Match Stats
- #2 Long Beach State def. #12 UCSB 3-0, (25-17, 25-23, 25-20)
- Long Beach State improves to 12-2, 8-1 MPSF
- UCSB falls to 6-8, 3-8 MPSF
- Hosted by UCSB
The #2 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team win’s their fifth straight match in a three set sweep over #12 UCSB.
For Long Beach State, TJ Falco posted a double-double with 14 kills and 13 digs on a .619 hitting percentage while Kyle Ensing put down 12 kills. Amir Lugo-Rodriguez added seven kills and seven blocks in the match.
UCSB was led offensively by Hayden Boehle with nine kills and five digs.
Press Release
Courtesy of Long Beach State Athletics
Behind a double-double from TJ DeFalco, the No. 2 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team earned its fifth-straight sweep as the Beach defeated No. 12 UC Santa Barbara in straight sets (25-17, 25-23, 25-20) on Wednesday night at Rob Gym.
With its fifth-straight victory, Long Beach State improved to 12-2 overall and 8-1 in MPSF action. Meanwhile, UC Santa Barbara fell to 6-8 on the year and 3-8 in league play.
DeFalco led all scorers with 14 kills and 13 digs for his second double-double of the year and the eighth of his career. The sophomore outside hitter notched a .619 attack percentage (14-1-21) to help lead the offense. He also added two blocks and a pair of assists.
The Beach had several solid offensive efforts as they hit .463 (47-9-82) as a team. Leading the 49ers’ attack game was senior middle blocker Bryce Yould who hit a sizzling .778 with seven kills on nine attempts without committing an error. Tonight’s match marked the third straight contest that Yould has not committed an attack error as he improved his season hitting percentage to .513 (72-13-115).
Long Beach State was firing on all cylinders in each set as the Beach hit .478 in set one, .517 in set two and .400 in set three. Pacing the steady offensive attack for the 49ers was sophomore setter Josh Tuaniga who dished out 40 assists. Tuaniga had an all-around positive performance as he added five digs, two solo blocks and a service ace.
In addition to their hot-hitting, the Long Beach State defense was on point once again as they limited the Gauchos to a .101 clip. LBSU forced UC Santa Barbara into 19 attack errors and took advantage of eight service errors.
Senior middle blocker Amir Lugo-Rodriguez put up a team-leading seven block assists, while Kyle Ensing added four.
Ensing was a force on both defense and offense as he tallied 12 kills for his eighth double-figure kill performance of the year, while adding seven digs. He hit .385 (12-2-16), while also contributing one assist in the contest.
The Beach took the lead in the first set on a UCSB service error and never looked back as they led the rest of the way. Long Beach State held a comfortable lead throughout the frame as UC Santa Barbara took a timeout with the 49ers up 14-8, before calling for another break in action when the Beach extended their lead to eight (21-13). Behind five kills and four digs from DeFalco, the Beach went on to win the first set by a score of 25-17.
The second set saw three early ties, but LBSU broke the 5-5 tie on a kill from Andrew Whitt, who would finish the match with seven kills. The lead Whitt gave the Beach was all the momentum they would need to never allow the Gauchos back into the game as they went on to take the second set, 25-23.
The third and final set of the match was the most competitive. The two teams fought through nine ties and four lead changes before Long Beach State came out on top after back-to-back kills by Yould and Lugo-Rodriguez sparked a 5-0 run. The 49ers would go on to complete the sweep of the Gauchos with a 25-20 set win to close out the match.
Hayden Boehle led the Gauchos with nine kills, while Chase McGarry posted 19 assists. Hayden Boehle and Parker Boehle each contributed five digs, while Henri Cherry led at the net with four total blocks.
Long Beach State looks to improve on its five-match winning streak when it travels to No. 5 UCLA on Saturday, Feb. 18 for a 4 p.m. contest which will take place inside the Wooden Center.
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