COLUMBUS, Ohio >> The Hawaii men’s volleyball team defeated Long Beach State more times than every other team in the country combined this season.
It’s a statistic the Beach couldn’t possibly care less about after they ended UCLA’s two-year run as national champion in a 25-17, 25-23, 25-21 sweep on Monday night in the final of the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship at the Covelli Center.
Freshman setter Moni Nikolov, the AVCA National Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, put down the final kill to give the Beach (30-3) their first national title since 2019.
Nikolov had a match-high 27 assists, six kills, four aces, two blocks and two digs to earn Most Outstanding Player honors of the NCAA Tournament.
Alex Kandev had a match-high 13 kills and hit .450 and Skyler Varga added five kills, two blocks, two digs and an ace. Both players made the All-Tournament team, along with Hawaii freshman Finn Kearney.
“It’s incredible. The feeling absolutely never gets old,” said Long Beach State coach Alan Knipe, who won back-to-back national titles with the Beach in 2018 and ’19. “Incredible brand of volleyball played, especially in the semifinals and final, by all four teams, incredible. The level in what’s going on in the college game right now is very physical, very impressive, high-octane volleyball by all four teams.”
The Beach became the second team in program history to reach the 30-win mark and lost only one set in three matches in the tournament.
LBSU tied the NCAA single-season aces record for a team in the rally-scoring era with five aces against the Bruins (22-7) to give them 237 for the season.
“I knew that nobody can pass my serves,” Nikolov said. “When I need a serve I’m the one that is going to get us there. The team just put so much love in me, filled me with everything that I needed to feel that confidence.”
The Beach hit .354 for the match and held the Bruins to a .192 hitting percentage.
UCLA had three service aces and 18 service errors and was outdug 15-10.
Head coach John Hawks answered all questions after the match despite being visibly disappointed.
“These guys are champions in our eyes, We love them to death. Sorry it had to end this way,” Hawks said. “That’s just a bummer. It’s part of life. Proud of the effort and proud of the grit our guys showed throughout the year.”
Outside hitter Cooper Robinson led the Bruins with 10 kills and Zach Rama added eight. Sean McQuiggan and Sean Kelly were held to seven combined kills on 19 swings with five errors after torching Hawaii for 23 kills in 47 swings in a sweep in the semifinals.
Long Beach State senior middle DiAeris McRaven, a Moanalua alumnus, put down both of the balls he was set and added a match-high five blocks.
The Beach hit .688 in the first set and never looked back.
“I never want to feel like this again,” Hawks said. “They played great. The first set they came out of the gates and played great. We’re not making excuses. It’s a total team effort and credit to Long Beach. They played well.”
Long Beach State finished 29-1 against the rest of the country after going 1-2 against UH.
The Beach have now won three of the past seven national championships.
