beach State men’s volleyball head coach Alan Knipe watches from the bench as his team takes on the defending NCAA champions, the UCLA Bruins, at the Pauley Pavilion. The Beach would fall to the Bruins 3-1 as they would suffer their loss of the season. Photo credit: Naoki Gima
“We got aced five more times and you know, when the margins are as close as they are, that’s a big difference,” Knipe said. “We can’t get aced and you know we’ll be better at that and they served well tonight.”
Senior opposite hitter Clark Godbold led The Beach in scoring despite their loss with 17 points and 15 kills. Junior outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis was second on the team in scoring with 14 points and 13 kills.
Clark Godbold despite the loss took a lot away from the two-day series and is already looking forward to the next game.
“It’s definitely a good two days for us to see their serves and to play against a high-level match,” Godbold said. “We’re just gonna get grinding back on Monday.”
The Beach will take on Central State at the LBSU Tournament on Friday, Feb. 16 at The Walter Pyramid.
This article was edited on Feb. 12, 2024 for accuracy.
