No. 13 UC San Diego men’s volleyball (11-11, 2-5 Big West) dropped a hard-fought match to No. 3 Long Beach State (18-4, 4-2 Big West) in four sets on Friday night at LionTree Arena. Despite taking the opening set against the defending national champions, the Tritons couldn’t sustain their momentum, ultimately falling 3-1 after a series of tightly-contested sets.
“It’s just finishing, right?” head coach Brad Rostratter said in a postgame interview with The UCSD Guardian. “We were right there [in] set two, had a lot of great opportunities, couldn’t quite finish, and even [in] set one, we almost let it slip away late. And then, set three, we were right there 20-20, and they made a few good plays.”
The match opened in sloppy fashion with early service errors from both sides before redshirt junior outside hitter Leo Pravednikov recorded the first kill of the night. After LBSU tied the score at seven on an ace, redshirt junior outside hitter Josh Ewert responded with a powerful kill to spark a 4-point UCSD run.
The Tritons maintained control of the game with strong net play, including a momentum-stopping block from redshirt senior setter John Luers and a kill from junior outside hitter Sebastiano Sani to extend the lead to 15-11. Though the Beach mounted a late push, scoring four straight points and notching two aces to tighten the set, Pravednikov delivered the finishing blow with a kill to seal a 25-23 first-set victory for UCSD.
UCSD carried that energy into the second set, jumping out to a quick 15-11 lead. The teams traded points in a back-and-forth battle that featured eight ties by the time the score reached 21-21. Sani and redshirt senior middle blocker Jim Garrison delivered key kills to maintain the Tritons’ edge while Pravednikov kept rallies alive with relentless hustle, including a highlight-reel save by the back bleachers.
“I think our defense today was really something crazy,” Sani said. “We really hustled to every point; we didn’t let balls drop.”
Sani came through in clutch moments late in the set, erasing a LBSU set point with a kill to extend play. However, LBSU ultimately prevailed in the marathon frame, winning 29-27 after a decisive back-row attack.
The third set followed a similar script. Neither side was able to gain separation early, as the two remained tied through the first 11 points. The Beach finally broke through with a 13-11 advantage — the first multiple-point lead of the set. It didn’t last long, as UCSD responded with a block by Luers and consecutive kills from Sani and Pravednikov.
Sani continued to energize the Tritons with back-to-back kills, even drawing a yellow card for an emphatic celebration, pushing them ahead 20-18. Still, LBSU refused to fade, rallying to reach set point as part of a 6-0 run. A service error ended the set 25-21 in favor of LBSU.
“We know Long Beach is a good opponent,” Sani said. “I think the first three sets were really neck and neck with them. A couple runs we gave up late gave them the set, but yeah, it was a good match.”
The Beach quickly seized control in the fourth set. LBSU’s advantage at the net became increasingly apparent, as it built a 12-7 lead, its largest of the night.
Forced to turn to their bench after three grueling sets, the Tritons found a spark in redshirt senior opposite hitter Luke Chandler and redshirt senior middle blocker Peter Selcho, who each contributed key kills to cut the deficit to 21-19. However, the Beach responded with three unanswered points to reach match point. A Triton service error sealed the 25-20 set and the 3-1 victory for LBSU.
Pravednikov and Sani led UCSD offensively with 14 kills apiece, but it was UCSD’s defensive effort and relentless hustle which stood out.
“It’s been an area we knew we had to be pretty good [at] throughout Big West play, just with the teams we’re playing,” Rostratter said. “We’re going to have to fight, so definitely something we knew we have to upgrade from early on in the year. … [We’re] excited with the progress, but obviously sucks when it doesn’t end up with a result of a win like we want.”
The Tritons lost their rematch at Long Beach State the next day in four sets. They will be taking on Hawai’i on Friday at LionTree Arena.
