Friday, April 9
La Jolla, Calif.
4:00 PM
Long Beach State University
at
UC San Diego
Photo by: John Fajardo
No. 6 LBSU Back Stateside, Ready to Face No. 12 UC San Diego
4/8/2021 10:31:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
The Beach and the Tritons will meet on Friday and Saturday in a pair of 4 p.m. contests
MATCH #7: No. 6 LONG BEACH STATE at No. 12 UC SAN DIEGO
Date: Friday, April 9
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: La Jolla, Calif.
Venue: RIMAC Arena
Live Stats: UCSDTritons.com
Live Stream: ESPN3
MATCH #8: No. 12 UC SAN DIEGO at No. 6 LONG BEACH STATE
Date: Saturday, April 10
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Radio: 22WestMedia.com
Live Stream: Beach Vision
Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
COMPLETE LBSU MATCH NOTES (PDF)
No. 6 LBSU Back Stateside, Ready to Face No. 12 UC San Diego
The No. 6 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team has returned to Southern California and will take on No. 12 UC San Diego this weekend. The Beach and the Tritons will face off on Friday, April 9 at 4 p.m. in La Jolla, Calif., at RIMAC Arena, before going head-to-head at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, April 10 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 with Matt Brown and, LBSU men's volleyball alumni, Matt Prosser of the call. Fans can also follow live stats updates on BeachLiveStats.com. Friday's match at UCSD will be broadcast on ESPN3.
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 moved up to the No. 6 spot in the NVA/AVCA Division I/II Men's Volleyball Rankings after pushing top-ranked Hawai'i to five sets last week. UC San Diego also moved up a spot as the Tritons are now ranked 12th in the national poll after defeating CSUN.
About The Beach
• Long Beach State brings a 3-3 overall and Big West Conference record into the matches against No. 12 UC San Diego.
• The Beach are looking to get back on the winning track after dropping a pair of road contests to No. 1 Hawai'i last weekend.
• Prior to facing Long Beach State, Hawaii had only dropped three sets all season. In the two matches against the Beach, the Bows dropped three total sets and were pushed to five sets for the first time in more than a year as Long Beach State turned in a gritty performance.
• With the four-set win over UC Irvine on Friday, March 26 at the Walter Pyramid, LBSU extended its home conference winning streak to 21 matches which is good for second in the Long Beach State record book.
• Freshman outside hitter Clarke Godbold, the No. 1 recruit in the country, is living up to his billing as he was named Big West Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week.
• Godbold earned the conference weekly honors after reaching double-digit kills in both matches at Hawaii and tying his career-high with six blocks last Saturday. On the year, Godbold averages 2.54 kills per set, 1.58 digs per set, and 0.85 blocks per set.
• Spencer Olivier registered another career-effort last week as the redshirt sophomore outside hitter slammed a career-best 25 kills to go along with a career-high seven blocks.
• On the year, Olivier leads the Beach with 3.88 kills per set on .263 hitting. He also is the team-leader in aces with six, while adding 1.27 digs per set, and 0.96 blocks per set.
• Simon Andersen was a force at the net last week as he put up a career-high 11 blocks in the Beach's five-set loss at No. 1 Hawaii on Saturday. With his double-figure blocking effort, Andersen becomes the first Beach player since 2015 to register 10 or more blocks in a single match.
• Andersen is now averaging 1.42 blocks per set on the year. His blocks per set average leads the Beach and is good for second in the Big West and third in the nation. Additionally, Andersen contributes 1.73 kills per set on .a team-leading .389 attack percentage.
• Senior setter/outside hitter Ryan Poole showed his versatility over the last three games making his debut at setter in the third set at UC Irvine. Poole went on to earn the start at Hawaii in both matches and piloted the Beach to a .307 attack percentage in a five-set loss to the top-ranked team in the country.
• Freshman setter Aidan Knipe got off to a hot start as he was named Big West Freshman of the Week following his collegiate debut in which he logged 57 assists and led the Beach to a .345 clip in a 3-1 victory against No. 3 UCSB. However, an injury has sidelined the Beach's setter in the last two matches.
• Mason Briggs, a freshman libero from Valencia, Calif., continues to pace the Long Beach State defense as Briggs has logged 2.38 digs per set this season to rank third in the league and ninth in the nation. With Briggs directing the backrow, the Beach have held opponents to a .249 hitting percentage to rank second in the Big West.
