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High School Swimming

Hershey’s girls almost totally dominated the top spot on Palmyra’s dais, winning ten of 11 events, including all three relays. Palmyra Gavin Tran grabbed two of them, winning the 200 individual medley and finishing third in the 100 breaststroke. Luke Tinsley was third in the 50 freestyle. With Kesterson, Davis and Golden in mind, Fastrich said, […]

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High School Swimming

Hershey’s girls almost totally dominated the top spot on Palmyra’s dais, winning ten of 11 events, including all three relays.
Palmyra
Gavin Tran grabbed two of them, winning the 200 individual medley and finishing third in the 100 breaststroke. Luke Tinsley was third in the 50 freestyle.
With Kesterson, Davis and Golden in mind, Fastrich said, “I knew the women’s team was going to be a little down this year and lose several meets. (But) those younger female swimmers are developing into what could be a solid women’s team once again.”
The girls weren’t great on Jan. 4 at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium, where they finished eighth of eight teams competing in the Wilson New Year’s Challenge Meet.
Junior Cornelius Cummings led the Cougars with two firsts (100 freestyle, 200 freestyle) and two seconds (200 and 400 freestyle relays).
“All three of those girls had a great meet Saturday at the New Year’s Challenge meet at Bucknell,” Fastrich said.
While none medaled, the three left lots of opponents in their wakes and pleased their coach, besides.
Junior Sam Gladysz (100 butterfly) and sophomore John Yerke (200 individual medley) were the other Palmyra winners.
Individual event winners were Kesterson (50 freestyle and 100 butterfly), Davis (200 individual medley, and 100 backstroke), Golden (100 breaststroke), Emma Fickett (500 freestyle) and Sally Paterno (100 freestyle).
While the girls’ season has started slowly, this is their best performance to date in a dual meet. The girls have lost a number of top swimmers over the last two years, and that has had an effect.
Sophomore Yaric Soltanov won the 50 freestyle.
Its boys’ team, off to a 4-0 start this season, topped the Cougars 103-67, while the girls’ team evened their record at 2-2 with a 113-57 decision.
Kesterson was fourth of 32 entrants in the 100 backstroke and fourth of 31 in the 200 individual medley. Davis was sixth of 32 in the 500 freestyle, and Golden, sixth of 31 in the 200 individual medley.
The boys did better with four first placers.
Eleanor Brower was Palmyra’s only female winner against Hershey, taking the 200 freestyle.
Tran won the 100 backstroke and also swam on the three relays.
But their squad’s last place finish didn’t affect the three aforementioned swimmers.
Austin Fastrich was a winner in the three events, while Caleb Tinsley (500 freestyle with a personal best 5:10.60 and the 200 medley relay) and Gray Oyerly (200 and 400 freestyle relay events) each won twice.
Luke Tinsley and Gavin Tran paced the boys with four first place finishes apiece. Tinsley won the 100-yard breaststroke and swam on all three relay teams, anchoring two of them.
The boys took three medals in finishing fourth at Bucknell.
The boys won seven events including all three relays.
Avery Kesterson and Anna Davis led the way with four first place finishes apiece while Luna Golden added three.
Hershey’s swimmers started their new year off right with easy wins over Palmyra High in a Jan. 2 meet at the Cougars’ pool.
But coach Greg Fastrich thinks things are turning around.

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Nebraska volleyball has options at hitting positions again

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Bucknell University

PROVIDENCE, R.I.- Bucknell women’s water polo (15-13) fell 17-4 to #10 Princeton (21-6) in the CWPA Semifinals on Saturday afternoon. The first-seeded Tigers were too much for the fourth-seeded Bison. Princeton led 10-1 at halftime and cruised to the 17-4 victory.  Princeton scored six goals in the first quarter, leaving no doubt to the eventual […]

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PROVIDENCE, R.I.- Bucknell women’s water polo (15-13) fell 17-4 to #10 Princeton (21-6) in the CWPA Semifinals on Saturday afternoon. The first-seeded Tigers were too much for the fourth-seeded Bison. Princeton led 10-1 at halftime and cruised to the 17-4 victory. 

Princeton scored six goals in the first quarter, leaving no doubt to the eventual outcome. The Bison offense tried to find openings but were undone by Princeton’s aggressive and defiant defense. 

Bella Schraa tallied a goal in the second quarter to break Princeton’s streak. The Tigers prevented any comeback by scoring four more cage-finders for the 10-1 halftime lead. 

