Long Beach State wins second consecutive NCAA men's volleyball championship

Four teams converged in Long Beach, California this weekend for a shot at the 2019 NC men's volleyball national championship, but in the end, the tournament ended exactly the same way it did last year, with Long Beach State on top celebrating on its home court. 

LBSU defeated Hawaii in four sets Saturday night to win its program's third overall and second straight national title. The 49ers dropped the opening set (25-23) before winning the next three tightly-contested battles (25-22, 25-22, 25-23).

SHOP LONG BEACH STATE VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GEAR

The 49ers survived the semifinal round with a 3-1 victory over Pepperdine to meet Hawaii, a Big West rival that topped them in the conference tournament and claimed the No. 1 seed in the national tournament. Hawaii beat Lewis by the same 3-1 score to book its ticket to the NCAA championship with the hopes of dethroning the defending champions. 

Long Beach State is the 2019 NCAA Men's Volleyball National Champions!#NCAAMVB | @lbsumvb pic.twitter.com/AVwxVeO0WI

— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) May 5, 2019

In the final game of the tournament, the Rainbow Warriors raced out to an early lead, taking the first set 25-23. They battled back and forth with the 49ers in the second, with LBSU winning 25-22 after initially trailing 5-0. The final two sets played out almost identically, with the Rainbow Warriors chasing out to an early lead before falling 25-22 and 25-23 to Long Beach State. 

CHAMP INFO: View the 2019 interactive bracket | Printable bracket | Latest news

The 3-1 win marks the second consecutive NCAA tournament win for Long Beach State and the perfect end to a career for team leader and four-time All-American TJ DeFalco, who led both teams in kills and points in the championship game. 

Relive the championship game below. 

2019 NC men's volleyball championship results:

Seven schools were initially selected to the championship field on April 21. As the top two seeds, Hawaii and Long Beach State earned automatic berths to the semifinals. Lewis defeated Southern California and Pepperdine outlasted Princeton in the opening round to complete the semifinal field.

Here was the road to the 2019 championship for each 2019 semifinalist:

Hawaii (28-3)

• Automatic qualifier as Big West champion
• BYE into semifinals as 1-seed
• Defeated Lewis in semifinals, 3-1
• Lost to LBSU in championship game, 3-1

Long Beach State (28-2)

• At-large selection (Lost to Hawaii in Big West championship)
• BYE into semifinals as 2-seed
• Defeated Pepperdine in semifinals, 3-1
• Defeated Hawaii in championship game, 3-1

Lewis (26-6)

• Automatic qualifier as Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association champion
• Defeated USC in opening round, 3-1
• Lost to Hawaii in semifinals, 3-1

Pepperdine (23-7)

• Automatic qualifier as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation champion
• Defeated Princeton in opening round, 3-2
• Lost to LBSU in semifinals, 3-1

Long Beach State is the fourth repeat champ in the last eight years. LBSU is also the 13th school to win a national championship as host. Below is the complete NC men's volleyball championship history.

NC men's volleyball championship history (1970-2018):

* Vacated