After a month of defeating foes at home, the No. 2 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team saw its eight-match winning streak snap with a sweep by Pepperdine and a tough 3-1 loss to Southern California.
It was the second time this season LBSU lost two consecutive matches, with the first time against Hawaii and USC two months ago.
It was an uncharacteristic weekend for the 49ers as they picked up their two lowest hitting percentages. They hit .184 on the first night against Pepperdine and got worse the following night against the Trojans, when they hit .180, a season-low.
Senior Taylor Crabb also had an unusual night after hitting a .182 clip against the Waves, the only team to have kept him under .200 all season.
LBSU (15-6, 12-6 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) started out strong against Pepperdine (13-5, 13-5 MPSF) with a 7-3 spurt but allowed the Waves to pull ahead after a break for a 13-11 advantage. The Waves stayed ahead the remainder of the set and finished it at 25-21.
A similar fate occurred as the second set ended at 25-21 with the Waves in control the whole time.
With one more chance to stay in the game, the 49ers kept the difference tight at the beginning of the third set, never trailing by more than one. They pulled ahead after a Crabb kill at 10-7, but a service error at 23-23 and three more errors allowed the Waves to pull away and win, 27-25.
The 49ers hoped to redeem themselves the following night after cutting their winning streak short and after USC (14-8, 13-8 MPSF) swept them in their home opener two months earlier. Instead, they ended the weekend in disappointment after a close four-set match.
Although the 49ers tallied a 14.5 to 7.5 advantage in team blocks, the Trojans outscored them with 30 more kills and 18 more digs.
Crabb was once again the only 49er to register double-digit kills with 15. The Trojans were led by three double-digit scorers: Tanner Jansen (26), Lucas Yoder (22) and Maddison McKibbin (13).
The Waves and the Trojans are the only teams that have swept the ‘Niners all season.
The 49ers will look to bounce back this week as they face UC San Diego on Thursday and UC Irvine on Friday. Both matches will begin at 7 p.m. and will be played on the road.