The Tigers outscored Bucknell 4-0 in the third quarter, firmly putting the game away.

The Bison never stopped fighting and equaled Princeton’s three goal output in the final stanza with a trio of goals. Ashley Hopper scored the first tally. Regan Coon provided the second goal. Rhys Beutler supplied the Bison’s final cage-finder. 

Bucknell will face the loser of Harvard-Michigan in tomorrow’s third-place game at 11 a.m. 

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Men’s Volleyball vs UC Irvine (Semifinals) on 4/25/2025 – Box Score

— Irvine subs: D’Arcy, William; Ennis, Tim; Grigoriev, Maxim. Irvine subs: D’Arcy, William; Ennis, Tim; Grigoriev, Maxim. — Hawaii subs: Choy, ‘Eleu; Todd, Justin. Hawaii subs: Choy, ‘Eleu; Todd, […]

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Irvine subs: D’Arcy, William; Ennis, Tim; Grigoriev, Maxim.



Irvine subs: D’Arcy, William; Ennis, Tim; Grigoriev, Maxim.






Hawaii subs: Choy, ‘Eleu; Todd, Justin.



Hawaii subs: Choy, ‘Eleu; Todd, Justin.






Irvine subs: Aitken, Shane; Goss, Micah.



Irvine subs: Aitken, Shane; Goss, Micah.




Hawaii


0-1


[Rosenthal, Tread] Attack error by Henno, Hilir (from Ennis, Tim).



0


Hawaii

1

[Rosenthal, Tread] Attack error by Henno, Hilir (from Ennis, Tim).




Hawaii


1-1


[Rosenthal, Tread] Service error.



[Rosenthal, Tread] Service error.

1


UC Irvine

1




Irvine


2-1


[Henno, Hilir] Service ace (Roure, Adrien).



[Henno, Hilir] Service ace (Roure, Adrien).

2


UC Irvine

1




Irvine


2-2


[Henno, Hilir] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).



2


Hawaii

2

[Henno, Hilir] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).




Hawaii


2-3


[Roure, Adrien] Attack error by Grigoriev, Maxim (block by Nusterer, Kurt).



2


Hawaii

3

[Roure, Adrien] Attack error by Grigoriev, Maxim (block by Nusterer, Kurt).




Hawaii


3-3


[Roure, Adrien] Kill by Flexen, Nolan (from Henno, Hilir).



[Roure, Adrien] Kill by Flexen, Nolan (from Henno, Hilir).

3


UC Irvine

3






Irvine subs: Goss, Micah; Aitken, Shane.



Irvine subs: Goss, Micah; Aitken, Shane.




Irvine


4-3


[Grigoriev, Maxim] Service ace (Choy, ‘Eleu).



[Grigoriev, Maxim] Service ace (Choy, ‘Eleu).

4


UC Irvine

3




Irvine


4-4


[Grigoriev, Maxim] Service error.



4


Hawaii

4

[Grigoriev, Maxim] Service error.






Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Choy, ‘Eleu.



Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Choy, ‘Eleu.






Irvine subs: Aitken, Shane; Grigoriev, Maxim.



Irvine subs: Aitken, Shane; Grigoriev, Maxim.




Hawaii


5-4


[Nusterer, Kurt] Kill by Henno, Hilir (from Karlous, Joe), block error by Todd, Justin.



[Nusterer, Kurt] Kill by Henno, Hilir (from Karlous, Joe), block error by Todd, Justin.

5


UC Irvine

4






Hawaii subs: Choy, ‘Eleu; Nusterer, Kurt.



Hawaii subs: Choy, ‘Eleu; Nusterer, Kurt.




Irvine


6-4


[Flexen, Nolan] Attack error by Sakanoko, Louis (block by Goss, Micah; Karlous, Joe; Ennis, Tim).



[Flexen, Nolan] Attack error by Sakanoko, Louis (block by Goss, Micah; Karlous, Joe; Ennis, Tim).

6


UC Irvine

4




Irvine


6-5


[Flexen, Nolan] Kill by Kearney, Finn (from Roure, Adrien).



6


Hawaii

5

[Flexen, Nolan] Kill by Kearney, Finn (from Roure, Adrien).




Hawaii


7-5


[Kearney, Finn] Service error.



[Kearney, Finn] Service error.

