Saturday, March 20
Santa Barbara, Calif.
4:00 PM
Long Beach State University
at
UC Santa Barbara
Photo by: John Fajardo
No. 10 Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball Opens the 2021 Season Against No. 3 UC Santa Barbara
3/19/2021 9:05:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
The Beach and the Gauchos will go head-to-head on Saturday and Sunday
MATCH #1: NO. 10 LONG BEACH STATE AT NO. 3 UC SANTA BARBARA
Date: Saturday, March 20
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif.
Venue: Rob Gym
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Live Stream: BigWest.TV
MATCH #2: NO. 3 UC SANTA BARBARA AT NO. 10 LONG BEACH STATE
Date: Sunday, March 21
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Live Stream: Beach Vision
Radio: 22WestMedia.com
Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
COMPLETE LBSU MATCH NOTES (PDF)
No. 10 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball Opens the 2021 Season Against No. 3 UC Santa Barbara
After more than a year since the Beach played in its last match, No. 10 Long Beach State will open the long awaited 2021 season at No. 3 UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, March 20 at 4 p.m. at Rob Gym. The Beach will then host the Gauchos at the Walter Pyramid on Sunday, March 21 at 4 p.m.
Catch All The action
All Long Beach State home matches will be broadcast live on 22 West Radio and streamed live on Beach Vision. Fans can also follow stats updates on BeachLiveStats.com. Matt Brown and Long Beach State alumni, Matt Prosser, will be on the call for Sunday's home opener.
Staying Social
Follow Long Beach State Men's Volleyball on Instagram and Twitter at @LBSUMVB. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook (Long Beach State Men's Volleyball).
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Long Beach State by following @LBSUAthletics. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at @LBSU.
And don't forget our hashtags #GoBeach #LBNation.
In the Rankings
Long Beach State comes into the match against UC Santa Barbara ranked 10th in the NVA/AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll. UC Santa Barbara is ranked third as the Gauchos are 4-3 overall and 0-2 in Big West Conference action.
About the Beach
• Following the year-long hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, No. 10 Long Beach State is back in action for the first time since March 6, 2020.
• Long Beach State and fellow, Big West Conference counterpart, CSUN, are the last two Division I-II men's volleyball programs to begin action in 2021.
• The Beach closed out the 2020 season on a five-match winning streak boasting a 10-1 overall record as the then-No. 4 Beach had yet to begin conference action before the cancellation of the season.
• With the 2020 Men's Volleyball NCAA Tournament cancelled, Long Beach State is still the reigning NCAA National Champion having won the title in both 2018 and 2019.
• Led by head coach Alan Knipe, who will begin his 18th season at the helm, LBSU returns 13 letterwinners from a year ago including five starters as well as starting libero Mason Briggs.
• The Beach also welcome the top recruiting class in the country, per VolleyballMag.com. Highlighting the seven newcomers are freshman Simon Torwie, a 6-foot-10 opposite from Spain, as well as Clarke Godbold, a 6-foot-5 outside hitter, who was a member of the USA Youth National Team.
• The Beach return three AVCA All-America selections in libero Mason Briggs and middle blockers Simon Andersen and Shane Holdaway.
• Holdaway led the Beach with a .496 attack percentage and 1.00 blocks per set. He also added 2.14 kills per set.
• Leading LBSU on the offensive attack are Ethan Siegfried and Spencer Olivier. Siegfried led the Beach a year ago with 3.03 kills per set, while Olivier added 2.90 per set. Olivier's 16 service aces were also tops on the Beach.
• Briggs, the 2020 Big West Co-Freshman of the Year, led the Beach in digs per set (2.24) last year. His 2.24 digs per set average is the highest digs per set output in program history by a freshman in a single season.
• After redshirting a year ago, Aidan Knipe will take the court as Long Beach State's setter. The 6-foot-3 Knipe comes to the Beach after playing with USA Volleyball for five seasons. He was also a member of the 2018 and 2019 Boys Youth National Team.
Scouting UC Santa Barbara
• No. 3 UC Santa Barbara brings a 4-3 overall record into the match against the Beach.
• The Gauchos are 0-2 in Big West Conference action after having dropped a pair of matches to No. 1 Hawaii.
