Long Beach State, on the ropes and down by 4 points to host UCLA late in the 4th set, dug deep and pulled out a 26-24 win, then finished off a 15-12 Set 5 win with a kill by MB Nick Amado, to win the 2018 NCAA Men's Volleyball National Championship. A crowd of over 7000 at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion witnessed the 49ers' first NCAA title in MVB since 1991, and the school's first NCAA title since Misty May's 1998 WVB team. Kyle Ensing knocked down 20 kills for the second straight match, and TJ DeFalco added 18 kills, 12 digs, 7 assists, 4 blocks and 2 aces. National POY Josh Tuaniga dished 46 assists, and hit 3 for 3 with no errors, including a crucial dump kill to set up his service ace to put away Set 4. Ethan Sigfried also came off the bench to serve up a couple of aces. Amado added 6 blocks and 4 kills, including the championship point. The Beach's lone senior, Bjarne Huus, had 6 kills and 8 digs, and did a great job in serve recieve, with only one error in 24 touches. The 49ers hope to go for the repeat next May in the friendly confines of the Walter Pyramid, as they host the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Congratulations to Coach Alan Knipe and his staff, and all the players, for this tremendous accomplishment, and we hope to see another celebration about this time next year in our own backyard! GO BE/\CH!!
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