The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2025-26 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
It wasn’t the start or the finish that tested Long Beach State on Thursday — it was everything in between.
Coming off their first conference loss of the season to UC Davis, the Beach came out energized in Thursday night’s matchup against UC San Diego, rolling through a dominant first set with an efficient .407 hitting percentage.
But Long Beach State stalled in the next two frames, hitting negative in the second and falling behind in the third. That’s when the Beach flipped the switch, making key mid-match adjustments and cleaning up their offensive miscues to finish strong and beat UC San Diego 25-14, 16-25, 25-23, 25-15.
“We have to be more consistent,” said LBSU coach Natalie Reagan. “It comes down to hesitancy, and I don’t think we were all in during some of those moments. It felt like we shouldn’t have been in that position, but being able to come back from it won us the match. There were key plays at the end where we were all in, and I truly believe that’s what pulled it out for us.”
LBSU handled the Tritons in the first set, using a 10-2 run to build a double-digit lead while hitting a collective .407. The Beach then hit -.081 in the second set and committed 20 of their 25 hitting errors across the second and third frames.
The Beach even trailed 13-7 into the third set, but made a few key adjustments down the stretch. One of those came at setter, where sophomore Madi Collins provided a spark off the bench, finishing with 19 assists and three aces while helping swing the momentum back in the Beach’s favor.
“It was fun,” Collins said of the opportunity. “I thought everyone on and off the court had my back which made me feel loose and prepared.”
“We talk about being ready when your name is called, and it was something that I felt really confident in,” said Reagan. “When your offense isn’t working, something has to change. [Collins] was our quarterback tonight and it worked out in our favor.”
For what was a quiet night offensively, LBSU made up for it with a strong defensive performance. The Beach out-blocked UCSD 24-14, led by senior middle blocker Nieko Thomas. Thomas provided a big energy boost down the stretch, recording five of her nine total blocks in the fourth set.
“I forget how important energy is, and once I get comfortable and loose, nothing can stop me,” Thomas said. “I just focus on one point at a time and do what I can for the team. I’ve been off the last week and a half, so today I remembered why I’m here and tried to give it my all with a group that trusts me.”
LBSU used a 7-1 run to rally back in the third set before dominating the fourth. The Beach hit .281 in the final set and went on a 14-2 run midway through to lead by as much as 11 points.
LBSU was able to get the ball to its key hitters down the stretch, including standout redshirt freshman Logan King, who had nine of her 12 kills in the final two sets. Senior Rhiann Sheffie was reliable down the middle with 11 kills on a game-high .333 hitting percentage, while fellow senior Elise Agi chipped in seven kills.
“Those three are huge. Our offense isn’t the same without them, and being able to flex them later in the match was really powerful,” Reagan said. “Everyone goes through it and figures it out. Logan had a day, and being able to turn that around and trust her teammates and herself was our biggest takeaway.”
Ireland McNees led the Tritons with 11 kills and nine digs while Molly McCluskey finished with eight kills. Jasmine Saran had seven kills on a team-high .263 hitting and Paulina Baillie finished with a game-high 17 digs.
LBSU now has some cushion at second place in the Big West while sitting one game behind UC Davis. The Beach will be back in the Walter Pyramid on Friday to host Hawai’i.
