Long Beach State Falls To Hawaii In Final Four, 3-1

Saturday, May 9

Los Angeles, CA

6:30 PM

Long Beach State University

25-5,8-2Big West

Hawai'i

29-5,9-1Big West

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Long Beach St.	15	25	21	22	1
Hawaii	25	18	25	25	3

5/9/2026 8:58:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

Beach battle back to take a set and push Hawaii, but season ends just short of championship match

By: Chelsea Pfohl, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Long Beach State's season came to an end in the 2026 NC Men's Volleyball Championship semifinals as the Beach fell to Hawaii in four sets, 25-15, 18-25, 25-21, 25-22 at Pauley Pavilion.

Hawaii's offensive efficiency and dominant presence at the net ultimately proved to be the difference, as the Rainbow Warriors hit .337 as a team and outblocked Long Beach 14.5 to 6.0.

The opening set set the tone for much of the match. After trading points early, including a Skyler Varga tip kill and a Jackson Cryst blast to keep things even at 4-4, Hawaii began to separate behind transition offense and pressure serving. A Connor Bloom kill cut the deficit to 6-7, but a stretch of Beach errors, including multiple service miscues, allowed Hawaii to build a multi-point cushion. Back-to-back Hawaii blocks and an ace pushed the lead to 17-9, forcing Long Beach to chase. Varga sparked a brief response with a tip kill and Bloom added an ace as well, but Hawaii closed the set emphatically with another block. Long Beach hit just .125 in the frame with eight errors, while Hawaii posted a .529 hitting percentage and controlled the net.

The Beach responded in the second set with their cleanest and most composed volleyball of the night. Despite early back-and-forth scoring and a series of service errors from both sides, Long Beach found rhythm behind Varga and Bloom. A Bloom ace gave the Beach their first lead, and a Cryst-Varga block extended it to 8-6. From there, Long Beach steadily built separation. Gajek then took over from the service line, delivering an ace and fueling a decisive late run. The Beach closed the set on a 5-0 burst, capped by a Gajek kill and a Hawaii attack error, to even the match at one set apiece. Long Beach hit .333 in the set and sided out at an efficient rate, controlling tempo throughout.

Set three was tightly contested and featured Long Beach's best mid-set surge. After falling behind 4-8, the Beach rallied behind Varga, who delivered multiple kills during a Braun service run to erase the deficit and tie the set at 10-10. A Varga and Cryst block gave Long Beach a brief lead at 12-11, and the teams traded points into the mid-teens. However, critical errors shifted momentum late. A service error from Gajek, followed by a Hawaii kill, an ace, and a block, created a decisive 4-0 run that put the set out of reach. Hawaii's ability to convert in transition and capitalize on Long Beach mistakes allowed them to close it out 25-21.

Facing elimination, Long Beach showed resilience in the fourth set. After falling behind early 0-2, the Beach responded with strong play from Gajek and Cryst, including a pair of Cryst aces that flipped the lead to 7-5. The teams traded runs throughout the set, with Long Beach maintaining a narrow advantage into the middle stages behind kills from Bloom and Braun. Hawaii continued to pressure at the net, however, tying the set at 19-19 after a Beach attack error. Down the stretch, Hawaii executed more cleanly, using a late block and consistent sideout play to regain control. A service error briefly extended the set, but Hawaii closed it out 25-22 to secure the match.

Individually, Varga led Long Beach with 13 kills on .290 hitting, while Gajek added 11 kills but was held to .071 efficiency due to nine errors. Bloom contributed seven kills and steady passing, and Cryst added five kills along with key service pressure.

Despite a strong response in the second set and stretches of momentum throughout, the Beach were unable to sustain pressure against one of the nation's most balanced and physical teams, bringing their season to a close in the Final Four.