Top-ranked Long Beach State men’s volleyball avenges loss to UC Irvine

IRVINE — One night after suffering its first loss of the season, the top-ranked Long Beach State men’s volleyball team avenged that defeat, sweeping fifth-ranked UC Irvine, 25-23, 25-19, 29-27, on Saturday night at a sold-out crowd of 4,758 at the Bren Events Center.

Alex Kandev had 15 kills on a .609 hitting percentage and Moni Nikolov had 10 kills, 35 assists, six digs and four blocks to pace LBSU (21-1 overall, 3-1 Big West). Long Beach turned things around from Friday’s three-set loss, hitting .424 to UCI’s .286 and holding an advantage in blocks (8.5-6) and aces (5-3).

Outside hitter Hilir Henno had a match-high 21 kills to lead the Anteaters (15-5, 1-3), while outside hitter Nolan Flexen had eight kills, four digs and three block assists and opposite hitter William D’Arcy added seven kills and three digs.

Tied at 17 in the first set, Long Beach scored four of the next six points for a 21-19 lead. LBSU had a set point at 24-22 before Henno deliver a kill for UCI. The second set point was successful when Nikolov found Kandev for a kill and a 25-23 win.

Long Beach held the Anteaters to a .179 hitting percentage in the second set and Danill Hershtynovich and Kandev each had four kills in the 25-19 win.

UCI led for most of the third set and had a set point at 24-23, but a Kandev kill knotted the score. The Anteaters regained the lead on a Hennor kill, but LBSU tied it again when Nolan Flexen committed a service error.

Nikolov and DiAeries McRaven blocked a Henno attempt for a 26-25 Long Beach advantage, but a triple block by UCI’s Joe Karlous, Micah Goss, and Henno on a Skyler Varga attempt again tied the score again. Micah Goss’ service error gave LBSU a 27-26 lead, but LBSU’s Ben Braun committed an attack error that for a 27-27 tie.

Long Beach regained the lead on a Kandev kill out of the back row. UC Irvine challenged the call, but it was unsuccessful. Nikolov, the national leader in service aces per game, delivered his first ace of the night, leading to another UCI challenge but the call was upheld to end the match.