LONG BEACH, Calif. – Fort Valley State University Men's Volleyball (1-2) fell in a hard-fought three-set battle with defending Division I National Champions Long Beach State University (6-0) Friday evening.

Isaiah Fedd opened the scoring for the Wildcats with a kill, but Long Beach State responded, quickly building a lead they would extend with an eight-point run to take set one, 25-13.

The second set saw the Wildcats trail early, 10-3, before a four-point run sparked by Keaton Long cut the deficit to 14-9. FVSU fought back to 17-14, but LBSU closed the set on a 25-19 victory.

Long Beach jumped ahead in the third set, scoring 10 straight points to take a 12-1 lead. FVSU battled back with an ace from Muhammad Mbaye and a kill from Jamari Griffin, but the Wildcats could not recover, falling 25-10.

Despite the loss, Keaton Long had a standout performance, recording six kills with a .857 hitting percentage, two service aces, and a block assist. Isaiah Fedd added three kills, Jeremyah Gaston dished out six assists, and Constantine Ononye led the team with five digs.

The Wildcats return to action Saturday, Jan. 24, at the University of Southern California (USC) for a 5 p.m. PST / 8 p.m. EST first serve.