• UCSB opened the season winning four-straight with a pair of non-conference victories over UC San Diego and UC Irvine. However, they are looking to snap a three-match losing skid after dropping three-straight (two conference and one non-conference) to the Rainbow Warriors.
• Senior Randy DeWeese is the Gauchos' leading scorer as he averages 4.29 kills per set on a .311 attack percentage. He also adds 1.75 digs per set, and 0.58 blocks per set.
• Casey McGarry is the squad's setter as he has dished out 11.25 assists per set to go along with 2.13 digs per set, and 0.54 blocks per set.
• At the net, UC Santa Barbara's Keenan Sanders leads the team with 20 blocks to average 0.83 per set. He also contributes 2.58 kills per set on a team-leading .594 attach percentage.
• As a team, the Gauchos are hitting .313 this season and averaging 13.21 kills per set on 12.63 assists per set. UCSB has served up 32 aces (1.33 aces per set) with Ryan Wilcox accounting for 14 of those for an average of 0.58 per set.
• Defensively, UC Santa Barbara is averaging 9.71 digs per set and 1.88 blocks per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Gauchos
Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara will meet for the 96th and 97th time in program history. The Beach leads the all-time series 55-40 and has won the last nine meetings against the Gauchos. UC Santa Barbara is looking for their first win over LBSU since 2015 when the Gauchos defeated the Beach, 3-1, at the Walter Pyramid.
Briggs' Preseason Honors
Long Beach State ibero Mason Briggs was named to Off the Block's 2021 Preseason All-American Team the publication announced in January. A nation-wide voting committee selected 22 players of the 2021 Preseason All-American Team and Briggs earned Second Team honors after a breakout rookie season for the Beach.
The annual Off the Block Preseason All-American Teams recognize the players projected to be the best in the nation during the NCAA Division I-II men's volleyball season. Briggs is the lone representative from No. 4 Long Beach State and it is his first-career Off the Block Preseason All-America selection.
Briggs, a 2020 AVCA All-America Second Team selection and Big West Conference Co-Freshman of the Year was also named to the 2020 Off the Block All-America Freshman Team at the conclusion of a shortened freshman season.
In his rookie season at the Beach, Briggs started all 11 games at libero and led LBSU with 92 digs to average 2.24 per set. He was second on the team with 28 assists (0.68 per set) while leading the Beach defense. Briggs recorded 10 or more digs in four matches and led Long Beach State in digs on four occasions. He registered a career-best 15 digs at then-No. 12 UCLA on February 29.
Players eligible for the Preseason All-American Teams had to be on an active roster of a Division I-II men's volleyball team.
The voting committee for this preseason award was comprised of 20 NCAA Division I-II men's volleyball head coaches and media members from around the nation.
The 10 players receiving the most votes were named to the First Team, while the next top 10 vote-getters were selected to the Second Team. A tie in the voting resulted in two additional players making the second team.
Voters were required to place at least one setter, one opposite, one outside attacker, one middle attacker, and one libero on each of their ballots.
Welcoming The No. 1 Recruiting class in the Nation
VolleyballMag.com announced its recruiting class rankings in May 2020, and Long Beach State topped the list. The Beach, which won the 2018 and 2019 NCAA National Championships and were 10-1 in 2020, bring in a solid core of incoming freshmen to enhance an already dangerous roster.
The VolleyballMag.com rankings are voted on by an elite panel of NCAA Division I-II coaches and recruiting coordinators, and includes incoming freshmen, transfers, as well as international players.
LBSU garnered just more than four out of every five first-place votes in the polling as the Beach held a 29-voting point edge over UCLA which checked in at No. 2.
The Beach's talented recruiting class is headlined by outside hitter Clarke Godbold who was ranked the top recruit in the country last month by the same publication. Additionally, VolleyballMag.com selected five of Long Beach State's seven recruits to the Boys Fab 50 rankings.
"We have added two of the top outside hitters in the class and the No. 1 recruit overall," LBSU head coach Alan Knipe told VolleyballMag.com. "We have two very athletic and dynamic middle blockers, a big time opposite from the German national team, a very well-rounded outside hitter/setter-opposite, and a solid libero."
