The Vikings men’s volleyball triumphed over Santa Monica College 3-2 during a challenging home game on Wednesday, continuing their current four game wining streak.
The Vikings won the first set, with outside hitter Bryce Bowsher setting the stage as the top scorer, ending with 30 of the 63 kills of this match.
“I’m actually a transfer student from SMC… there was this big rivalry rematch between us and LBCC when I played for SMC, and we couldn’t take down Long Beach. I just came back to show that Long Beach is the better school,” said Bowsher.
However, the Santa Monica Corsairs switched to a defensive approach during the second set, blocking crucial plays against the Vikings.
Losing the opportunity to catch up in the second and third set due to various errors, it was clear the Vikings had begun to lose faith.
“I feel like we deserved to win the whole time, and we let that mentality get the best of us… that’s why they were able to take those two sets,” clarified Bowsher.
This led to doubt among the team, convinced a loss was in sight, but head coach Joshua Nehls had nothing but hope for his team’s success.
“Honestly, towards the end there it wasn’t about volleyball. We just needed to find the fight, to bring it out. I told the guys going into the fourth set we’ve got to change our emotions, we gotta stop making it about our mistakes… I think it hit them hard, realizing this game is an important match for playoffs,” said Nehls.
The Vikings were able to bounce back during the fourth set, forming the largest point lead they’d seen the entire match, fortifying their own defensive playstyle that allowed Bowsher to capitalize on the open space left on court.
The Corsairs were left fumbling the ball at the end of the set, managing to score a service ace on themselves under the exceeding pressure.
What followed was a tense back-and-forth, with the Vikings breaking through the now scattered defense line, and making it out on top with a two point lead.
Opposite and outside hitter freshman Sebastian Kim reflected on his playstyle after the team began losing its footing with head coach Nehls’ guidance in mind, and a reminder of why the sport they play is great.
“My playstyle is usually to just rip [the ball] really hard, but coach Nehls said we gotta make some shots, lower the pace, be smarter about [our plays], and that change is important.. Every play is completely fresh, so you get an opportunity to try something new,” said Kim.