COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the second straight season, the Long Beach State and UCLA men’s volleyball teams will square off with a national championship at stake.

Third-seeded UCLA, chasing its 22nd national crown and looking to become the first program to win three straight in more than 40 years, will have to get past the team that spent the majority of the 2025 season atop the rankings. For top-seeded Long Beach, Monday’s 4 p.m. PT title match represents a chance to secure its fourth NCAA title and avenge a bitter defeat in last year’s final, when the Bruins beat LBSU in four sets on its home court.

Both teams took care of business in Saturday’s semifinals. Long Beach (29-3) shook off a first-set loss to defeat fifth-seeded Pepperdine, 20-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-23. UCLA (22-6) swept second-seeded Hawaii, 25-14, 25-23, 25-23.

Freshman setter Moni Nikolov, the newly minted national player of the year, broke the NCAA single-season aces record while leading LBSU into its 11th NCAA final. Nikolov came into the match just three aces shy of tying the record of 100. The 6-foot-10 Bulgarian tied and broke the mark on a pair of back-to-back aces in the third set and finished the match with five aces, a season-high 52 assists, six kills and 10 digs while quarterbacking his team to a .482 hitting percentage.

Senior opposite hitter Nato Dickinson and freshman outside hitter Alex Kandev each had 19 kills for Long Beach, with Kandev hitting a team-best .533 to go with eight digs. Dickinson hit .485 while recording five blocks, four assists and three digs. Junior opposite hitter Skyler Varga added 11 kills on a .381 clip.

The closely contested match saw 37 ties and 14 lead changes over the four sets, with both teams hitting over .400.

The first set was tight early, but Pepperdine used a 5-1 run to open a 22-17 advantage before closing out the set, 25-20. Neither team led by more than two points in a brilliant second set. The Waves used a 4-0 run to grab an 18-16 lead, but Long Beach scored three straight points after a timeout. LBSU eventually won the set, 25-23, on a Dickinson kill.

Long Beach hit an absurd .720 in the third set, with Nikolov’s record-setting ace providing a 12-8 lead. A 3-0 LBSU run capped by a kill from Connor Bloom provided a 24-18 lead and Kandev secured the set with a kill.

Long Beach hit .552 in the decisive fourth set, but Pepperdine hit .412 as the teams staged another tight battle. After 13 ties, LBSU got a few big plays from Isaiah Preuitt for a 16-15 edge. The Big West Conference regular-season champions extended their lead to 21-18 with a 5-1 run. Pepperdine answered to get within one point at 22-21, but Dickinson gave Long Beach a set point at 24-22 and his 19th kill ended the match, 25-23.

Sophomore outside hitter Ilay Haver had 14 kills and four digs while hitting .545 for Pepperdine (21-10), which put together one of its most impressive offensive performances of the season with its .421 hitting percentage.

Junior outside hitter Ryan Barnett had 13 kills on .536 hitting and freshman outside hitter Cole Hartke had 13 kills on .333 hitting to go with four digs and two aces. Graduate setter Gabriel Dyer added 48 assists and eight digs, while junior libero Jacob Reilly led the team with nine digs, and sophomore middle blocker James Eadie had a team-best four blocks.

UCLA hit .370 while holding a short-handed Hawaii (27-6) squad to a season-worst .188 mark in its semifinal.

Freshman outside hitter Sean Kelly had a match-high 13 kills while hitting .435 to pace the Bruins, who had the advantage from the service line (six aces) and at the net (11 blocks). Junior outside hitter Zach Rama added 10 kills, junior setter Andrew Rowan had 34 assists and junior middle blocker Sean McQuiggan recorded seven blocks.

UCLA used an eight-point run to open a 10-4 lead in the first set with junior outside hitter Cooper Robinson contributing two aces and a pair of kills. The Bruins’ third ace extended their lead to 16-8. They remained in control through the end of the set while hitting .417 to Hawaii’s .048 and closed it out on a Rama kill.

UCLA used a 5-0 run to take a 13-10 lead in the second set. The Rainbow Warriors tied the score at 17-all and there were five more ties before a diving save from Adrien Roure gave Hawaii a 23-22 lead. UCLA answered to reclaim the lead and closed out the set with its seventh block.