In addition to Godbold (6-5, OH, Peninsula HS, Palos Verdes, Calif., SCVC), who was just selected to the 2020 Men's Junior National Training Team, the Beach also bring in Nato Dickinson (6-7, RS-OH, Corona del Mar HS, Newport Beach, Calif., Pinnacle), Matthew Iamaleava (6-6, MB, Long Beach Poly HS, Long Beach, Calif., Rockstar), Caden Jackson (6-0, Libero, Dana Hills HS, Dana Point, Calif., 949 VBC), Noah Robin (6-7, MB, Huntington Beach HS, Huntington Beach, Calif., Pinnacle), Sebastian Rodriguez (6-5, OH, Redondo Union HS, Redondo Beach, Calif., Balboa Bay), and Simon Torwie (6-10, RS, Carl-Von-Weinberg-Schule, Frankfurt, Germany, German Youth National Team).
2020 USA Volleyball Men's Junior National Training Team
USA Volleyball announced 20 players younger than 21 have been named to the 2020 U.S. Men's Junior National Training Team. Among those are Long Beach State freshmen Mason Briggs and Clarke Godbold.
Briggs and Godbold previously played on the 2019 Boys Youth National Team that placed 15th at the FIVB U19 World Championships. The duo also was part of the 2018 Boys Youth National Team that placed second at the NORCECA U19 Championships.
After his rookie season at Long Beach State, Briggs was named Big West Co-Freshman of the Year, AVCA Second Team All-American, and to the Off the Block Freshman All-American Team. The libero out of Valencia, Calif., collected 92 digs to average 2.24 digs per set to rank second in the Big West and 13th in the nation. Briggs boasted a career-high 15 digs to lead LBSU to a five-set victory over then-No. 12 UCLA on Feb. 29.
Godbold, a 6-foot-5 outside hitter from Palos Verdes, Calif., was most recently named the nation's top recruit by VolleyballMag.com. He played for SCVC and led the USA Junior National Team to a Gold Medal and was named to the All-America Team. Godbold previously won a Gold Medal with the 2017 USA Junior National Team en route to earning an All-American selection.
USAV plans to assemble the team to train in August in Colorado Springs before competing at the NORCECA U21 Pan American Cup which is also slated to take place in Colorado Springs. These plans are subject to change due to the regional and national responses to COVID-19.
Quality Coaches
In May 2020, assistant coach McKay Smith was awarded the AVCA Thirty Under 30 Award. The award, which was created in 2009, honors up-and-coming coaching talent at all levels of the sport. Smith returned to his alma mater in 2017 as a volunteer assistant coach and made an immediate impact, helping the Beach capture the 2018 and 2019 NCAA National Championships. Following the program's third title, Smith was elevated to assistant coach and, in that capacity, led the Beach to a 10-1 reocrd during the 2020 season.
In addition to Smith, Long Beach State is also coached by associate head coach Nick MacRae and volunteer assistant coach Jon Parry. Over the summer, MacRae was named the head coach of the 2020 Boys Youth National Training Team, while Parry was selected as the team's statistician. The duo will work with some of the top talent in the country as the team is comprised of eight players from the Southern California region, three from Northern California, three from the Great Lakes, and two each from Florida, Arizona, and Ohio Valley, as well as one each from the Lone Star and Iowa.
The Future of LBSU Men's Volleyball
Long Beach State head men's volleyball coach Alan Knipe announced the signing of six student-athletes, five freshmen and one junior college transfer, who will compete for the Beach beginning in 2022.
The talented recruiting class is comprised of freshman outside hitter Connor Bloom, freshman outside hitter Dane Hillis, freshman opposite Klistan Lawrence, freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov, freshman setter/opposite Josh Rosenblum, and junior outside hitter/opposite Calvin Sanborn.
"Our Long Beach community, campus, and athletic department are excited and ready to welcome these future leaders with open arms," Knipe said. "This group will bring a wealth of knowledge, both in the classroom and on the court. They have all had great success at the junior volleyball level, and some with their national teams at the international level. They will come to us prepared to fully embrace and have a positive impact without team work ethic. This group will continue to strive for greatness in all areas of their lives. We welcome these young men and their families to our amazing culture here at Long Beach State."
