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Coming off a big emotional sweep of rival No. 10 Pepperdine on Friday night, fans might have expected a bit of a letdown match from No. 3 Long Beach State on Saturday evening in the Walter Pyramid. They got the exact opposite, as the Beach absolutely dominated previously undefeated MPSF foe Concordia in a three-set sweep that lasted less than 80 minutes. Even as reserves rotated in for the Beach, the lead continued to grow in a 25-15, 25-8, 25-9 sweep.
The Beach hit a season-high .580 while holding Concordia to an opponent-low -.093, while playing 15 players.
“I keep talking about how good our training gym is, the coaches and players have been saying it,” LBSU coach Alan Knipe said. “It’s a big strength of our team. Where people don’t see it a lot of times is in our matches, but I see it every day in practice.”
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It was a great night for a team that has boasted about its depth, as 10 players recorded a kill. Reserve middle blocker DiAeris McRaven came in and had a couple of high-bouncer kills with two kills on two swings, and normal service sub Nathan Harlan recorded a pair of kills as well.
Harlan, a fifth-year senior, said it was nice to come back to the Pyramid and a rowdy crowd after traveling across the country.
“We were all excited to get back in the Pyramid, having the section back,” he said. “We love all the students and other sports teams that support us…it adds a level of intensity for the other team. I bet Concordia felt it tonight, Pepperdine felt is last night.”
While the team’s depth was impressive, the entire stat sheet was covered in evidence of Beach dominance. They outblocked Concordia 14-0, out-dugt them 25-11, and had six aces to Concordia’s one. It was a good night for Knipe and the Beach. Asked if he was able to appreciate blowouts even in the midst of a long and decorated career, Knipe said, “I absolutely do enjoy these nights, it might not always seem like it with the way I talk about matches. The guys who got a chance to do something tonight have been doing the exact same thing in our practice gym for weeks.”
The Beach was led by the usual suspects. Clarke Godbold had eight kills on .636 hitting, three digs, and five blocks; SKyler Varga and Sotiris Siapanis each had six kills; libero Mason Briggs had six digs; middle blocker Simon Torwie had three kills, two aces, and two blocks; and new middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov had three kills and eight blocks.
Torwie agreed with his coach that the team’s depth is a big strength, both this year and in the time he’s been a part of it.
“Since we do have so much talent in the gym there’s a lot of competition, sometimes maybe more fierce than games that we play,” he said. “Indirectly that builds trust.”
The Beach will host King on Friday and Saturday back at the Pyramid next week, before turning their attention to a big back-to-back showdown with UCLA the following week.
