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The No. 3-ranked Long Beach State men’s volleyball team remained undefeated after a thrilling five-setter with No. 12 Loyola Chicago in the Walter Pyramid. In front of a great crowd of more than 1,500 loud and rowdy fans, the Beach dropped the first set then bounced back to go up 2-1 before eventually needing extra points in the ith set, winning 23-25, 25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 17-15.
“It was a great atmosphere in the Pyramid tonight,” said Long Beach State coach Alan Knipe. “We had a huge student section, it’s nice to have them back on campus…it’s a special place to play when it’s full.”
The match featured two major storylines for the Beach, who won their sixth straight match to open the season. The first was the excellent play of their middle blockers, Shane Holdaway and Simon Torwie, who combined for 21 kills on 33 attacks with no hitting errors, as well as nine blocks. The Beach got 21 kills in the middle, 20 kills from Clarke Godbold on the right side, and 24 kills from Sotiris Siapanis and Nathan Harlan on the left.
“I thought (setter Aidan Knipe) set a really good game and did a great job distributing the ball to all our guys,” said Knipe. The Beach hit .370 in the match while showing off their improved program depth.
The other big storyline besides seeing the middles activated was the job Harlan did coming off the bench for a struggling Spencer Olivier at OH. Olivier was hitting -.154 with six errors when he came out of the match in the second set, with the Beach trailing 16-12. Harlan came in as a service sub but the Beach went on a 5-0 run with him serving to take the lead, and Knipe said he didn’t even think about taking him out of the game at that point.
“You’re not going to change that up,” he said. “We took the lead on his serve and we rode that momentum. We have plenty of guys in our gym--it took a couple of years to get back to having some depth but we feel like we have it and we’re going to use it…I have no problem using guys at any spot we have in the gym.”
Harlan has been a stalwart service sub for the Beach over the last two seasons including in some bright light-type matches. He said his ability to come in those high-pressure situations made it a breeze for him to step in tonight in a big moment and end up putting up nine kills, seven digs, and two blocks.
“I have to be prepped to go in cold and hit my best serve at any point, at any position,” he said. “I think that helped prep me to come into a game like tonight.”
Godbold was special on Friday as well, with a career-high 20 kills on .395 hitting, with seven blocks and three digs.
With the match tied 13-13 in the fifth set, Godbold had a back row attack where he hit it at the net, just sneaking it between to blockers for a huge kill to avoid giving the Ramblers a match point opportunity. The acrobatic point brought the crowd to its feet, which Godbold smiled about after the match.
“I’m there to swing, I’m not there to chop out or tip out,” he said. “It’s the fifth set, 13 all, you might as well swing. I know my guys have my back to cover for me and if not we’ll set up and get the next point.”
Godbold, a junior, said it was enjoyable being back in the Pyramid with a raucous crowd.
“It’s fun to play away games in different atmospheres, but seeing your crowd and your family in the stands, it’s a really fun time,” he said. “We’re really grateful to have great fans here in Long Beach.”
The Beach finally put the nearly three-hour match away late in the fifth after Siapanis broke a 15-15 deuce with back-to-back kills. Siapanis had 15 kills on .312 hitting with three aces, nine digs, and four blocks. Knipe praised he, Harlan, and Olivier for helping to step up to support an ailing Mason Briggs, who was recovering from illness and was visibly rubbing out calf cramps between points to try and stay on the floor Friday night.
Knipe had said before the season that fans could expect to see a more balanced offense this year from the Beach, and that was certainly the case against Loyola Chicago.
“We finally have some depth, and what’s going on in our gym right now is all these guys battling,” said Knipe. “That distribution tonight is exactly what you want, but it comes with what’s happening in the gym--there’s good balance on both sides of the net. Both sides have an effective middle attack, so we’re getting way better reps with it, and with stopping it.”
The Beach (6-0) will have a huge pair of matches next week with No. 2 UCLA, traveling to see the Bruins on Thursday and then hosting them in the Pyramid Friday night at 7 p.m.