Connor Bloom
Fr. | 6-5 | 190 lbs. | OH | Huntington Beach, Calif. | Orange Lutheran HS | Pinnacle Athletic Club
Bloom comes to Long Beach State after having played all four years at Orange Lutheran High School where he earned First Team All-League honors as a sophomore. In his freshman season, Bloom helped his team win the CIF DII Championship and State Championship. Bloom also played for Pinnacle Athletic Club where the team captain led the squad in attacking for two straight seasons. A versatile player, Bloom has experience playing opposite, middle blocker, as well as outside hitter. The athletic Bloom was also a standout quarterback in high school.
Dane Hillis
Fr. | 6-3 | 155 lbs. | OH | San Clemente, Calif. | San Clemente HS | Balboa Bay Volleyball Club
Hillis is a 6-foot-3 outside hitter out of San Clemente, Calif., where he played at both San Clemente High School and for Balboa Bay Volleyball Club. While playing for the Tritons, Hillis earned a number of awards as he was named to the Tesoro All-Tournament Team in 2020, 2019 All-South Coast League Honorable Mention while helping the Tritons win the South Coast League Championship, and 2018 Best Pin Hitter.
In addition to his prep accolades, Hillis also gained experience playing under Andy Read for the Balboa Bay 18s before earning a spot on the Boys Youth National Training Team in 2020. A 2019 Boys Junior Nationals National Champion and All-Tournament selection, Hillis' squad was named National Club Team of the Year. Most recently, he was named to the 2020 VolleyballMag.com Boys 25 Underclassmen to Watch list.
Klistan Lawrence
Fr. | 6-8 | 195 lbs. | OPP | Ocala, Fla. | Forest HS | 352 Elite Volleyball Club
Lawrence will come to the Beach from Ocala, Fla., where the 6-foot-8 opposite excelled for the 352 Elite Volleyball Club. An outstanding athlete, Lawrence was a 12-time MVP during his club years as he went on to become a three-time USA Youth National Team member. Lawrence was the leading points scorer for both his club and high school teams for three straight years.
Alex Nikolov
Fr. | 6-7 | 200 lbs. | OH | Sofia, Bulgaria | Vasil Levski Sport School | Levski Sofia
Coming all the way from Sofia, Bulgaria, Alex Nikolov is LBSU's lone international player in this year's signing class. Nikolov is a 6-foot-7 outside hitter who gained experience while playing for the Levski Sophia Club Team where he was a three-time National Champion. A three-time Balkan League Champion with the U19 Bulgarian National Team, Nikolov has excelled in championship play as he has led his U17 squad to a runner up finish at the European Championship before guiding his U18 team to a fourth-place finish.
Josh Rosenblum
Fr. | 6-6 | 175 lbs. | S/OPP | Newport Beach, Calif. | Mater Dei HS | Pinnacle Athletic Club
A 6-foot-6 setter and opposite out of Newport Beach, Calif., Rosenblum brings a wealth of experience to Long Beach State. He was a three-year letterwinner at Mater Dei High School where he was a three-year floor captain and varsity starter. The team captain helped lead an unranked Monarch squad to a No. 4 ranking by MaxPreps before having the season cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rosenblum also has solid club team experience having played for Pinnacle Athletic Club, 949 Volleyball, and the HBC. Most recently, he helped his squad to a Bronze Medal at the 2020 SCVA Qualifier 18U Open Division, before earning another Bronze Medal at the 2020 Holiday Classic 18U Open Division.
Calvin Sanborn
Jr. | 6-4 | 185 lbs. | OH/OPP | Santa Cruz, Calif. | Harbor HS | Santa Barbara CC | Main Beach Volleyball Club
The lone junior transfer of the signing class in Calvin Sanborn a 6-foot-4 outside hitter/opposite who will transfer to Long Beach State from Santa Barbara City College after having prepped at Harbor High School, while playing for Main Beach Volleyball Club. At SBCC, Sanborn was a First Team All-Conference selection as a freshman in 2018-19 after finishing his rookie season with the most kills in the state. While at Harbor High School, Sanborn was a two-time First Team All-League selection in his junior and senior seasons.
Up Next
Long Beach State will take on No. 12 UC Irvine in a pair of matches scheduled on Friday, March 26 and Saturday, March 27. The Beach and the Anteaters will play at the Walter Pyramid on Friday at 4 p.m., before battling it out at the Bren Events Center on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Date: Saturday, March 20
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif.
