The Long Beach State men's volleyball team earned a ticket to the tournament for the 14th time in program history, becoming the No. 2 seed and heading to take on No. 7 Belmont Abbey at Walter Pyramid on Tuesday at 5 p.m. It's ready.
Teams from all over the country, including UCLA, Fort Valley Street, UC Irvine, Penn Street, Ohio Street, and Grand Canyon University, converge on the Walter Pyramid for a battle of spikes and digs.
LBSU is one of the powerhouse schools in men's college volleyball today and is at the forefront of the competition.
“I'm really proud [this] The group…the group is special to me, not just because we play in the championship or the Pyramid,” head coach Alan Kneipp said in a press conference. “This group has done a great job since they've been here.”
The Big West Champions amassed a 15-2 record against nationally ranked opponents, and after suffering their first loss to UCLA, The Beach improved to 16-1, with a 25-2 record. Finished the season.
LBSU has reached a season of 20 or more wins 23 times in program history, but is 14-10 in the NCAA Tournament and has reached the pinnacle of volleyball only three times in 1991, 2018 and 2019.
Senior libero Mason Briggs and senior setter Aidan Kneipp have been named to the 2024 All-American team, along with four other Long Beach State teammates.
Briggs has been one of the nation's top liberos since arriving on campus, with 902 digs, the second-most in LBSU history.
“A lot has happened with this group, but with the addition of (playing at the Pyramid), we wanted to compete in our hometown,” Briggs said in a press conference.
Kneipp surpassed 3,000 career assists in the regular season finale against UC Irvine. His 3,085 career assists rank him among the eight all-time assists, joining LBSU legends like Tyler Hildebrand (6,651) and Josh Tuaniga (4,607).
Belmont Abbey stands in The Beach's path to the second round and is a capable opponent looking to upset Long Beach State on its home court.
The Crusaders brought flair and competitiveness to the tournament with a 21-4 record. Belmont Abbey won both the Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament titles.
Key players for the Crusaders are freshman outside hitter Zach Puentes and freshman setter Joseph Morris.
Puentes leads the team with a .258 attack percentage and at least three kills per set, while Morris has a team-leading 9.52 assists per set.
“We're going to try to stay aggressive. We're a small school in Division II and a lot of people said we shouldn't be here,” Coach Puentes said in a press conference. “But I think we need to go out and show them.”
The Crusaders defeated North Greenville 3-1 to win their second Conference Carolina Tournament championship in the last four years and make the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history.
The winner of this first round will face the winner of No. 3 GCU vs. No. 6 Ohio State in the semifinals on Thursday, May 2nd at 6:30 p.m.