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After a memorable run to the 3C2A Men’s Volleyball state championship game Long Beach City College battled, but wasn’t able to overcome a tough Golden West team as the Vikings lost in straight sets to the Rustlers, 25-17, 25-23, 25-19 at the Hall of Champions on Saturday night.
For the Rustlers, it was their second consecutive state title with Long Beach State alum Nick Amado coaching the team.
Golden West established control early as John Braunstein and outside hitter Aidan Dubno had their connection working early. Dubno, the 3C2A Tournament MVP, used his strengths at the pins as the Rustlers took a 4-1 lead early. A service ace by Noah Nelson and a late run fueled by Frankie Gates and Gino Viggiano pushed the lead to eight before Golden West closed it out.
“We had everything they were doing ready,” Long Beach City coach Joshua Nehls said of the Vikings’ game plan. “We just couldn’t match it. We couldn’t get our guys to execute the game plan. [GWC] were running such a fast tempo and they were dialed in, making very few mistakes.”
LBCC responded in the second set, using a serving run from Manu Lill – including back-to-back aces – to erase a deficit and briefly seize momentum. However, the teams traded points deep into the set and Long Beach pulled even at 23 after consecutive errors forcing a Golden West timeout.
But the Rustlers steadied. A sideout and a Long Beach service error ended the set and gave Golden West a 2-0 lead. Dubno had a match-high 16 kills while finishing at a .536 clip and Gates had a team-high .611 hitting percentage while finishing with 11 kills.
“I mean, we’re going against a really good team,” Nehls said. “You can’t have those little errors, and they made us pay for them.”
In the third set, Long Beach jumped out to a 6-3 lead behind strong play from Ethan Hammond and Ryder Tuaolo. Tuaolo finished with 28 assists and Ethan Hammond led the Vikings with 12 kills while hitting at an impressive .800 clip.
But, Golden West answered with another surge, highlighted by Dubno’s efficiency on the left side and a service ace from Braunstein to flip the set. The Rustlers stretched the lead to 18-12 and never allowed Long Beach to get closer than four points the rest of the way.
Despite the loss, Nehls pointed to the team’s resilience through a season filled with lineup changes and injuries.
“They had so many ups and downs this year — guys getting hurt, being out,” Nehls said. “We had an opposite go to middle, then an outside go to opposite, and things just worked out really well for us for a bit. But we needed one more strong game, and we just didn’t find it.”