Venue: Rob Gym
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Live Stream: BigWest.TV
MATCH #2: NO. 3 UC SANTA BARBARA AT NO. 10 LONG BEACH STATE
Date: Sunday, March 21
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Live Stream: Beach Vision
Radio: 22WestMedia.com
Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
COMPLETE LBSU MATCH NOTES (PDF)
No. 10 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball Opens the 2021 Season Against No. 3 UC Santa Barbara
After more than a year since the Beach played in its last match, No. 10 Long Beach State will open the long awaited 2021 season at No. 3 UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, March 20 at 4 p.m. at Rob Gym. The Beach will then host the Gauchos at the Walter Pyramid on Sunday, March 21 at 4 p.m.
Catch All The action
All Long Beach State home matches will be broadcast live on 22 West Radio and streamed live on Beach Vision. Fans can also follow stats updates on BeachLiveStats.com. Matt Brown and Long Beach State alumni, Matt Prosser, will be on the call for Sunday's home opener.
Staying Social
Follow Long Beach State Men's Volleyball on Instagram and Twitter at @LBSUMVB. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook (Long Beach State Men's Volleyball).
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Long Beach State by following @LBSUAthletics. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at @LBSU.
And don't forget our hashtags #GoBeach #LBNation.
In the Rankings
Long Beach State comes into the match against UC Santa Barbara ranked 10th in the NVA/AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll. UC Santa Barbara is ranked third as the Gauchos are 4-3 overall and 0-2 in Big West Conference action.
About the Beach
• Following the year-long hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, No. 10 Long Beach State is back in action for the first time since March 6, 2020.
• Long Beach State and fellow, Big West Conference counterpart, CSUN, are the last two Division I-II men's volleyball programs to begin action in 2021.
• The Beach closed out the 2020 season on a five-match winning streak boasting a 10-1 overall record as the then-No. 4 Beach had yet to begin conference action before the cancellation of the season.
• With the 2020 Men's Volleyball NCAA Tournament cancelled, Long Beach State is still the reigning NCAA National Champion having won the title in both 2018 and 2019.
• Led by head coach Alan Knipe, who will begin his 18th season at the helm, LBSU returns 13 letterwinners from a year ago including five starters as well as starting libero Mason Briggs.
• The Beach also welcome the top recruiting class in the country, per VolleyballMag.com. Highlighting the seven newcomers are freshman Simon Torwie, a 6-foot-10 opposite from Spain, as well as Clarke Godbold, a 6-foot-5 outside hitter, who was a member of the USA Youth National Team.
• The Beach return three AVCA All-America selections in libero Mason Briggs and middle blockers Simon Andersen and Shane Holdaway.
• Holdaway led the Beach with a .496 attack percentage and 1.00 blocks per set. He also added 2.14 kills per set.
• Leading LBSU on the offensive attack are Ethan Siegfried and Spencer Olivier. Siegfried led the Beach a year ago with 3.03 kills per set, while Olivier added 2.90 per set. Olivier's 16 service aces were also tops on the Beach.
• Briggs, the 2020 Big West Co-Freshman of the Year, led the Beach in digs per set (2.24) last year. His 2.24 digs per set average is the highest digs per set output in program history by a freshman in a single season.
• After redshirting a year ago, Aidan Knipe will take the court as Long Beach State's setter. The 6-foot-3 Knipe comes to the Beach after playing with USA Volleyball for five seasons. He was also a member of the 2018 and 2019 Boys Youth National Team.
Scouting UC Santa Barbara
• No. 3 UC Santa Barbara brings a 4-3 overall record into the match against the Beach.
• The Gauchos are 0-2 in Big West Conference action after having dropped a pair of matches to No. 1 Hawaii.
• UCSB opened the season winning four-straight with a pair of non-conference victories over UC San Diego and UC Irvine. However, they are looking to snap a three-match losing skid after dropping three-straight (two conference and one non-conference) to the Rainbow Warriors.
• Senior Randy DeWeese is the Gauchos' leading scorer as he averages 4.29 kills per set on a .311 attack percentage. He also adds 1.75 digs per set, and 0.58 blocks per set.