Scouting UC San Diego
• No. 12 UC San Diego comes in to the matches against No. 6 Long Beach State with a 3-7 overall record and a 3-3 league mark.
• The Tritons have won their last two matches against CSUN by scores of 3-0 and 3-2.
• UCSD is led offensively by Kyle McCauley and Ryan Ka as each average at least 3.00 kills per set. McCauley leads the way with a 3.68 average on .212 hitting, while Ka is hitting .205 while averaging 3.00 kills per set.
• McCauley is also the team's leader in service aces with 12. On the year, he averages 0.32 aces to go along with 1.50 digs per set, and 0.34 blocks per set.
• Blake Crisp is the Tritons' setter as he has dished out a total of 318 assists to average 8.59 assists per set. With Crisp directing the offense, UCSD is hitting .240 this season.
• At libero, Matt Palma leads the way with 2.26 digs per set. He has led the Tritons to an 8.61 digs per set average as a team.
• Shane Benetz leads the Tritons at the net with 0.87 blocks per set. Additionally, he contributes 1.61 kills per set on a .321 attack percentage, to go along with 0.45 digs per set.
• Logan Clark's .490 attack percentage is tops on the squad as he has knocked down 61 kills on 102 swings, while committing just 11 attack errors. He is averaging 1.61 kills per set.
• As a team, UC San Diego averages 11.66 kills per set on 10.61 assists per set.
• Defensively, the Tritons have put up 1.62 blocks per set and 8.61 digs per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Tritons
Long Beach State and UC San Diego will meet for the 75th and 76th time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 69-5 and have won the last 15 meetings. The Tritons are looking for their first win over LBSU since March 15, 2012.
Fantastic Freshmen
For the third-straight week, a Long Beach State freshman has taken home the Big West Conference Freshman of the Week honor. Freshman setter Aidan Knipe kicked off the run after an impressive collegiate debut in which he distributed a career-high 57 assists and led LBSU to a .345 attack percentage against No. 3 UC Santa Barbara. Following Knipe's honor, freshman outside hitter Clarke Godbold earned the weekly accolades for the last two weeks in a row after reaching double-figure kills in his last five matches including registering a career-best 13 kills on two occasions. Godbold came to Long Beach State as the nation's top recruit as the Beach boasted the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, per VolleyballMag.com.
20/20 Vision
Spencer Olivier, Long Beach State's leading scorer, recorded a career-high 25 kills last weekend in a five-set loss at No. 1 Hawaii. The 6-foot-6 outside hitter has led the Beach in kills in each match this season. He is averaging a team-best 3.88 kills per set which is good for third in the Big West and 12th in the nation. Olivier has recorded two 20-plus kill performances in just six matches thus far.
Double-Double Toil And Trouble
Three Beach players notched double-doubles in Long Beach State's season-opening weekend. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Spencer Olivier led the way with a career-effort as he registered 16 kills and 15 digs. Following Olivier's lead, freshmen Clarke Godbold and Simon Torwie recorded double-doubles of their own as Godbold finished Sunday's match with 13 kills and 10 digs, while Torwie concluded the game with 11 kills and 11 digs.
Hitting The Spot
Junior middle blocker Simon Andersen is leading the Beach with a .389 attack percentage this season. The product out of Middlefart, Denmark has knocked down 45 kills on 90 swings, while committing just 10 attack errors. His hitting percentage ranks him fourth in the conference and 12th in the nation.
Can You Dig It?
Freshman libero Mason Briggs has done an excellent job pacing the Long Beach State defense this season. The Valencia, Calif., native has racked up a total of 62 digs to average 2.38 digs per set which ranks him third in the Big West Conference and ninth in the nation. Briggs has logged three double-digit dig performances this season and has led LBSU in digs on four occasions.
Block Party
Junior middle blocker Simon Andersen has been a force at the net thus far. Last weekend at Hawaii, he put up a career-best 11 blocks to lead the Beach. His double-figure blocking effort marked the first time since 2015 a Long Beach State player has recorded 10-plus blocks in a single match. On the year, Andersen has accumulated a team-leading 37 blocks (4 solo blocks, 33 block assists) to average 1.42 blocks per set. That output is second in the Big West and third in the country.
