{"id":456113,"date":"2026-09-07T09:32:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T09:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/456113\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T09:32:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T09:32:20","slug":"long-beach-state-closes-utah-classic-with-five-set-win-over-wyoming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/456113\/","title":{"rendered":"Long Beach State Closes Utah Classic With Five-Set Win Over Wyoming"},"content":{"rendered":"

SALT LAKE CITY \u2013 Coming off of a five-set win at Utah Saturday night, Long Beach State showed their grit Sunday morning, battling back from a poor second set to rebound for another five-set win over Wyoming.
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\nLong Beach State (3-2) was once again led by Sidney Hamaker<\/a>, who finished with 14 kills, but got a boost from redshirt freshman Chloe Johnson<\/a>, who finished with a career-high 10 kills, as well as another excellent all-around night from Madi Maxwell<\/a>, who finished with 8 kills, 28 assists and 15 digs.
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\nThe Beach hit .275 across the final three sets and held the Cowgirls to .049 hitting over the last three sets, sparking the turnaround as Long Beach State won their third match in three days from Salt Lake City.
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\nWyoming (3-2) took advantage of some early errors from the Beach in the first set, taking a 4-4 tie into a 10-6 lead in the first. The Cowgirls’ lead would increase to as much as five at 15-10, but an overpass return from Pola Bujnarowska<\/a> and a kill from Sidney Hamaker<\/a> cut into the lead. After a sideout, Long Beach State pushed again, putting down a block and then getting a service ace from Kendal Murphy<\/a> to pull within one at 17-16. The run continued out of the timeout, with a kill and another ace from Murphy pushing LBSU out to a 19-17 lead.
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\nWyoming recovered, tying the set at 21-21, but Natalie Reagan<\/a> switched her team to a 6-2, a move that was effective. Turning Madi Maxwell<\/a> into a hitter, Long Beach State fought off two set points and took a 25-24 lead on three straight points from the junior on a solo block and two kills. A long rally at 25-25 went the way of the Cowgirls, however, and Wyoming took the first set 27-25.
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\nA kill from Maxwell pulled the Beach within one at 8-7 early in the second set, but Wyoming answered with a 6-0 run to push out to a 14-7 lead. That momentum held for the Cowgirls, who hit .278 in the set and forced Long Beach State into 11 errors in the second as Wyoming held the Beach to their lowest set score of the season.
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\nComing out of the locker room, Long Beach State was much cleaner in the third set, and the teams battled back and forth to a 10-10 tie through the early portion of the set, prior to a pair of Wyoming errors and a timeout with LBSU on top 12-10. An ace from Anna Jelinek<\/a> pushed the Beach lead to 15-11, and a Kyler Birkelbach<\/a> kill kept the cushion at five at 18-13. Wyoming went on a run to cut the lead to one at 18-17, but Birkelbach picked up a key sideout for Long Beach State, and three kills down the stretch from Johnson helped the Beach close out the third 25-19.
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\nCapturing the momentum, Long Beach State dominated the fourth set. A solo block from Bujnarowska sparked a 7-0 run that saw the Beach take a 9-2 lead, and another run with Madi Collins<\/a> in and serving saw the Beach push their lead to 16-5. Hitting .333 in the set, Long Beach State made just one error in the set and forced a fifth with a 25-13 victory.
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\nA Johnson kill gave Long Beach State an early 4-2 edge in the fifth, and back-to-back blocks from the Beach pushed the edge to 7-3. Senior Kendal Murphy<\/a> pushed through a key kill to extend the lead to 10-5. Wyoming pulled within three at 11-8, but Long Beach State closed out the reverse sweep with a 15-10 victory.
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\nLong Beach State returns home next week, hosting three matches in three days starting on Friday, September 11 at 7 p.m. against Brown. Live coverage for that match will be provided through ESPN+.
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