• Casey McGarry is the squad's setter as he has dished out 11.25 assists per set to go along with 2.13 digs per set, and 0.54 blocks per set.
• At the net, UC Santa Barbara's Keenan Sanders leads the team with 20 blocks to average 0.83 per set. He also contributes 2.58 kills per set on a team-leading .594 attach percentage.
• As a team, the Gauchos are hitting .313 this season and averaging 13.21 kills per set on 12.63 assists per set. UCSB has served up 32 aces (1.33 aces per set) with Ryan Wilcox accounting for 14 of those for an average of 0.58 per set.
• Defensively, UC Santa Barbara is averaging 9.71 digs per set and 1.88 blocks per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Gauchos
Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara will meet for the 96th and 97th time in program history. The Beach leads the all-time series 55-40 and has won the last nine meetings against the Gauchos. UC Santa Barbara is looking for their first win over LBSU since 2015 when the Gauchos defeated the Beach, 3-1, at the Walter Pyramid.
Briggs' Preseason Honors
Long Beach State ibero Mason Briggs was named to Off the Block's 2021 Preseason All-American Team the publication announced in January. A nation-wide voting committee selected 22 players of the 2021 Preseason All-American Team and Briggs earned Second Team honors after a breakout rookie season for the Beach.
The annual Off the Block Preseason All-American Teams recognize the players projected to be the best in the nation during the NCAA Division I-II men's volleyball season. Briggs is the lone representative from No. 4 Long Beach State and it is his first-career Off the Block Preseason All-America selection.
Briggs, a 2020 AVCA All-America Second Team selection and Big West Conference Co-Freshman of the Year was also named to the 2020 Off the Block All-America Freshman Team at the conclusion of a shortened freshman season.
In his rookie season at the Beach, Briggs started all 11 games at libero and led LBSU with 92 digs to average 2.24 per set. He was second on the team with 28 assists (0.68 per set) while leading the Beach defense. Briggs recorded 10 or more digs in four matches and led Long Beach State in digs on four occasions. He registered a career-best 15 digs at then-No. 12 UCLA on February 29.
Players eligible for the Preseason All-American Teams had to be on an active roster of a Division I-II men's volleyball team.
The voting committee for this preseason award was comprised of 20 NCAA Division I-II men's volleyball head coaches and media members from around the nation.
The 10 players receiving the most votes were named to the First Team, while the next top 10 vote-getters were selected to the Second Team. A tie in the voting resulted in two additional players making the second team.
Voters were required to place at least one setter, one opposite, one outside attacker, one middle attacker, and one libero on each of their ballots.
Welcoming The No. 1 Recruiting class in the Nation
VolleyballMag.com announced its recruiting class rankings in May 2020, and Long Beach State topped the list. The Beach, which won the 2018 and 2019 NCAA National Championships and were 10-1 in 2020, bring in a solid core of incoming freshmen to enhance an already dangerous roster.
The VolleyballMag.com rankings are voted on by an elite panel of NCAA Division I-II coaches and recruiting coordinators, and includes incoming freshmen, transfers, as well as international players.
LBSU garnered just more than four out of every five first-place votes in the polling as the Beach held a 29-voting point edge over UCLA which checked in at No. 2.
The Beach's talented recruiting class is headlined by outside hitter Clarke Godbold who was ranked the top recruit in the country last month by the same publication. Additionally, VolleyballMag.com selected five of Long Beach State's seven recruits to the Boys Fab 50 rankings.
"We have added two of the top outside hitters in the class and the No. 1 recruit overall," LBSU head coach Alan Knipe told VolleyballMag.com. "We have two very athletic and dynamic middle blockers, a big time opposite from the German national team, a very well-rounded outside hitter/setter-opposite, and a solid libero."
In addition to Godbold (6-5, OH, Peninsula HS, Palos Verdes, Calif., SCVC), who was just selected to the 2020 Men's Junior National Training Team, the Beach also bring in Nato Dickinson (6-7, RS-OH, Corona del Mar HS, Newport Beach, Calif., Pinnacle), Matthew Iamaleava (6-6, MB, Long Beach Poly HS, Long Beach, Calif., Rockstar), Caden Jackson (6-0, Libero, Dana Hills HS, Dana Point, Calif., 949 VBC), Noah Robin (6-7, MB, Huntington Beach HS, Huntington Beach, Calif., Pinnacle), Sebastian Rodriguez (6-5, OH, Redondo Union HS, Redondo Beach, Calif., Balboa Bay), and Simon Torwie (6-10, RS, Carl-Von-Weinberg-Schule, Frankfurt, Germany, German Youth National Team).
