LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Against one of the premier programs in the NCAA DI for men's volleyball, Vanguard made two sets competitive inside the Long Beach State Pyramid. However, LBSU won 25-21, 25-16, 26-24, improving to 9-1, while VU dropped to 3-8.
Logan Freemon had nine kills for VU to lead the way, with
Grant Veldman next with eight.
What Happened? A kill by Freemon put VU ahead 2-1, while an attack error a few rallies later gave Vanguard another slim edge at 6-5. After that, the game was a back-and-forth affair, as neither side managed to collect extensive leads, with 10 ties happening as a result. However, knotted at 16-16, LBSU laid down a 5-0 run that put the home side in an advantageous position, and The Beach use an ace to take the first set 25-21. VU hit a team-best .226 in the period, with 13 kills and six errors on 31 swings, while LBSU hit .375 (11-2-24).
Set 2:
Cole Oliver slotted in an ace to open the second, and a Veldman strike made it 2-0. However, the Lions stalled when the team was ahead 8-6 and Long Beach State scored the next six points to vault ahead 13-8. Despite that, the Blue and Gold did not let the hosts skip away and eventually found a 3-0 interval to tie things at 15-15. Unfortunately, that was the all that was left in the tank in the second. LBSU struck for 10 of the next 11 points to take the middle stanza 25-16. Long Beach hit .375 again, while Vanguard had a .063 mark.
Set 3:
A block by
Micah Sybesma and Freemon helped VU run out a 5-1 edge to start the third, but Long Beach would tie things at 7-7 after that with a 6-2 stretch. Six more points for The Beach came and went without a VU rebuttal, until finally Oliver ended the run with a slam. LBSU kept a step ahead through the next segment of the period, but Vanguard remained tucked up behind them. Sybesma had a kill, and a few rallies later, a Freemon ace leveled the period at 17-all. The excitment remained high the rest of teh way, as the teams exchanged points and leads. Seven ties walked the score up to 23-23, but each side then made a service error, giving the fans bonus rallies tied at 24-24. However, there would not be many, as LBSU got a kill and an attack error to secure the set 26-24 to complete the sweep. The hosts hit a match-best .393 in the third, with VU at a .100 clip.
The Lions hit .149 in the match, while LBSU was at a .382 rate. Vanguard had a 22-20 lead in digs on the night, and Oliver tied for the match-high in digs with seven. Behind him in digs was
Jacob Bayston, who had six, and Freemon, who had five. Freemon hit .412 with nine kills and two errors on 17 swings.
Brock Henderson had 19 assists, and Sybesma had two block assists to pace the Blue and Gold.
What's Next? A Friday night tilt against NAIA #1 The Master's at 7:00 p.m. inside the Freed Center for Leadership & Service.
