SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Rounding out the UCSB Asics Invitational on Saturday evening, the Concordia men's volleyball team had a big test ahead of them, facing the No. 5 Long Beach State. Despite the Eagles earning its first two sets ever off the two-time defending national champions in the fourth all-time meeting, it was the Beach who came out on top, winning 3-2 (25-22, 25-20, 15-25, 23-25, 15-11).
 
For the second straight night, Raymond Barsemian had the hot hand for the Eagles, putting down a career-high 25 kills and hit .373. Coming off the bench for the final three sets, Zachary Meyer delivered with seven kills and had a personal best 12 digs. Freshman McLain Mott set new bests of 42 assists, nine digs, and three kills.
 
The Eagles performed well to start, hitting a smooth .357 on 14 kills in the first, and benefited from five Beach service errors. Both teams performed well offensively, with CUI maintaining a lead for a majority of the set.
 
In the second, LBSU paced itself with a five-point lead midway until kills from Jordan Hoppe and Darcy Taig put CUI within two at 15-13. Another kill from Hoppe and a block from Gil Herold kept the Eagles in it until the Beach took the set 25-20.
 
Concordia did not want to go home getting swept, so the team flipped the switch. Mott set the team to a .423 hitting percentage in the third, as Meyer and redshirt freshman Mason Mullins entered the game. Meyer put down four kills in the set while Mullins had a pair of kills and an ace.
 
Meyer continued his runs moving into the next set, putting down two early to lead 4-2 in the first. The Eagles maintained a lead at 21-16 until the Beach crept its way back to tie it at 22-all. But a service error from LBSU and back-to-back kills from Barsemian forced a fifth set.
 
The Beach got started first, leading 8-5 at the side switch. Barsemian collected consecutive kills and Herold and Meyer paired up for a block to chip away to make it a two-point deficit at 11-9. Concordia scored off a service error, but Long Beach State came away with the final two points to take the match.
 
The Eagles finished the three-day tournament 1-2 with a pair of impressive showings that included Friday's epic 3-2 win over No. 13 CSUN. That victory for the Green and Gold included a dramatic 40-38 second set and 15-13 outcome in the deciding fifth set to help seal the deal.

Concordia falls to 2-2 on the season while Long Beach State improves to 3-0. The Eagles will look to bounce back on Jan. 16 as they travel to No. 12 USC for their MPSF conference opener. 

For the full CUI men's volleyball schedule, click here.