The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2025-26 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
The No. 2 Long Beach State men’s volleyball team faced its first true measuring stick of the season Friday night at No. 6 Pepperdine, marking its first top-10 opponent and a rematch of last year’s Final Four semifinal.
That test produced the same result as the teams’ matchup last May, as the Beach earned another four-set win despite being out-hit and finishing with half as many blocks as the Waves. Still, Long Beach State showed its signature grit while surviving a pair of extended sets to close out the 25-20, 20-25, 30-28, 27-25 victory.
“The difference was Long Beach grit and just competing,” said LBSU coach Nick MacRae. “We got through the month of January 8-0 and there’s so much meat on the bone to improve on. This was a Final Four type of matchup and it’s not always about the stats. It just comes down to playing harder, staying together and just trying to put a run together.”
There was no surprise in who the Beach looked to in their semifinal rematch, as senior outside Skyler Varga rose to the occasion once again. Varga led the way with a match-high 18 kills on .417 hitting, adding a match-high eight digs and three blocks.
“I knew we needed some aggression tonight, so I had the mindset of taking rips out there and seeing what I could make happen,” Varga said. “I know my guys are going to cover me,so I’m going to swing high and it ended up working out for me. I know I have to be dialed in for these types of matches and when the opportunity comes I try to step up.”
After dropping just their second set of the season in the second frame, the third and fourth sets served as the true test for LBSU. The Beach even found themselves trailing 20-15 in the third set before fighting off a pair of Pepperdine set points and finishing the set on a 15-8 run to take the one-set lead.
Sophomore outside Alex Kandev was in the middle of some of the Beach’s struggles that led to the five-point deficit, which is when senior Connor Bloom came in to help spark the run. In a full-circle moment, Kandev was subbed back in late in the set and crushed an ace into the floor at set point.
“I’m most proud of that third set. When we were down, you either give in or you lean on our training and everything we’ve prepped, which is a 0-0 mindset,” MacRae said. “In that moment, Kandev had full trust in Bloom, and Bloom comes in and executes his job. Kandev gets to take a breath, and it was the perfect example of what we mean when we say we use all 17 guys.”
The teams practically traded points throughout the fourth set which featured 16 ties, and the Beach eventually found themselves down 20-21. From there, Daniil Hershtynovich and Jake Pazanti recorded back-to-back kills to regain the lead, before a Varga kill a few points later gave LBSU it’s first set point. The Beach had three more match points before winning on a Pepperdine net violation.
“That was the definition of LB Grit for sure,” Varga said of the final sets. “That’s all it took, really. We played these guys in the fall and it was the same type of deal. I just kept saying, ‘We’re taking this set, we’re taking this set,’ and I think it was just about believing that we could do it even when we were down in those last two sets.”
The first two sets were practically opposites of each other, as the Beach cruised to their most dominant set win to open the night before dropping the second. LBSU hit .417 in the first set and totaled five team aces in what was their best stretch from the service line.
It was interesting to see the Beach’s lineup for a one-match week after previously seeing different guys on different nights of a back-to-back, especially at opposite. Hershtynovich got the start there tonight and made his impact early and often, recording five of his 15 kills in the first set while finishing the night hitting .312.
LBSU also got a nice night from a pair of freshmen including setter Jake Pazanti, who racked up 44 assists while adding four kills. Jackson Cryst added four kills as well, along with a team-high four blocks.
The Beach’s schedule moving forward takes no break, as they now gear up for a highly anticipated championship rematch with UCLA at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid on Friday. The Bruins are the No. 1 team in the nation, setting up a matchup between the top two teams in the country.
“We knew this week’s going to be tough and next week is the same,” Varga said. “It was hard tonight and that was a well earned win for us which I think is important going into next week against another top team. Today was great for us and I think it’s going to be even better next week.”