2020 USA Volleyball Men's Junior National Training Team
USA Volleyball announced 20 players younger than 21 have been named to the 2020 U.S. Men's Junior National Training Team. Among those are Long Beach State freshmen Mason Briggs and Clarke Godbold.
Briggs and Godbold previously played on the 2019 Boys Youth National Team that placed 15th at the FIVB U19 World Championships. The duo also was part of the 2018 Boys Youth National Team that placed second at the NORCECA U19 Championships.
After his rookie season at Long Beach State, Briggs was named Big West Co-Freshman of the Year, AVCA Second Team All-American, and to the Off the Block Freshman All-American Team. The libero out of Valencia, Calif., collected 92 digs to average 2.24 digs per set to rank second in the Big West and 13th in the nation. Briggs boasted a career-high 15 digs to lead LBSU to a five-set victory over then-No. 12 UCLA on Feb. 29.
Godbold, a 6-foot-5 outside hitter from Palos Verdes, Calif., was most recently named the nation's top recruit by VolleyballMag.com. He played for SCVC and led the USA Junior National Team to a Gold Medal and was named to the All-America Team. Godbold previously won a Gold Medal with the 2017 USA Junior National Team en route to earning an All-American selection.
USAV plans to assemble the team to train in August in Colorado Springs before competing at the NORCECA U21 Pan American Cup which is also slated to take place in Colorado Springs. These plans are subject to change due to the regional and national responses to COVID-19.
Quality Coaches
In May 2020, assistant coach McKay Smith was awarded the AVCA Thirty Under 30 Award. The award, which was created in 2009, honors up-and-coming coaching talent at all levels of the sport. Smith returned to his alma mater in 2017 as a volunteer assistant coach and made an immediate impact, helping the Beach capture the 2018 and 2019 NCAA National Championships. Following the program's third title, Smith was elevated to assistant coach and, in that capacity, led the Beach to a 10-1 reocrd during the 2020 season.
In addition to Smith, Long Beach State is also coached by associate head coach Nick MacRae and volunteer assistant coach Jon Parry. Over the summer, MacRae was named the head coach of the 2020 Boys Youth National Training Team, while Parry was selected as the team's statistician. The duo will work with some of the top talent in the country as the team is comprised of eight players from the Southern California region, three from Northern California, three from the Great Lakes, and two each from Florida, Arizona, and Ohio Valley, as well as one each from the Lone Star and Iowa.
The Future of LBSU Men's Volleyball
Long Beach State head men's volleyball coach Alan Knipe announced the signing of six student-athletes, five freshmen and one junior college transfer, who will compete for the Beach beginning in 2022.
The talented recruiting class is comprised of freshman outside hitter Connor Bloom, freshman outside hitter Dane Hillis, freshman opposite Klistan Lawrence, freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov, freshman setter/opposite Josh Rosenblum, and junior outside hitter/opposite Calvin Sanborn.
"Our Long Beach community, campus, and athletic department are excited and ready to welcome these future leaders with open arms," Knipe said. "This group will bring a wealth of knowledge, both in the classroom and on the court. They have all had great success at the junior volleyball level, and some with their national teams at the international level. They will come to us prepared to fully embrace and have a positive impact without team work ethic. This group will continue to strive for greatness in all areas of their lives. We welcome these young men and their families to our amazing culture here at Long Beach State."
Connor Bloom
Fr. | 6-5 | 190 lbs. | OH | Huntington Beach, Calif. | Orange Lutheran HS | Pinnacle Athletic Club
Bloom comes to Long Beach State after having played all four years at Orange Lutheran High School where he earned First Team All-League honors as a sophomore. In his freshman season, Bloom helped his team win the CIF DII Championship and State Championship. Bloom also played for Pinnacle Athletic Club where the team captain led the squad in attacking for two straight seasons. A versatile player, Bloom has experience playing opposite, middle blocker, as well as outside hitter. The athletic Bloom was also a standout quarterback in high school.
