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The No. 1-ranked Long Beach State men’s volleyball team took a tough loss on the road at UC Irvine Friday night, as they were swept 25-17, 25-21, 25-21 by a hungry UC Irvine team looking to stay in the title hunt. The two teams will play in the Walter Pyramid tonight with the Big West championship at stake. LBSU (22-2, 8-1) would claim sole possession of the conference title with a win while Irvine (21-4, 7-2) could force a co-championship with a victory.
The Anteaters won every facet of the matchup on Friday with big serves and physical play at the net, outhitting the Beach .397 to .273.
“At this time of the year, the physicality factor is big,” said LBSU head coach Alan Knipe. “You’ve got to play these matches with complete intent to stay in this match. When you’re playing teams with their backs against the wall they’re going to be as physical and aggressive as they can and take a lot of chances.”
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The Beach welcomed back Clarke Godbold as he’s recovered from an injury that sidelined him for a few weeks and he hit .375 with eight kills, while Sotiris Siapanis had nine kills on .364 hitting. The Beach outblocked the ‘Eaters 7-6 but struggled to pass with some tough serving from Irvine.
Tonight’s match will start at 7pm in the Walter Pyramid.
