LONG BEACH, Calif. - The UC San Diego men's volleyball program went up against the No. 1 team in the land Wednesday night, falling in straight sets to Long Beach State inside the Walter Pyramid. Set scores were 25-19, 25-12 and 25-14.
In beginning the second half of its 2016 season, UCSD moved to 3-12 overall and 0-11 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). Long Beach State won its sixth straight in advancing to 12-2 overall and 9-2 in league play. The 49ers thus took over sole possession of first place in the MPSF, by half a match over UCLA and Stanford, which are both at 8-2.
UCSD tallied the night's first point on a 49er service error, and hung in through the early parts, but down 7-6, allowed the next five points and had to call the first timeout of the match trailing 12-6. The home side came out of the break and extended its run to 6-0. The Tritons later put together a 5-1 stretch of their own, including a big combo block by Shayne Beamer and Milosh Stojcic, to close back to within just three at 17-14. The next two went to LBSU, however, as the visitors called their second and final timeout. UCSD could get no closer than four for the remainder, dropping the set despite hitting an efficient .400 (12-2-25).
LBSU got out to a 4-0 lead in the second with two kills sandwiched around its first block of the night, and a service ace by Kyle Ensing. A huge stuff by Triton sophomore Alec Flowers and freshman Nathan Thalken made it 6-3 49ers. Bryce Yould's third ace of the contest gave his team an 11-6 advantage. A four-point sequence around UCSD's first timeout gave the hosts a decent bulge at 18-10.
The teams traded the first four points of the third frame before a 3-0 run by the Beach forced the early UCSD timeout, down 5-2. Another 5-0 stretch put the 49ers firmly in command at 12-4, en route to finishing off the sweep.
Thalken, making his third start at opposite hitter, provided four of his season-high seven kills in the first frame. Flowers added seven kills of his own on .600 (7-1-10) hitting. Junior middle Shayne Beamer had six kills at a .364 (6-2-11) clip. Milosh Stojcic dished out 25 assists and senior Kirill Rudenko collected five digs.
"The big difference in tonight's match was from the service line," said UCSD head coach Kevin Ring. "Long Beach State had 12 aces, so they definitely kept us out of system. When we were passing well, our middle hitters, Shayne Beamer and Alec Flowers, both hit really well. What we were stressing and working on all night, was looking for improved passing and having the ability to run an in-system offense, which we just didn't get much of the night.
"When you're facing the number-one team in the country on their home court, you've got to be at your best right from the start, and finish strong. We certainly had some moments. We had a few bright spots on the night, but we still need more consistent play, start to finish."
Yould (10) and freshman TJ DeFalco (11) each got to double-figure kills for LBSU, which hit .466 (42-8-73) as a unit. DeFalco just missed a double-double with a match-high nine digs, and also duplicated Yould's three aces among the Beach's season-best 12. Setter Josh Tuaniga wound up with 36 assists and two aces.
UCSD rounds out a season-long four-match road string this Friday night, Feb. 19, at No. 13 CSUN. First serve inside The Matadome in Northridge is set for 7 p.m.
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