ST. CHARLES, MO. - The Lindenwood men's volleyball team fell in a 0-3 loss on Saturday night at Long Beach State in California. 

"For it being unique circumstances with changes in match start time and venue, the guys did a great job adapting," said Head Coach Joe Kosciw. "I thought there was a much better response and more attention to what our focuses needed to be against one of the strongest teams in the country."

OVERVIEW
After Long Beach State's famous "Pyramid" venue started leaking due to rainy conditions, a last-minute shift over to the home team's practice facility was required, putting a bit of a pressure on both teams to remain focused and ready to compete regardless. This change in venue had zero impact on the crowd, however, with over 1,000 fans still making an appearance for the match. 

The Lions appeared unbothered, however, not concerned with Long Beach's ranking or impressive home crowd, because all three sets were still a battle. The first set would ultimately end in a 17-25 defeat for the Lions, but they weren't going to just roll over for LBSU. As described by the visiting school, the "scrappy Lindenwood" team still had a fight in them. 

Lindenwood was able to play the Beach in a much closer fashion during set two, correcting mistakes from the first set that left them trailing by a mere four points, this time falling in a 21-25 final score. 

The third set would unfortunately pan out more like the first, however, with different errors creeping up on Lindenwood throughout the set. The Beach showcased various ways to exploit these Lindenwood errors, keeping their strong offensive presence rolling until the very last point. The Lions would fall in that familiar 17-25 final score, but there were still plenty of noteworthy performances for the Lions against this top three team. 

Ian Schuller had another impressive showing, ending the night on top of the attacking leaderboard with 13 total kills and the highest attacking percentage of the night with .200. A.J. Lewis was next in line with his nine kills, while Clay Wieter tallied six total. 

Connor Sheehan tallied a team-leading 29 assists, while Wieter and Carter Stenmark would account for both the Lions' service aces tonight, posting one ace a piece. Kyle Deutschmann led the way defensively with his 11 digs, almost doubling his amount for last match to make for a strong end to the California trip. 

"The guys have done well these first two weeks against tough opponents," said Kosciw. "We're eager as a staff and team to see where our continued growth will take us throughout our season."

LEADERS
Ian Schuller (13 K, .200 A%, 4 DIGS )
A.J. Lewis (9 K, 2 REC)
Clay Wieter (6 K, 7 DIGS, 1 ACE)

UP NEXT
The Lions will come back home for a Feb. 3 matchup with LIU starting at 7:00 p.m.