Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
12-12, 10-9MPSF
BYU
18-7, 14-6MPSF
49er men's volleyball swept by No. 2 BYU
4/1/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
April 1, 2011
PROVO, Utah - The fourth-ranked Long Beach State men's volleyball team was swept by No. 2 BYU, 25-23, 25-21, 25-22, Friday evening in front of 3,296 at Smith Fieldhouse.
The Cougars improved to 18-7 overall and 14-6 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation action, and finished the season with an unblemished home record at 10-0. The 49ers dropped to 12-12, 10-9 MPSF.
LBSU hit just .158, while BYU posted a .342 percentage. The Cougars also held an 11-6 advantage in blocks.
Senior Kyle Friend led The Beach with nine kills, while freshman Taylor Crabb finished with eight kills, four digs and three blocks. Senior Kirk Francis also had a team-high five digs.
BYU was strong out of the gate, taking a 12-7 lead after a kill by Robb Stowell. The 49ers eventually responded with an 11-6 run, capped by a Friend kill, to even the score at 18-18. The Cougars pulled back ahead before Long Beach State knotted it up at 21-21, but the home team went on to outscore the 49ers, 4-2, down the stretch for the 25-23 win.
In set two, LBSU took an early 8-6 advantage on a Crabb kill and stayed out front until BYU used an 8-1 spurt to go up, 18-13. The Cougars looked like they were going to cruise the rest of the way, going up by as many as six, but the 49ers stormed back with three unanswered points, closing the gap to 23-20 on an ace by Josh Riley. The Cougars were able to hold on, however, as they prevailed 25-21.
The 49ers started off strong in the third frame, holding an early 9-6 edge following a kill by Aguillard. BYU then scored four straight points to go up, 10-9. LBSU played catch-up from there and eventually tied it at 14-14 with back-to-back aces from Riley. After trading points, the Cougars pulled ahead, 20-18 and wouldn't relinquish the lead en route to the 25-22 victory.
Futi Tavana paced the BYU offense with 11 kills and a .588 (11-1-17) hitting percentage. Robb Stowell and Alex DaPron also finished with 10 kills apiece.
Long Beach State returns to the friendly confines of the Walter Pyramid next week when it hosts UC Irvine on Wednesday, April 6. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