7


UC Irvine

5




Irvine


8-5


[Ennis, Tim] Kill by Henno, Hilir (from Karlous, Joe).



[Ennis, Tim] Kill by Henno, Hilir (from Karlous, Joe).

8


UC Irvine

5




Irvine


8-6


[Ennis, Tim] Service error.



8


Hawaii

6

[Ennis, Tim] Service error.




Hawaii


9-6


[Sakanoko, Louis] Service error.



[Sakanoko, Louis] Service error.

9


UC Irvine

6






Irvine subs: Grigoriev, Maxim; Aitken, Shane.



Irvine subs: Grigoriev, Maxim; Aitken, Shane.




Irvine


9-7


[Goss, Micah] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).



9


Hawaii

7

[Goss, Micah] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).






Irvine subs: Aitken, Shane; Goss, Micah.



Irvine subs: Aitken, Shane; Goss, Micah.






Hawaii subs: Nusterer, Kurt; Choy, ‘Eleu.



Hawaii subs: Nusterer, Kurt; Choy, ‘Eleu.




Hawaii


9-8


[Todd, Justin] Attack error by Grigoriev, Maxim (from Karlous, Joe).



9


Hawaii

8

[Todd, Justin] Attack error by Grigoriev, Maxim (from Karlous, Joe).




Hawaii


10-8


[Todd, Justin] Kill by Henno, Hilir (from Karlous, Joe).



[Todd, Justin] Kill by Henno, Hilir (from Karlous, Joe).

10


UC Irvine

8






Hawaii subs: Choy, ‘Eleu; Todd, Justin.



Hawaii subs: Choy, ‘Eleu; Todd, Justin.




Irvine


10-9


[Karlous, Joe] Kill by Nusterer, Kurt (from Rosenthal, Tread).



10


Hawaii

9

[Karlous, Joe] Kill by Nusterer, Kurt (from Rosenthal, Tread).




Hawaii


11-9


[Rosenthal, Tread] Attack error by Nusterer, Kurt.



[Rosenthal, Tread] Attack error by Nusterer, Kurt.

11


UC Irvine

9




Irvine


11-10


[Henno, Hilir] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Choy, ‘Eleu).



11


Hawaii

10

[Henno, Hilir] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Choy, ‘Eleu).




Hawaii


11-11


[Roure, Adrien] Attack error by Henno, Hilir (block by Sakanoko, Louis; Nusterer, Kurt).



11


Hawaii

11

[Roure, Adrien] Attack error by Henno, Hilir (block by Sakanoko, Louis; Nusterer, Kurt).




Hawaii


11-12


[Roure, Adrien] Attack error by Ennis, Tim (block by Kearney, Finn).



11


Hawaii

12

[Roure, Adrien] Attack error by Ennis, Tim (block by Kearney, Finn).




Hawaii


12-12


[Roure, Adrien] Kill by Flexen, Nolan (from Karlous, Joe).



[Roure, Adrien] Kill by Flexen, Nolan (from Karlous, Joe).

12


UC Irvine

12






Irvine subs: Goss, Micah; Aitken, Shane.



Irvine subs: Goss, Micah; Aitken, Shane.




Irvine


12-13


[Grigoriev, Maxim] Kill by Sakanoko, Louis (from Rosenthal, Tread).



12


Hawaii

13

[Grigoriev, Maxim] Kill by Sakanoko, Louis (from Rosenthal, Tread).






Irvine subs: Aitken, Shane; Grigoriev, Maxim.



Irvine subs: Aitken, Shane; Grigoriev, Maxim.






Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Choy, ‘Eleu.



Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Choy, ‘Eleu.




Hawaii


12-14


[Nusterer, Kurt] Attack error by Flexen, Nolan (block by Todd, Justin; Sakanoko, Louis).



12


Hawaii

14

[Nusterer, Kurt] Attack error by Flexen, Nolan (block by Todd, Justin; Sakanoko, Louis).




Hawaii


12-15


[Nusterer, Kurt] Kill by Kearney, Finn.



12


Hawaii

15

[Nusterer, Kurt] Kill by Kearney, Finn.




Hawaii


12-16


[Nusterer, Kurt] Kill by Sakanoko, Louis, block error by Karlous, Joe.



12


Hawaii

16

[Nusterer, Kurt] Kill by Sakanoko, Louis, block error by Karlous, Joe.




Hawaii


13-16


[Nusterer, Kurt] Service error.



