Long Beach City College wrapped up the 2016 Western State Conference championship as well as an automatic bid in to the state championship semifinals thanks to its 25-23, 26-24, 25-18 win over second-place Santa Monica College on Friday night at LBCC. The sweep extended the Vikings' winning streak to 17 matches with just two left to play in the regular season.
Long Beach (17-2, 10-0 WSC) hit .338 for the match and got match-highs of 15 kills and six digs from freshman Andrew Pearson (Huntington Beach HS). Sophomore Joshua Nehls Warren HS) added 10 kills while freshman Elai Mama (Mayfair HS) chipped in with six kills and four blocks.
Santa Monica (9-8, 7-3 WSC) was led by Richard Yu's 15 kills and six digs.
The Vikings close out the regular-season schedule with road matches next week at Moorpark and L.A. Trade-Tech. LBCC receives the top seed from the WSC as well as a bye in the regional playoffs. The Vikings will open the California Community College (CCCAA) Men's Volleyball State Championship tournament in the semifinals on April 28 with the championship final set for April 30.
The conference title was the Vikings' first since earning a co-championship in 2013 with Pierce College. LBCC will be making its 11th straight postseason appearance.