Long Beach City College and Golden West College have been named the top seeds for this weekend’s California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Men’s Volleyball Championship tournament. The event is set to take place this Thursday and Saturday, April 23 and 25, at Irvine Valley College.

Conference rivals will square off in Thursday night’s semifinals, as Santa Monica College will face Long Beach at 5:30 p.m., followed by Orange Coast College vs. Golden West at 8 p.m. with the winners advancing to the state championship final on Saturday at 7 p.m.

On Tuesday, Santa Monica upset two-time defending state champion Irvine Valley College 3-1 (30-27, 30-24, 28-30, 33-31) and Orange Coast knocked off Moorpark College 3-2 (22-30, 30-18, 27-30, 30-28, 15-12) in regional playoff matches to earn their spots in the state championships.

Long Beach enters the tournament for the fourth straight season with a state-best 16-1 overall record. The Vikings went undefeated in Western State Conference play at 9-0 to capture their fifth conference title in six seasons under head coach Randy Totorp. LBCC’s lone loss this year was in five games at Orange Coast on February 20. Of LBCC’s 16 wins, 13 have been three-game sweeps. Long Beach has won six state championships overall (1976, 1980, 1982, 1985, 2004, 2006). Last season, the Vikings lost to Irvine Valley 3-1 in the state semifinals.

Santa Monica makes its second consecutive state tournament appearance.  SMC finished third in the Western State Conference with a 6-3 record and enters the Final Four with a 14-5 overall mark under head coach John Mayer. The Corsairs will look to win their first state title. Last season, Santa Monica fell to Orange Coast 3-1 in the state semifinals. Santa Monica went 0-2 this season against Long Beach, suffering a 3-0 loss on March 20 at LBCC and a 3-1 defeat at SMC on April 10.

Golden West won its first conference title since 1999 this season, finishing Pacific Coast Conference play with an 11-1 record and closed the regular season with a 13-5 overall mark under head coach Mike D'Alessandro. Golden West has won five state championships overall (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999). The Rustlers return to the state championships for the first time since 2004 when they fell to L.A. Pierce in the state semifinals.

Orange Coast returns to the Final Four for the third straight season. The Pirates enter play this weekend with a 13-8 overall record and went 8-4 in Pacific Coast Conference play to finish third under head coach Travis Turner. Orange Coast has won two state titles (1991, 1994). Last year, Orange Coast was swept by Irvine Valley in the state championship final. OCC lost both its contests with Golden West this year, in four games at OCC on March 11 and in three games at Golden West on April 3.