[Nusterer, Kurt] Service error.

13


UC Irvine

16






Irvine subs: Rigg, Aidan; Karlous, Joe.



Irvine subs: Rigg, Aidan; Karlous, Joe.




Irvine


13-17


[Flexen, Nolan] Kill by Todd, Justin (from Rosenthal, Tread).



13


Hawaii

17

[Flexen, Nolan] Kill by Todd, Justin (from Rosenthal, Tread).






Hawaii subs: Choy, ‘Eleu; Nusterer, Kurt.



Hawaii subs: Choy, ‘Eleu; Nusterer, Kurt.




Hawaii


14-17


[Kearney, Finn] Kill by Rigg, Aidan (from Aitken, Shane), block error by Sakanoko, Louis.



[Kearney, Finn] Kill by Rigg, Aidan (from Aitken, Shane), block error by Sakanoko, Louis.

14


UC Irvine

17




Irvine


14-18


[Ennis, Tim] Attack error by Henno, Hilir (block by Rosenthal, Tread; Todd, Justin).



14


Hawaii

18

[Ennis, Tim] Attack error by Henno, Hilir (block by Rosenthal, Tread; Todd, Justin).




Hawaii


15-18


[Sakanoko, Louis] Service error.



[Sakanoko, Louis] Service error.

15


UC Irvine

18






Irvine subs: Grigoriev, Maxim; Aitken, Shane.



Irvine subs: Grigoriev, Maxim; Aitken, Shane.




Irvine


15-19


[Goss, Micah] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).



15


Hawaii

19

[Goss, Micah] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).






Irvine subs: Aitken, Shane; Goss, Micah.



Irvine subs: Aitken, Shane; Goss, Micah.






Hawaii subs: Taylor, Kai; Todd, Justin; Nusterer, Kurt; Choy, ‘Eleu.



Hawaii subs: Taylor, Kai; Todd, Justin; Nusterer, Kurt; Choy, ‘Eleu.




Hawaii


16-19


[Taylor, Kai] Kill by Rigg, Aidan (from Henno, Hilir).



[Taylor, Kai] Kill by Rigg, Aidan (from Henno, Hilir).

16


UC Irvine

19






Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Taylor, Kai; Choy, ‘Eleu; Todd, Justin.



Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Taylor, Kai; Choy, ‘Eleu; Todd, Justin.




Irvine


16-20


[Rigg, Aidan] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).



16


Hawaii

20

[Rigg, Aidan] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).






Irvine subs: Karlous, Joe; Rigg, Aidan.



Irvine subs: Karlous, Joe; Rigg, Aidan.




Hawaii


17-20


[Rosenthal, Tread] Service error.



[Rosenthal, Tread] Service error.

17


UC Irvine

20






Irvine subs: D’Arcy, William; Ennis, Tim.



Irvine subs: D’Arcy, William; Ennis, Tim.




Irvine


18-20


[Henno, Hilir] Service ace (Roure, Adrien).



[Henno, Hilir] Service ace (Roure, Adrien).

18


UC Irvine

20




Irvine


19-20


[Henno, Hilir] Attack error by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).



[Henno, Hilir] Attack error by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).

19


UC Irvine

20




Irvine


19-21


[Henno, Hilir] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).



19


Hawaii

21

[Henno, Hilir] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).






Irvine subs: Ennis, Tim; D’Arcy, William.



Irvine subs: Ennis, Tim; D’Arcy, William.




Hawaii


20-21


[Roure, Adrien] Kill by Flexen, Nolan (from Karlous, Joe).



[Roure, Adrien] Kill by Flexen, Nolan (from Karlous, Joe).

20


UC Irvine

21






Irvine subs: Goss, Micah; Aitken, Shane.



Irvine subs: Goss, Micah; Aitken, Shane.




Irvine


20-22


[Grigoriev, Maxim] Kill by Sakanoko, Louis (from Rosenthal, Tread).



20


Hawaii

22

[Grigoriev, Maxim] Kill by Sakanoko, Louis (from Rosenthal, Tread).






Irvine subs: Aitken, Shane; Grigoriev, Maxim.



Irvine subs: Aitken, Shane; Grigoriev, Maxim.






Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Choy, ‘Eleu; Wade, Kainoa; Nusterer, Kurt.



Hawaii subs: Todd, Justin; Choy, ‘Eleu; Wade, Kainoa; Nusterer, Kurt.




