LONG BEACH, Calif. – Trinity Western dropped the final match of their California tour, losing 3-2 against historic volleyball power Long Beach State Tuesday at Walter Pyramid.
A day after earning a three-set win over the LBSU, the Spartans and the Beach went back and forth in an exciting five-setter that ultimately went to the home side.
The Beach have won two of the last three NCAA championships, taking the title in both 2018 and 2019.
TWU finished its trip to California, with a 5-2 record, including wins over Pepperdine (twice), UC Santa Barbara, UCLA and LBSU.
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Ben Josephson
“That was a great volleyball game. That team is really special. They have some unbelievable talent. The heart they have and the defensive plays that they had to keep rallies alive – it was inspiring to watch. This is what makes Long Beach one of the most historic programs in America. They’re so proud and so well-coached and so disciplined and they have such good chemistry and culture. And these are the things that we pride ourselves on. In many ways, it was a mirror image of each other. It was two very proud and competitive volleyball teams going down to five sets. I don’t think there was anything to separate these two teams. I’m very proud of our guys. They were obviously battling to the very end and, as long as there were points to be played, I felt like the guys played hard. It sucks to lose our last game of the tour but we lost to a team that very much earned it. Hats off to Long Beach. It’s too bad we won’t get to play them again, but maybe someday.”
UP NEXT
TWU will return home to host rivals UBC Nov. 26-27 at the Langley Events Centre in what will be an early-season battle of unbeatens, with both teams needing just six sets to earn weekend sweeps to open the Canada West season.
SCHEDULE
Nov. 10 vs. Pepperdine – 3-2 W
SAC Tournament
Nov. 12 vs. UCSB – 3-0 W
Nov. 13 vs. USC – 3-1 L
Nov. 13 vs. UCLA – 3-0 W
Nov. 14 vs. Pepperdine – 3-1 W
Nov. 15 vs. Long Beach State – 3-0 W
Nov. 16 vs. Long Beach State – 3-2 L
TWU’S ALL-TIME RECORD vs. NCAA DIV. I OPPONENTS
BYU – 2-2
Cal State Northridge – 1-1
George Mason – 0-1
Lewis – 2-2
Long Beach State – 4-2
Pacific – 3-1
Pepperdine – 5-4
Purdue Fort Wayne – 2-0
Stanford – 0-1
UC Irvine – 0-1
UCLA – 5-2
UC Santa Barbara – 2-2
USC – 2-2
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women’s and men’s soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women’s rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men’s rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 29 Canada West team championships.
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