Top-Ranked Long Beach State Collects Sweep Over Barton to Win Fifth Straight

Friday, January 11

Wilson, N.C.

4:00 PM

Long Beach State University

5-0

Barton College

0-2

Long Beach State

Barton

Photo by: John Fajardo

Top-Ranked Long Beach State Collects Sweep Over Barton to Win Fifth Straight

1/11/2019 7:00:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

DeFalco, Richard, Tuaniga lead offensive attack in victory

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

Box Score (PDF) | Play-By-Play (PDF)

WILSON, N.C. – No. 1 Long Beach State won its fifth-straight contest with a 3-0 [25-17, 25-18, 25-21] sweep at Barton College as the Beach were sparked by TJ DeFalco, Louis Richard and Josh Tuaniga's offensive surge.

Tuaniga ran a balanced offense that saw the Beach (5-0) hit .434 in the match as the team knocked down 47 kills to collect their fifth sweep in as many contests. Tuaniga dished out a season-high 40 assists as outsides DeFalco and Richard capitalized on their opportunities. The duo combined for 25 of the squad's 47 kills as DeFalco led the way with a season-best 14 kills and Richard registered a new career-high with 11.

Richard's 11 kills came on 15 swings without an error as he hit a career-best .733 on the night. DeFalco, meanwhile hit .524 (14-3-21) for a season-high clip. Senior opposite Kyle Ensing added nine kills, while senior middle blocker Nick Amado contributed six.

DeFalco was just one dig shy of a double-double as he recorded nine digs to lead the Beach defense. Ensing finished the match with seven, while senior libero Jordan Molina collected five. Long Beach State's defense was solid as it held Barton (0-2) to a .123 (27-17-81) attack percentage. The Beach were also stout at the net as they posted 5.5 total team blocks led by Amado's three blocks assists. Sophomore middle blocker Simon Andersen added two solo stops, while Ensing and DeFalco picked up a pair of block assists.

Barton started the match on a 5-1 run, but Long Beach State was quick to counter. The Beach went on a 4-1 run to take an 11-10 lead after three kills from Ensing, Amado and DeFalco. Although the Bulldogs managed to even the score twice more, the Beach never allowed them to regain the lead. LBSU pushed its lead to four (20-16) as Barton called a timeout, but the break did little to stop the Beach as Long Beach State would take the first set, 25-17.

Set two belonged to the Beach right from the start. Long Beach State opened the frame on a 7-0 run capped by an ace by Andersen. The seven-point lead was too much for the Bulldogs to overcome as LBSU led the entire set and cruised to a 25-18 win.

Much like the first set, the third saw the Bulldogs take an early lead. However, Long Beach State chipped away before utilizing a 6-1 run to go up 15-14 forcing a Barton timeout. The Beach continued to rack up the points following the break as a pair of DeFalco kills give LBSU a 17-15 lead. Long Beach State led the rest of the way and Ensing ended the game with a kill as the Beach completed the sweep with a 25-21 victory.

Barton's Adrian Iglesias finished the match with 11 kills, while setter Oscar Fiorentino added 22 assists and six digs.

Despite returning to southern California, Long Beach State will continue its road swing as the Beach take on No. 2 UCLA on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. inside Pauley Pavilion in a rematch of the 2018 NCAA National Championship.