Vikings Fall to Golden West in 3C2A State Championship Final

The Long Beach City College Vikings saw their championship run come to an end on Saturday night, falling to Golden West College, 3-0, in the championship match of the 3C2A Men's Volleyball State Championships in the Hall of Champions.

The Vikings (18-9) showed life and battled throughout but were ultimately topped by the defending champions in straight sets, 25-17, 25-23, 25-19.

Long Beach was led offensively by Ethan Hammond, who turned in an outstanding performance with 12 kills on an impressive .800 hitting percentage, committing no errors on 15 attempts. Ezekiel Sablan added seven kills, while Alden Jacobs contributed six kills and two service aces.

At setter, Ryder Tuaolo guided the offense with 28 assists and added two service aces, helping the Vikings hit .244 as a team. Defensively, Sergio Garcia had a team-high nine digs, while Long Beach totaled 25 digs in the match.

At the net, the Vikings recorded five total blocks, with contributions from multiple players, including two block assists from Noah Pannek and a solo block from Tuaolo.

Golden West came out strong in the opening set, hitting .533 as a team to take early control of the match. Long Beach stayed within striking distance behind Hammond's efforts but could not overcome a late run by the Rustlers.

The Vikings responded in the second set with one of their strongest stretches of the match, hitting .321 and rallying late to pull within one at 24-23. However, a service error ended the set and gave Golden West a 2-0 advantage.

In the third, Long Beach traded points early and stayed close through the middle portion of the set, but Golden West used a late push to create separation and close out the match.

Despite the loss, the Vikings capped off a strong season with a trip to the championship match, continuing their upward trajectory under head coach Joshua Nehls.