Hawaii kept shuffling its lineup searching for the right combination, but UCLA surged to a 12-6 lead in the third set. The Warriors got within 15-13, but UCLA went ahead 20-15 on back-to-back blocks. Hawaii got within 22-21 on a kill by Louis Sakanoko, but the teams traded service errors then UCLA scored the next two points, with Rowan setting up Robinson for his ninth kill to secure the match.

Roure led the Warriors with 12 kills with two aces while hitting .333.

Long Beach won both of its regular-season matches against UCLA, though both were played early in the season. LBSU won a four-set match at home on Feb. 7 then swept the Bruns five nights later at Pauley Pavilion.

By: Michael Love


Sunday, May 11, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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A couple of postponements created a busy scenario for the final week of the regular season for the Gateway boys volleyball team.

Four matches in four days, starting with a crucial Section 4 clash with Central Catholic and continuing with matches against Plum, Penn Hills and Fox Chapel, decided the Gators’ fate in regards to their goal of capturing the section championship.

“I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t physically and emotionally taxing at this point in the season to take on such a demanding schedule,” Gateway coach Phil Randolph said.

“While the expected signs and looks of fatigue were in place on the faces of the kids when I saw them in the hallways for school, we were spry and eager on the court, which is a testament to the work that these guys have put in both in and out of the gym since the conclusion of last season. I fervently believe that one of the big reasons that we have been able to make this program into a perennial playoff contender since I’ve taken the reins of this program is because we work year-round to ensure we are physically ready to perform in season.”

Gateway started the four-game stretch with three wins — a 3-1 triumph over Central Catholic, a 3-2 thriller over Plum, and a 3-0 shutout of Penn Hills on senior night at the Furrie Sports Complex.

That put the Gators at 7-2 in the section and clinched at least a tie for the section championship in their first season back in Class 3A after several seasons in Class 2A.

Gateway hoped for revenge against Fox Chapel last Thursday in a rematch of a 3-2 loss to the Foxes from April 15.

The Gators then were to find out their playoff fate Friday when the WPIAL boys volleyball playoff committee was set to assemble and release the Class 3A brackets.

The severe storms from April 29 knocked out power to several areas in the region, including Monroeville, and with Gateway schools being closed several days, Randolph said it created challenges for the team.

“We did miss a few days of practice last week before getting back to practice on Friday,” he said.

“Following the SATs on Saturday, we were able to get back in for a few hours and get a healthy run going. Even though it was only a few days of missed time, there was rust that needed to be shaved off before our marathon week, so this was certainly time well spent. We were able to take a closer look at what we needed to specifically tailor for each of our opponents.”

The game plan for the rematch with Central Catholic — moved to May 1 from May 5 because of the power outage — worked well as Gateway bounced back from an epic 31-29 Vikings win in Game 1 to capture the final three games — 25-23, 25-17 and 25-20.

“That match was a blast,” Randolph said. “If we matched up 10 times, you could have 10 different outcomes because there is a lot of parity with these squads. I loved that it was a clean, competitive contest. There wasn’t any trash talking or complaining about calls or drama from kids or coaches. It was just good, competitive volleyball between two squads with guys who love the game. I have a ton of respect for Grant Heckmann and the manner in which he runs his crew, and I have some imaginings that he and I have some similar manners in which we are both trying to play chess with hopes that others are playing checkers.”

Randolph said middle hitters Chase Lewandowski, a junior; and Donovan Shaeffer, a sophomore; senior libero Owen Echegaray; senior defensive specialist Ethan Nguyen; senior setter Tommy Nikou; outside hitters Darious Farrar, a senior, and Daniel Bozicevic, a junior; and junior utility player Tokyo Kubanychbekov, were able to execute the game plan with speed, mobility, power and efficiency.

Randolph also said junior opposite side hitter Aiden Coughran had a breakout game with his quick-strike swings.

“Aiden is apt to let his play do the talking, so I was super excited to see him have the spotlight deservedly shone on him following Monday’s big win,” Randolph said.