Hawaii


21-22


[Wade, Kainoa] Kill by Flexen, Nolan (from Karlous, Joe).



[Wade, Kainoa] Kill by Flexen, Nolan (from Karlous, Joe).

21


UC Irvine

22






Hawaii subs: Nusterer, Kurt; Wade, Kainoa; Choy, ‘Eleu; Nusterer, Kurt.



Hawaii subs: Nusterer, Kurt; Wade, Kainoa; Choy, ‘Eleu; Nusterer, Kurt.




Irvine


21-23


[Flexen, Nolan] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).



21


Hawaii

23

[Flexen, Nolan] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).




Hawaii


22-23


[Kearney, Finn] Kill by Flexen, Nolan (from Karlous, Joe).



[Kearney, Finn] Kill by Flexen, Nolan (from Karlous, Joe).

22


UC Irvine

23




Irvine


22-24


[Ennis, Tim] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).



22


Hawaii

24

[Ennis, Tim] Kill by Roure, Adrien (from Rosenthal, Tread).




Hawaii


23-24


[Sakanoko, Louis] Service error.



[Sakanoko, Louis] Service error.

23


UC Irvine

24






Irvine subs: Grigoriev, Maxim; Aitken, Shane.



Irvine subs: Grigoriev, Maxim; Aitken, Shane.




Irvine


23-25


[Goss, Micah] Service error.



23


Hawaii

25

[Goss, Micah] Service error.




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Championship Run Ends With Loss To Georgia State

Story Links FOLEY, Ala. – UNCW’s run in the Sun Belt Conference Beach Volleyball Championship came to an end on Saturday with the Seahawks falling to nationally-ranked Georgia State, 3-1, in the finals at the Foley Beach Volleyball Complex. The 18th-ranked Panthers (22-16) earned the league’s automatic berth in the upcoming NCAA […]

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FOLEY, Ala. – UNCW’s run in the Sun Belt Conference Beach Volleyball Championship came to an end on Saturday with the Seahawks falling to nationally-ranked Georgia State, 3-1, in the finals at the Foley Beach Volleyball Complex.

The 18th-ranked Panthers (22-16) earned the league’s automatic berth in the upcoming NCAA Championships in May. The Seahawks fell to 22-9 with the loss coming in the program’s first championship dual appearance.

UNCW’s pairing of Gracie Sistrunk and Lyvia Trimp posted UNCW’s lone win to run their record to 30-1.

The Seahawks advanced to the finals for the first time in program history with a come-from-behind, 3-2, win over top-seeded Coastal Carolina. Trailing 2-1, Gabby LaPata and Sarah Thompson leveled the dual at 2-all with a 15-13 win in the third set at the top pairing.

Traci Schrock and Annika Thompson delivered a win at the third pairing to end the Seahawks to their first conference finals appearance. The pair dropped the first set to Coastal, but answered with a 21-19 win in the second and also rallied from a late deficit to win 16-14 in the third set.


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Gauchos’ Rally Comes Up Just Short in Big West Quarterfinal

IRVINE, Calif. — The No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara Women’s Water Polo team (16-13, 2-5 Big West) gave hosts and No. 3 seed UC Irvine (15-12, 5-2 Big West) everything the Anteaters could handle in Friday’s Big West Championship Quarterfinal, but the Gauchos’ late rally came up just a goal shy […]

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IRVINE, Calif. — The No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara Women’s Water Polo team (16-13, 2-5 Big West) gave hosts and No. 3 seed UC Irvine (15-12, 5-2 Big West) everything the Anteaters could handle in Friday’s Big West Championship Quarterfinal, but the Gauchos’ late rally came up just a goal shy of sending things to overtime as Santa Barbara fell, 12-11. Christina Mullane recorded a hat-trick, while Juju Amaral tallied five assists and Ava Donleavy made 14 saves.
 
FROM INTERIM HEAD COACH EMMA MYALL
“We came in with a strong gameplan, we were really excited about our after-goal defense that we ran, and it worked pretty well for a good amount of the game,” Myall said. “In general, I’m so proud of the season this year. It was a very unexpected season for us, and the girls went through a lot of hardship and difficult times of change, and they started adjusting really well to me and to my staff, and we all realized we had each other’s backs and we wanted to win.”
 
