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Long Beach State is playing host to the NCAA men’s volleyball world this week as the Walter Pyramid is the stie for this year’s NCAA Tournament. The No. 2- ranked Beach felt right at home and didn’t mind getting festive at their own party, wasting no time in a quick and dominant sweep of No. 7 Belmont Abbey 25-18, 25-14, 25-11.
“At this point of the season you just want to move on and our guys did a great job of that,” said LBSU coach Alan Knipe.
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The Beach outhit the Crusaders .447 to .129 in the match as they had balanced scoring, with setter Aidan Knipe spreading the ball around efficiently, with the team hitting .587 on balls set by Knipe. Sotiris Siapanis led the way outside with 11 kills on .625 hitting, along with six digs and a block. Right side Skyler Varga and outside Nathan Harlan each had 10 kills, while middles Simon Torwie (8) and DiAeris McRaven combined for 13 kills.
Asked about the way he worked the middle (with 23 attacks from the middle blockers), Aidan Knipe said, “I like to run as much quick bic as I can and our passing was lights out tonight. Simon is my roommate and I like setting him a lot—and DiAeris can fly too.”
Alan Knipe was confident enough in his team that he felt comfortable giving Big West Tournament MVP Clarke Godbold a night off, a decision made easier by how well Harlan has played this year.
“We’ve got a dilemma every night and that’s a good problem that they’ve given me,” said Knipe. “We want to make sure we use our depth to our advantage in a three-match week and Nathan’s proven that he can carry us on any given night.”
Long Beach State pounded the middle in the first set as Knipe put up nine balls to middle blockers Torwie and McRaven in the opening frame alone. They combined for four kills as the Beach hit .448 in the set, with Skyler Varga and Sotiris Siapanis each putting up five kills. While the Beach ran their offense efficiently, they did allow the Crusaders to hit .333 in the frame, however.
From that point on they gave up .167 and -.065 attack clips, and clearly ratcheted up their serving. Asked what made the difference between the first set and the others, Siapanis shrugged.
“Basically just effort,” he said. “Our offense was working really well in the first set so we relied on it a little bit more. It was a collective effort defensively to turn it around and keep it as a lower percentage.”
The Beach players acknowledged they were loving playing at home in the Pyramid even if it is technically a neutral court.
“It feels like playing at home, it’s the best venue in the country and I know every corner of the court,” said Siapanis. “We have the best fans in the country as well.”
The Beach had a sizable crowd and student section on hand, which didn’t go unnoticed by Aidan Knipe.
“It’s great that we get the student support too, the only thing that feels different is playing on a blue court,” he said.
Belmont Abbey was led by Zach Puentes’ 11 kills on .176 hitting, the only player who had more than six kills.
The Beach will face the winner of the Grand Canyon and Ohio State quarterfinal in the Final Four on Thursday at 6:30pm.