Gateway completed a sweep of rival Plum, but it wasn’t easy the rest of the way after the Gators seemed to breeze through a 25-14 win in Game 1.

Plum rebounded in Game 2, 28-26, and Game 4, 25-23, but the Gators prevailed, closing out the match with a 15-11 win in the deciding fifth game.

“Plum definitely was a different team (May 6) than they were when we saw them earlier in the season,” Randolph said.

“It was impossible not to come away from (that) night impressed with how efficiently Plum was able to have their outside hitters — Max Grice and Adam Smith — become threats from all six spots. They have some really talented and hard-working kids on that roster. For us to earn that hard-fought win, we had to hit reset a few times and take a few deep breaths so that we could get back on the same page. Once we restored our positive energy and made some strategic moves with regard to trying to exploit their blocks and serve-receive, we looked like our old selves again.”

Gateway celebrated senior night with a quick 3-0 win over Penn Hills with scores of 25-16, 25-13, and 25-16. Farrar, Nguyen, Echegaray, Nikou, middle hitter Brandon Maldonado and defensive specialist Cam Pawlowski were celebrated before the match.

“For the guys who’ve been here for all four years — Darious, Ethan, Owen and Tommy — it’s been like watching my own kid grow up,” Randolph said.

“All four of these young men have left big and lasting fingerprints on this court and this program, and while they will certainly be missed next year, they and their contributions to our ‘volleyball family’ will not be forgotten any time soon. And while I haven’t been able to spend as much time with (first-year seniors) Brandon and Cam, they’ve both been very welcomed additions to the squad, and it’s been really special to see how far they’ve grown in just a few short months’ time. I wish that they’d have been around for all four years.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway

Brackins Jr., who so far had only competed at the USC-UCLA Dual Meet on May 4, went to the last chance meet to try and post some NCAA-qualifying times this weekend and it seems like he was successful.

First, Brackins Jr. won the 110m hurdles final with a time of 13.53 (+1.7).  He had posted a time of 13.48 (+2.2w) in the prelims on May 9.  That time moved him to tied for 15^th on the NCAA descending order list.

Later in the day, Brackins Jr. won the 400m hurdles race with a personal-best time of 50.11.  That time moves him to 13^th on the NCAA descending order list.

 

Brackins Jr. and the USC track and field teams will be in action this week at the Big Ten Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. from May 16-18. 

Berea, Ohio (May 9th)- A handful of Denison University track and field student-athletes traveled to Baldwin Wallace for the Harrison Dillard Twilight meet this Friday. 

Field Events

Representing the Denison women’s throwers was Sydney Flores, who finished seventh in shot put after clearing a distance of 12.81m (42′ ½”). On the men’s side, Owen Mathes, Reed Nobili, and Chris Slater also threw shot put. Slater took second with a throw of 16.46m (54’0″), followed by Mathe,s who finished 11th with a 13.11m throw (43′ ¼”), while Nobili finished 16th after throwing a distance of 12.08m (39’7″). Mathes and Nobili also competed in the hammer throw, where they finished 20th (43.91m- 144’0′) and 26th (38.46m- 126″2′) respectively.

Over in long jump, senior Jack Blais jumped a distance of 6.81m (22’4 ¼”) for fourth place. Justin Tharayil competed in the triple jump and finished ninth after clearing a distance of 12.67m (41’7″).

Running Events

In the 400m hurdles junior Emily Brennan crossed the finish line in 1:03.70 for a second place finish, and on the men’s side, Nathan Bertman and Leo Wisnefski competed in the 1500m run. With over 75 competitors in the fiel,d Wisnefski finished 42nd with a time of 4:02.58, while Bertman came in 56th place with a time of 4:09.88.

 

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women’s volleyball adds four student-athletes ahead of its 2025 season, announced head coach Jennifer Weiss this week.  The Class of 2029 includes Bridget Egan, Sophia Jo, Sofia Rossi, and Sophia Wei.

