Long Beach State University Athletics
Saturday, April 11
Santa Barbara, Calif.
7 p.m.
Long Beach State University
20-4,6-2Big West
3
at
0
UC Santa Barbara
13-11,4-5Big West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach St. | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 13 | 20 | 21 | 0 |
Long Beach State Sweeps UC Santa Barbara At The Thunderdome
4/11/2026 9:13:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
Mid-set runs and elite sideout execution power the Beach to a 25-13, 25-20, 25-21 road win
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Long Beach State controlled the match from start to finish in a 25-13, 25-20, 25-21 sweep over UC Santa Barbara, using sustained service pressure and well-timed scoring runs to separate in each set.
The tone was established almost immediately. After trading points early in the first set, Long Beach began to expose UCSB's serve-receive and first-ball execution. The Gauchos managed only a .029 hitting percentage in the frame and sided out at just 37 percent, allowing Long Beach to build momentum every time it rotated back to serve. What had been a competitive stretch around 12-10 quickly unraveled as the Beach pieced together a decisive 6-0 run behind Braun's serve. The sequence was defined by clean transition swings and disciplined blocking, including a triple block that forced UCSB further out of system. From there, Long Beach closed the set on a 15-3 surge, with Pazanti facilitating late offense and Gajek finishing twice in transition to seal a dominant 25-13 win.
The second set presented more resistance and the most back-and-forth action of the match. UCSB improved its offensive efficiency and briefly controlled tempo through Riggs and Aruya, leading to multiple ties through the middle portion of the set. Still, Long Beach never allowed that pressure to compound. Their sideout efficiency climbed to 80 percent in the set, which neutralized UCSB's ability to string together runs. The turning point came during Cryst's service rotation, where two aces created separation and forced erratic first contacts from UCSB. That advantage expanded shortly after when Gajek stepped to the line and delivered back-to-back aces, followed by a triple block that extended the lead and forced a timeout. Even as UCSB pushed late, Long Beach's offensive discipline held. A composed sideout and a final kill from Cryst off a Pazanti assist closed the set 25-20.
In set three, the Gauchos hit .200 and kept the score tight deep into the set, but Long Beach's ability to convert in transition remained the difference. Midway through the frame, a compact but decisive run created the separation: Hershtynovich terminated in transition, combined with Cryst for a block, and Varga followed with a clean kill in-system. That sequence pushed Long Beach ahead just enough to control the closing stretch. UCSB made one final push behind late blocking, but the Beach responded with high-efficiency swings at critical moments. Varga delivered a key kill to reach match point, and Cryst ended the match with a service ace, punctuating a performance defined by pressure from the end line.
Statistically, Long Beach's advantage was rooted in efficiency and control. They hit .282 as a team compared to .145 for UCSB, while also out-blocking the Gauchos 9.0 to 4.0. More telling was the disparity in first-ball and transition execution. Long Beach terminated nearly half of its first-ball swings and maintained strong production in transition, while UCSB struggled to generate consistent offense outside of in-system situations. That imbalance showed up most clearly in momentum phases, where Long Beach repeatedly turned single stops into extended scoring runs.
Individually, Varga led the way with eight kills on .533 hitting, Braun added six on .857 efficiency, and Cryst contributed six kills along with three aces, including the match-clinching point. The distribution from Doty and Pazanti kept the offense balanced and difficult to defend, particularly during the decisive runs in each set.
Across all three sets, the pattern remained consistent. Long Beach absorbed early pressure, created separation with a mid-set service run, and relied on elite sideout efficiency to close. The result was a sweep that, despite tighter margins late, was controlled by Long Beach's ability to dictate tempo and win the key phases of each set.
The tone was established almost immediately. After trading points early in the first set, Long Beach began to expose UCSB's serve-receive and first-ball execution. The Gauchos managed only a .029 hitting percentage in the frame and sided out at just 37 percent, allowing Long Beach to build momentum every time it rotated back to serve. What had been a competitive stretch around 12-10 quickly unraveled as the Beach pieced together a decisive 6-0 run behind Braun's serve. The sequence was defined by clean transition swings and disciplined blocking, including a triple block that forced UCSB further out of system. From there, Long Beach closed the set on a 15-3 surge, with Pazanti facilitating late offense and Gajek finishing twice in transition to seal a dominant 25-13 win.
The second set presented more resistance and the most back-and-forth action of the match. UCSB improved its offensive efficiency and briefly controlled tempo through Riggs and Aruya, leading to multiple ties through the middle portion of the set. Still, Long Beach never allowed that pressure to compound. Their sideout efficiency climbed to 80 percent in the set, which neutralized UCSB's ability to string together runs. The turning point came during Cryst's service rotation, where two aces created separation and forced erratic first contacts from UCSB. That advantage expanded shortly after when Gajek stepped to the line and delivered back-to-back aces, followed by a triple block that extended the lead and forced a timeout. Even as UCSB pushed late, Long Beach's offensive discipline held. A composed sideout and a final kill from Cryst off a Pazanti assist closed the set 25-20.
In set three, the Gauchos hit .200 and kept the score tight deep into the set, but Long Beach's ability to convert in transition remained the difference. Midway through the frame, a compact but decisive run created the separation: Hershtynovich terminated in transition, combined with Cryst for a block, and Varga followed with a clean kill in-system. That sequence pushed Long Beach ahead just enough to control the closing stretch. UCSB made one final push behind late blocking, but the Beach responded with high-efficiency swings at critical moments. Varga delivered a key kill to reach match point, and Cryst ended the match with a service ace, punctuating a performance defined by pressure from the end line.
Statistically, Long Beach's advantage was rooted in efficiency and control. They hit .282 as a team compared to .145 for UCSB, while also out-blocking the Gauchos 9.0 to 4.0. More telling was the disparity in first-ball and transition execution. Long Beach terminated nearly half of its first-ball swings and maintained strong production in transition, while UCSB struggled to generate consistent offense outside of in-system situations. That imbalance showed up most clearly in momentum phases, where Long Beach repeatedly turned single stops into extended scoring runs.
Individually, Varga led the way with eight kills on .533 hitting, Braun added six on .857 efficiency, and Cryst contributed six kills along with three aces, including the match-clinching point. The distribution from Doty and Pazanti kept the offense balanced and difficult to defend, particularly during the decisive runs in each set.
Across all three sets, the pattern remained consistent. Long Beach absorbed early pressure, created separation with a mid-set service run, and relied on elite sideout efficiency to close. The result was a sweep that, despite tighter margins late, was controlled by Long Beach's ability to dictate tempo and win the key phases of each set.
Team Stats
LBSU
UCSB
Kills
35
26
Errors
15
15
Attempts
71
76
Hitting %
.282
.145
Points
51.0
30.5
Assists
31
25
Aces
7
1
Blocks
9
3.5
Game Leaders
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
3
Blocks
3
Kills
6
Aces
2
Blocks
0
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