“Our culture, that was the one thing I really wanted to focus on when I first came in as interim (head coach). I brought the girls together and we talked about love, and we talked about confidence and loyalty and accountability, and those things led us through the season. The number one of those was love, right? With love you have respect, you have all the things, and the celebration, the goals, the blocks, everything we’re doing, that’s all out of love for each other, and we’re a family at the end of the day.”
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos were all over the Anteaters early, with Mullane drawing and converting a penalty shot on Santa Barbara’s first possession. Amaral added her first of two goals on the day to double the Gauchos’ advantage to 2-0 inside two minutes. Irvine responded and tied the game before the second quarter, but Bella Mady scored the first goal of the second to put Santa Barbara back on top.
 
The second quarter went back and forth, with Irvine next to score, then Amaral putting the Gauchos ahead again. The Anteaters answered, but again Santa Barbara re-took the lead, this time through Imani Clemons. The Gauchos held that lead, a 5-4 edge, at halftime.
 
Irvine took their first lead of the day with the first two goals of the third quarter, but Santa Barbara again grabbed their lead back with goals from Mullane and Molly Souza, going up, 7-6. After another Anteater goal tied things, Annie Kuester gave the Gauchos the lead yet again, 8-7, heading into the fourth quarter.
 
For the first time all day, Irvine took a two-goal lead in the fourth, going in front by three, 11-8, with four and a half minutes left to play. Mullane’s third goal of the day reduced the arrears to two, then Isabel Valaika scored less than 20 seconds later to bring Santa Barbara back into the game, with the score 11-10. Irvine’s final goal of the day came just inside the three-minute mark, and Kuester kept the comeback dream alive with her second goal of the day, with a minute and 45 seconds left. The Gauchos got a chance to tie the game in the final ticks of the clock, but could not convert.
 

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No. 1 Long Beach State Serves Up a Semifinal Win in Quest for Back-to-Back Big West Titles

Story Links HONOLULU – The top team in the nation and The Big West regular-season champion Long Beach State powered past No. 4 seed UC San Diego in straight sets to punch their ticket to Saturday’s finale at The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2025 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship, held at SimpliFi Arena […]

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HONOLULU The top team in the nation and The Big West regular-season champion Long Beach State powered past No. 4 seed UC San Diego in straight sets to punch their ticket to Saturday’s finale at The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2025 Outrigger Big West Men’s Volleyball Championship, held at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Set scores were 25–18, 25–17, 25–23 in favor of the Beach. 

The win moves LBSU to a 27-2 overall record and secures a place in the Championship match for consecutive seasons in the bid to go back-to-back. The Tritons cap off an inspired season with an overall record of 18-11, the most Division I wins by a UCSD team in program history, with a postseason surge that included a five-set win over UC Santa Barbara in Thursday night’s first round matchup. 

One of the headlines from the night was freshman phenom Moni Nikolov, whose four service aces brought his season total to 90, setting a new Big West single-season record. Beyond the prowess at the service line, Nikolov dished out 35 assists while adding four kills and five digs.  

The Beach were in command from the first serve, hitting .520 in the opening set and finishing with a sparkling .400 hitting percentage overall. The offense was fluid, led by a 14-kill and eight-dig outing for freshman Alex Kandev, who hit .600 (14-2-20) for LBSU. Ben Braun added five kills and five blocks to lead all players at the net. 

UC San Diego was able to rally in a second set that featured 11 ties and four lead changes. The Tritons led the match at 18-16 after a kill for Selcho, but the Beach got back on the high side with three unanswered points capped by the Nikolov record-breaking ace to put the score at 19-18. UCSD kept fighting with ties at 19 and 22-all before the Beach was able to close it out on a Kandev strike as the freshman tandem from Sofia, Bulgaria connected on set point. 

Despite the sweep, UCSD showed flashes of the grit that carried them into the semifinal round with five players tallying at least five kills. Upperclassmen Josh Schellinger, Sebastian Lara and Peter Selcho each finished with seven kills in the match with Selcho doing it on 11 errorless swings for a .636 hitting percentage. Graduate transfer Bryce Dvorak tallied 29 assists in a final collegiate match. 

Next up, the Beach awaits the victor of No. 3 seed UC Irvine and second-seeded Championship host Hawai’i. The match will be played on Saturday at 10 p.m. PT/7 p.m. HT with the Champion earning the league’s automatic bid into the field of the National Collegiate Championship. Last year, the Beach and Anteaters both advanced to the national semifinal with LBSU finishing as runners-up. 

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