The Long Beach State men’s volleyball team saw its season come to an end as top seeded BYU topped the 49ers 3-1 in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
LBSU head coach Alan Knipe said that his team wasn’t able to keep BYU off their game or get into a system of their own to win the match.
“Ultimately, we didn’t get the result we wanted, but I’m incredibly proud of each and every one who wears the black and gold,” Knipe said.
Serving errors and a struggle to put away attacks plagued the 49ers and ended their run for a National Championship. LBSU had a staggering 19 service errors and struggled against the tough serve of BYU, which totaled six service aces for the match.
The 49ers kept pace with the Cougars the first three sets, taking set two and eliminating BYU’s hopes for a sweep.
Exhaustion set in for the 49ers in set four as team kill leader T.J. DeFalco struggled to find his pace and land a kill shot. DeFalco hit .298 on the night, picking up 23 kills with nine errors. The 49ers as a whole hit .244 on the night, compared to the Cougars’ .337 hitting percentage.
Sophomore outside hitter Brenden Sander led the Cougars with 14 kills and no errors on the night, while sophomore opposite hitter Ben Patch followed close behind with 13.
Knipe said that he is proud of his team for making it to the semifinals and that they are on the right path for the future.
“This is exactly where we wanted to be and we like where we’re going,” Knipe said.