The LBSU sends Hawaiian team to 1-4 home loss – Volleyball news
The University of Hawaii men’s volleyball team came into competition with the Long Beach State University (LBSU) team on Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Centre.
The 49ers of LBSU stole the show by posting 3-1 (27-25, 26-24, 20-25, 25-22) victory over Warriors. The loss of crucial match caused elimination for UH from the post-season playoffs for the NCAA Tournament.
The LBSU improved to an overall record of 13-12 and 8-10 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) record. The Warriors, on the other hand, had to put up with 7-18 overall and 4-16 MPSF record.
Sophomore Taylor Crabb was the centre of attention throughout the match. He demonstrated a spectacular performance and helped 49ers with 20 kills with .421 hitting percentage.
Moreover, he also proved his endeavours on the defence side and added eight digs in the match. Crabb was followed by sophomore Jeff Ornee, who contributed 13 kills, four digs, and seven blocks. Both these players influenced the Hawaiian opponents offensively
and defensively.
Elsewhere, senior Brad Hemmerling, Srdjan Nadazdin, and Connor Olbright also contributed to overall success of LBSU.
On Warriors’ side, sophomore opposite Harrison Carroll added career-high 19 kills, while senior Steven Hunt chipped in 18 kills, nine digs, and three blocks. Hawaiian Castello and Lofy also struggled for the success of their team but it turned out to be
failing effort for Warriors.
The 49ers enjoyed a great rhythm and tone in the match. They opened with powerful serves and quickly jumped to three point lead in the first few minutes of the game. LBSU’s lead was mainly credited to outside hitter Hemmerling, who added impressive kills.
However, the Warriors retaliated and hit back strongly. They levelled the score at 6-all before LBSU returned in the game and regained better status. After the second technical timeout, game turned into a heated competition and both sides exchanged long
rallies. After a tough competition, the Long Beach State claimed opening set 27-25.
The Long Beach team kept the momentum going in the following set and went on a 10-4 run.
The 49ers picked an easy lead and led all the way to19-14 before UH scored four points in row to cut the deficit to 19-18. The tie of score at 20-20 created a bit of twist in the game but LBSU managed to secure second set 26-24.
Hawaiian team made a good comeback in third set and claimed the frame with 25-20 but could not stop the 49ers in fourth set. LBSU posted 25-22 in fourth set and finished the match 3-1.
The 49ers are back on the track next weekend when they take on the Northern California team for a couple of MPSF matches. The first match will be hosted by Stanford on April 5, while second match is scheduled to be held at on April 7.
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