Dane Hillis
Fr. | 6-3 | 155 lbs. | OH | San Clemente, Calif. | San Clemente HS | Balboa Bay Volleyball Club
Hillis is a 6-foot-3 outside hitter out of San Clemente, Calif., where he played at both San Clemente High School and for Balboa Bay Volleyball Club. While playing for the Tritons, Hillis earned a number of awards as he was named to the Tesoro All-Tournament Team in 2020, 2019 All-South Coast League Honorable Mention while helping the Tritons win the South Coast League Championship, and 2018 Best Pin Hitter.
In addition to his prep accolades, Hillis also gained experience playing under Andy Read for the Balboa Bay 18s before earning a spot on the Boys Youth National Training Team in 2020. A 2019 Boys Junior Nationals National Champion and All-Tournament selection, Hillis' squad was named National Club Team of the Year. Most recently, he was named to the 2020 VolleyballMag.com Boys 25 Underclassmen to Watch list.
Klistan Lawrence
Fr. | 6-8 | 195 lbs. | OPP | Ocala, Fla. | Forest HS | 352 Elite Volleyball Club
Lawrence will come to the Beach from Ocala, Fla., where the 6-foot-8 opposite excelled for the 352 Elite Volleyball Club. An outstanding athlete, Lawrence was a 12-time MVP during his club years as he went on to become a three-time USA Youth National Team member. Lawrence was the leading points scorer for both his club and high school teams for three straight years.
Alex Nikolov
Fr. | 6-7 | 200 lbs. | OH | Sofia, Bulgaria | Vasil Levski Sport School | Levski Sofia
Coming all the way from Sofia, Bulgaria, Alex Nikolov is LBSU's lone international player in this year's signing class. Nikolov is a 6-foot-7 outside hitter who gained experience while playing for the Levski Sophia Club Team where he was a three-time National Champion. A three-time Balkan League Champion with the U19 Bulgarian National Team, Nikolov has excelled in championship play as he has led his U17 squad to a runner up finish at the European Championship before guiding his U18 team to a fourth-place finish.
Josh Rosenblum
Fr. | 6-6 | 175 lbs. | S/OPP | Newport Beach, Calif. | Mater Dei HS | Pinnacle Athletic Club
A 6-foot-6 setter and opposite out of Newport Beach, Calif., Rosenblum brings a wealth of experience to Long Beach State. He was a three-year letterwinner at Mater Dei High School where he was a three-year floor captain and varsity starter. The team captain helped lead an unranked Monarch squad to a No. 4 ranking by MaxPreps before having the season cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rosenblum also has solid club team experience having played for Pinnacle Athletic Club, 949 Volleyball, and the HBC. Most recently, he helped his squad to a Bronze Medal at the 2020 SCVA Qualifier 18U Open Division, before earning another Bronze Medal at the 2020 Holiday Classic 18U Open Division.
Calvin Sanborn
Jr. | 6-4 | 185 lbs. | OH/OPP | Santa Cruz, Calif. | Harbor HS | Santa Barbara CC | Main Beach Volleyball Club
The lone junior transfer of the signing class in Calvin Sanborn a 6-foot-4 outside hitter/opposite who will transfer to Long Beach State from Santa Barbara City College after having prepped at Harbor High School, while playing for Main Beach Volleyball Club. At SBCC, Sanborn was a First Team All-Conference selection as a freshman in 2018-19 after finishing his rookie season with the most kills in the state. While at Harbor High School, Sanborn was a two-time First Team All-League selection in his junior and senior seasons.
Up Next
Long Beach State will take on No. 12 UC Irvine in a pair of matches scheduled on Friday, March 26 and Saturday, March 27. The Beach and the Anteaters will play at the Walter Pyramid on Friday at 4 p.m., before battling it out at the Bren Events Center on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's VolleyballNCAA National Collegiate Championship Post Match Press Conference (Finals)- #1 UCLA
Sunday, May 05
NCAA National Collegiate Championship Post-Match Press Conference (Finals) #2 Long Beach State
Sunday, May 05
#1 UCLA Practice Day 2024 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Press Conference
Friday, May 03
#2 Long Beach State Practice Day 2024 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Press Conference
Friday, May 03
