Long Beach State Rallies Past Gauchos in Four Sets to Clinch a Big West Tournament Berth
Santa Barbara won the third set and led the fourth 22-16, but the Beach closed the match out 29-27 at the Thunderdome on Saturday night to complete a season sweep and move to 20-4.
Long Beach State beat UC Santa Barbara in four sets at the Thunderdome on Saturday night, and the win sends the Beach into the Big West Championship field. The set scores were 25-21, 25-16, 22-25 and 29-27, according to the opponent history record Long Beach State Athletics keeps for the series, and the program's own schedule page carries the result under a postseason bound headline.
For two sets the visitors controlled the night, taking the first 25-21 and the second 25-16. Santa Barbara answered in the third, winning it 25-22 a night after the Gauchos had opened the weekend by beating Cal State Fullerton in four sets on the same court.
The fourth set is the one that decided the evening, and for most of it Santa Barbara held it. The Gauchos led 22-16 before Long Beach State closed with an 8-2 run to level the set, then fought off four set points before finishing the match, according to the Long Beach State Athletics recap of the game. Sidney Hamaker had a hand in each of the Beach's final six points, the recap says, finishing with 16 kills that included three in the closing stretch, two late blocks and the ace that ended the match.
The result completes a season sweep for Long Beach State, which also beat the Gauchos in four sets when the teams met in Long Beach on Oct. 9, its schedule shows. The Beach leave Santa Barbara at 20-4 overall and 12-2 in Big West play, with four regular season matches still to play, and they secured their place in the conference championship with that room to spare.
Long Beach State returns home next, facing UC Riverside on Nov. 13 and California Baptist on Nov. 14, with both matches on ESPN+, its recap says.
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