LA JOLLA, Calif. — No. 13 UC San Diego men's volleyball won set one on Friday night but were ultimately defeated 3-1 by No. 3 Long Beach State at LionTree Arena. The visiting beach won 23-25, 29-27, 25-21, 25-20.
 
The Tritons (11-10, 2-4 Big West) had 14 kills from both Leo Pravednikov and Sebastiano Sani. Setter John Luers had 42 assists. The Tritons hit .260, with the Beach hitting .310.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
A 4-0 run gave the Tritons a 12-8 lead and an advantage that they would hold for most of set one. UC San Diego got the lead up to five and looked ready to take the set up 24-19, but Long Beach clawed back by winning the next four points. A Pravednikov kill then ended the comeback effort and gave the Tritons the first set, 25-23.
 
The Tritons also pulled in front in set two, using a 5-0 run to go up 15-11 until Long Beach won the next three points to cut the lead back down to one. UC San Diego stayed in front, but never led by more than two after that. The Beach later called a timeout to help them tie the score at 23, with the visitors then getting their first set point up 24-23. That was the first of four set points that the Tritons would survive before Long Beach finally delivered on the fifth to take set two 29-27. UC San Diego never had a set point during that stretch.
 
A tight set three featured 14 ties and seven lead changes. The Tritons were up 20-18 late, with neither team having a lead larger than two before that point. Long Beach then went on a 6-0 run to have four set points up 24-20. The Tritons got one point back thanks to a Peter Selcho kill, but a subsequent service error ended the set at 25-21 for the Beach.
 
Long Beach opened set four with an early lead, going up 12-7. The closest the Tritons got was down two on multiple occasions before the visitors stretched the gap back to five at 20-15. UC San Diego fought back with a 4-1 run, but Long Beach responded by winning the next three points to lead 24-19. The Tritons saw a kill from Jim Garrison on the next rally before once again ending the set on a service error to give Long Beach the 25-20 set four victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Aidan Powell and Sebastiano Sani both played for Long Beach State in 2024, with Sani also playing for the Beach in 2025. The duo both played all four sets tonight. Sani started all four, with Powell coming off the bench as a serving sub.
• The Tritons have had 11 sets go past 25 this season, winning four and losing seven.

QUOTABLE
"Tonight we had some moments that were great, and some other moments where we have to be better, especially finishing late in some sets," head coach Brad Rostratter said. "We had great opportunities in the second and third sets that we were not quite able to capitalize on. So there are definitely some areas that we know we have to be a little cleaner on in that red zone going into tomorrow night's match."
 
UP NEXT
The two teams will face off again tomorrow night in Long Beach. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m., with the match also available on ESPN+.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.