Brigham Young's top-ranked men's volleyball team captured its third National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship since 1999 with a 3-2 victory over Long Beach State May 8 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu. It was the Cougars' second crown in the past four years.

It was a hard-fought victory for Brigham Young, which won the match, 15-30, 30-18, 20-30, 32-30, 19-17. Jonathan Alleman's four kills in the fifth game helped put the Cougars over the top.

"On the stat sheet they outplayed us," said Brigham Young head coach Tom Peterson. "But, the bottom line is, it just seemed like we had the heart whenever we needed it. The team absolutely did it all at the end, just like they've done all year."

Peterson made NCAA history by becoming the first men's coach to win a national championship with two different teams. He previously led Penn State to the title in 1994.

Brigham Young ended its season at 29-4, while Long Beach State posted a 28-7 campaign, with four of the losses to the Cougars.

Long Beach State quickly cruised to a 30-15 win in game one, but the Cougars gained the momentum in game two.

The match swung back toward Long Beach State's favor in game three as the 49ers broke an 11-11 tie and ended the game on a 19-9 run. Brigham Young then extended the match by winning a fourth game that included 13 ties but only two lead changes.

The Cougars rallied from a 10-6, then 12-9 deficit in the fifth game and saved two championship points to win the match, 19-17.

Alleman led the Cougars with 13 kills, two block solos and four total blocks. Brigham Young's Joe Hillman added 14 kills, one block solo and two block assists. Carlos Moreno, the American Volleyball Coaches Association's player of the year, was recognized as the tournament's most outstanding player.

Long Beach State was led by Scott Touzinsky's 17 kills, five aces and four block assists. Jeff Wootton added 16 kills and 10 digs, while Duncan Budinger hit .609 with 15 kills and four blocks.

The 49ers advanced to the championship game with a 3-0 victory over Penn State. Brigham Young won its semifinal, 3-0, over last year's champion, Lewis. The Cougars, who lost to the Flyers in last year's championship, won this year's match, 30-21, 30-28, 30-21.

Brigham Young placed Moreno and Fernando Pessoa on the all-tournament team, which also included Touzinsky, Budinger and Tyler Hildebrand from Long Beach State, Keith Kowal of Penn State and Jeff Soler of Lewis.

Championship