Setting the Bar
Freshman setter Aidan Knipe started the season as the Beach's setter and after his first two weekends on the job, was leading the nation in assists per set, had a Big West Freshman of the Week honor under his belt, and had distributed a career-high 57 assists. However, Knipe suffered an injury and was sidelined mid-way through the match at UC Irvine. Enter Ryan Poole. Poole is a 6-foot-5 outside hitter from Enfield, England who stepped up and filled the setter role in Knipe's absence. With Poole setting for the first time in his career, he has shown his versatility and talent dishing out a career-best 55 assists and leading LBSU to a .307 attack percentage in a five-set loss to No. 1 Hawai'i. So far this season, Knipe is averaging 8.48 assists per set, while Poole is averaging 4.70 assists per set. As a team, Long Beach State is hitting .260 to rank third in the competitive Big West Conference and in the top 20 in the nation.
Quality Coaches
Long Beach State is led by three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, Alan Knipe, who has led the Beach to all three of its NCAA National Titles. With Knipe at the helm over the last 18 years, the Beach have an impressive winning percentage of nearly 70 percent (.694).
A four-time conference coach of the year who has coached six National Players of the Year, 1 AVCA Newcomer of the Year, 55 All-America selections, and more than 70 all-conference selections, Knipe is certainly among the best at the Beach.
However, he also surrounds himself with some of the top coaches in the country in associate head coach Nick MacRae, assistant coach McKay Smith, and volunteer assistant coach Jon Parry.
In May 2020, 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 record during the 2020 season.
In addition, 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.
Up Next
Long Beach State will close out the regular season with a pair of matches against CSUN. The Beach and the Matadors will meet on Friday, April 16 in Northridge, Calif., at 7 p.m., before facing off at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, April 17 at 7 p.m.
Date: Friday, April 9
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: La Jolla, Calif.
Venue: RIMAC Arena
Live Stats: UCSDTritons.com
Live Stream: ESPN3
MATCH #8: No. 12 UC SAN DIEGO at No. 6 LONG BEACH STATE
Date: Saturday, April 10
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Radio: 22WestMedia.com
Live Stream: Beach Vision
Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
COMPLETE LBSU MATCH NOTES (PDF)
No. 6 LBSU Back Stateside, Ready to Face No. 12 UC San Diego
The No. 6 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team has returned to Southern California and will take on No. 12 UC San Diego this weekend. The Beach and the Tritons will face off on Friday, April 9 at 4 p.m. in La Jolla, Calif., at RIMAC Arena, before going head-to-head at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, April 10 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 with Matt Brown and, LBSU men's volleyball alumni, Matt Prosser of the call. Fans can also follow live stats updates on BeachLiveStats.com. Friday's match at UCSD will be broadcast on ESPN3.
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 moved up to the No. 6 spot in the NVA/AVCA Division I/II Men's Volleyball Rankings after pushing top-ranked Hawai'i to five sets last week. UC San Diego also moved up a spot as the Tritons are now ranked 12th in the national poll after defeating CSUN.
About The Beach
• Long Beach State brings a 3-3 overall and Big West Conference record into the matches against No. 12 UC San Diego.
• The Beach are looking to get back on the winning track after dropping a pair of road contests to No. 1 Hawai'i last weekend.
• Prior to facing Long Beach State, Hawaii had only dropped three sets all season. In the two matches against the Beach, the Bows dropped three total sets and were pushed to five sets for the first time in more than a year as Long Beach State turned in a gritty performance.
• With the four-set win over UC Irvine on Friday, March 26 at the Walter Pyramid, LBSU extended its home conference winning streak to 21 matches which is good for second in the Long Beach State record book.
• Freshman outside hitter Clarke Godbold, the No. 1 recruit in the country, is living up to his billing as he was named Big West Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week.
• Godbold earned the conference weekly honors after reaching double-digit kills in both matches at Hawaii and tying his career-high with six blocks last Saturday. On the year, Godbold averages 2.54 kills per set, 1.58 digs per set, and 0.85 blocks per set.
• Spencer Olivier registered another career-effort last week as the redshirt sophomore outside hitter slammed a career-best 25 kills to go along with a career-high seven blocks.