Bridget Egan | Louisville, KY | Sacred Heart Academy

A four-year varsity letterwinner for volleyball at Sacred Heart Academy…Played club volleyball for EIVA Sports…Served as team captain for the Sacred Heart Academy volleyball team in 2024…Two-time Sacred Heart Academy Offensive Player of the Year…Named the Kentucky High School Athletic Association District Tournament MVP and made the All-Tournament team…Received KVCA All-State honors…Named to the AVCA All-Region team…AAU National Champion 16 Open…Top-five finisher for 17 Open…Runner-up at 18 U Open Under Armour National Championship…Named the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Student-Athlete of the Year in 2024-25…Four-time Sacred Heart Angela Merici Scholar…Jean Frazier Leadership Institute Fellow (2022-25)…AAU Academic All-American…Four-time KHSAA Academic All-State…Brother, Liam, plays soccer at the University of Notre Dame (Undergraduate ’25, Graduate ’26)…Mother, Brooke, rowed crew at Notre Dame…Uncle, Brison, rowed crew at Yale (’92).

Sophia Jo | Libero | 5’5″ | Atlanta, GA | The Westminster Schools

A four-year varsity letterwinner for volleyball at The Westminster Schools…Libero/defensive specialist for the A5 Volleyball Club (since age 13)…Served as team captain for Westminster in 2024…Three-time All-Region first team…Two-time AVCA Phenom Watch List…Two-time All-State first team…2024 All-Region Defensive Player of the Year…2024 AVCA Best and Brightest second team…2024 AVCA All-Region watch list…2024 AVCA All-America watch list…Surpassed 1,000 digs in her junior season…Holds the Westminster record for career service aces…Recipient of the Marcia Wright Memorial Award at Westminster…Admissions Ambassador at Westminster…AP Scholar with Honor and National Honor Society.

Sofia Rossi | Outside Hitter | 6’0″ | Park Ridge, Ill. | Maine South High School

A four-year varsity letterwinner for volleyball at Maine South High School…Played for five years for the MOD Volleyball Club…Two-time team captain for the Maine South volleyball team…Three-time Maine South Varsity Volleyball Team MVP…Three-time All-Conference honoree…2023 All-Tournament player for the Mizuno Crimson Classic Tournament…2024 Central Suburban League South Player of the Year…Two-time AVCA Phenom watch list…Four-time JVA watch list…2025 All-Tournament player at the 18U Under Armour National Championships…Accumulated over 1,000 career kills in career at Maine South…Two-time National Honor Society…Two-time IHSA Scholastic Achievement Award…Two-time Central Suburban League Scholar Athlete honoree.

Sophia Wei | Setter | 5’8″ | Plano, TX | Plano West

A three-year letterwinner and starter for volleyball at Plano West…A member of Dallas Skyline Volleyball from 2024-25…A member and captain of Madfrog Volleyball from 2016-23…Two-year captain for Plano West volleyball team…2024 USAV 17 Open All-Tournament team at the Girls Junior National Championships…Texas Girls Coaches Association 6-A All-State selection in 2024…Texas UIL District 6-6A first team All-District in 2024…Texas UIL District 6-6A Setter of the Year in 2023…Texas UIL District 6-6A Newcomer of the Year in 2022…Two-time Allen Texas Open All-Tournament team…Two-time Under Armour All-American camp invitee…JVA Class of 2025 watch list in 2024…PrepVolleyball Class of 2025 watch list in 2022…USAV 17 Open bronze medalist at the Girls Junior National Championships in 2024…USAV 16 Open fifth place finish at the Girls Junior National Championships in 2023…Five-time top-10 finish in the highest division at the USAV Girls Junior National Championships…Three-time top-five finish in the Elite division at the Triple Crown Volleyball National Invitational Tournament…Accumulated 1,982 assists, 716 digs, and 115 aces across three seasons at Plano West…Two-time District 6-6A champions, Di-District champions, and All-Area champions…Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) first team academic All-State in 2024…Three-time UIL District 6-6A All-District…Cameron Impact Scholarship Finalist in 2025…Gold Congressional Award Medal in 2024…Three-time AP Scholar with Distinction…Executive Director and Head of Social Impact for Be The Light Youth Association…Sister, Jacqueline, is a 2023 Harvard graduate.