The562's coverage of Vikings athletics is sponsored in part. Long Beach City College.
The Long Beach City College men's volleyball team will travel to the Orange Coast on Thursday for the CCAA state semifinals. The Vikings (13-6, 11-1) advanced to the semifinals by winning Western State South Conference and Southern California regional opener games against Santa Monica.
LBCC is seeking its second state title in the past five years.
A balanced offense and good defense have been the keys to the Vikings' success this season. Sophomore middle blocker and opposite hitter Shane Nem averages more than three kills per set. Outside hitters Mohamed Benkrid and Kameron Tufuga both have over 100 kills this year, and freshman setter Willie Wang is averaging 4.33 assists per set.
Tufuga leads LBCC with 66 blocks this season, and sophomore Lucca Mamone and Nae both have over 30 blocks.
The state semifinals at OCC are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
baseball
The Vikings (26-11, 15-6) conclude their season with a conference series this week at Cerritos before the regional playoffs begin May 3.
Leaf Danner, Ryan Neck, Orrin Snakenborg and Luke Davis have each led LBCC's offense with over 50 hits. Davis had a team-high 44 RBIs and 13 home runs. Geck, a Millikan High School graduate, has 39 RBIs and eight home runs. Danner has an incredible 20 stolen bases.
soft ball
LBCC (28-9, 16-3) played three home games this week and has only lost three games this season. The Vikings have just one more road game Thursday at El Camino before the May 3 district playoffs.
Freshman Anaya Togia has been phenomenal at the plate for LBCC this season, leading the team with a .516 batting average, .877 slugging percentage, 57 RBIs, eight home runs, and 20 doubles. Meanwhile, Bailey Frye is an amazing ace with 128 strikeouts in 145 innings and an ERA of 2.12.