• On the year, Olivier leads the Beach with 3.88 kills per set on .263 hitting. He also is the team-leader in aces with six, while adding 1.27 digs per set, and 0.96 blocks per set.
• Simon Andersen was a force at the net last week as he put up a career-high 11 blocks in the Beach's five-set loss at No. 1 Hawaii on Saturday. With his double-figure blocking effort, Andersen becomes the first Beach player since 2015 to register 10 or more blocks in a single match.
• Andersen is now averaging 1.42 blocks per set on the year. His blocks per set average leads the Beach and is good for second in the Big West and third in the nation. Additionally, Andersen contributes 1.73 kills per set on .a team-leading .389 attack percentage.
• Senior setter/outside hitter Ryan Poole showed his versatility over the last three games making his debut at setter in the third set at UC Irvine. Poole went on to earn the start at Hawaii in both matches and piloted the Beach to a .307 attack percentage in a five-set loss to the top-ranked team in the country.
• Freshman setter Aidan Knipe got off to a hot start as he was named Big West Freshman of the Week following his collegiate debut in which he logged 57 assists and led the Beach to a .345 clip in a 3-1 victory against No. 3 UCSB. However, an injury has sidelined the Beach's setter in the last two matches.
• Mason Briggs, a freshman libero from Valencia, Calif., continues to pace the Long Beach State defense as Briggs has logged 2.38 digs per set this season to rank third in the league and ninth in the nation. With Briggs directing the backrow, the Beach have held opponents to a .249 hitting percentage to rank second in the Big West.
Scouting UC San Diego
• No. 12 UC San Diego comes in to the matches against No. 6 Long Beach State with a 3-7 overall record and a 3-3 league mark.
• The Tritons have won their last two matches against CSUN by scores of 3-0 and 3-2.
• UCSD is led offensively by Kyle McCauley and Ryan Ka as each average at least 3.00 kills per set. McCauley leads the way with a 3.68 average on .212 hitting, while Ka is hitting .205 while averaging 3.00 kills per set.
• McCauley is also the team's leader in service aces with 12. On the year, he averages 0.32 aces to go along with 1.50 digs per set, and 0.34 blocks per set.
• Blake Crisp is the Tritons' setter as he has dished out a total of 318 assists to average 8.59 assists per set. With Crisp directing the offense, UCSD is hitting .240 this season.
• At libero, Matt Palma leads the way with 2.26 digs per set. He has led the Tritons to an 8.61 digs per set average as a team.
• Shane Benetz leads the Tritons at the net with 0.87 blocks per set. Additionally, he contributes 1.61 kills per set on a .321 attack percentage, to go along with 0.45 digs per set.
• Logan Clark's .490 attack percentage is tops on the squad as he has knocked down 61 kills on 102 swings, while committing just 11 attack errors. He is averaging 1.61 kills per set.
• As a team, UC San Diego averages 11.66 kills per set on 10.61 assists per set.
• Defensively, the Tritons have put up 1.62 blocks per set and 8.61 digs per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Tritons
Long Beach State and UC San Diego will meet for the 75th and 76th time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 69-5 and have won the last 15 meetings. The Tritons are looking for their first win over LBSU since March 15, 2012.
Fantastic Freshmen
For the third-straight week, a Long Beach State freshman has taken home the Big West Conference Freshman of the Week honor. Freshman setter Aidan Knipe kicked off the run after an impressive collegiate debut in which he distributed a career-high 57 assists and led LBSU to a .345 attack percentage against No. 3 UC Santa Barbara. Following Knipe's honor, freshman outside hitter Clarke Godbold earned the weekly accolades for the last two weeks in a row after reaching double-figure kills in his last five matches including registering a career-best 13 kills on two occasions. Godbold came to Long Beach State as the nation's top recruit as the Beach boasted the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, per VolleyballMag.com.
20/20 Vision
Spencer Olivier, Long Beach State's leading scorer, recorded a career-high 25 kills last weekend in a five-set loss at No. 1 Hawaii. The 6-foot-6 outside hitter has led the Beach in kills in each match this season. He is averaging a team-best 3.88 kills per set which is good for third in the Big West and 12th in the nation. Olivier has recorded two 20-plus kill performances in just six matches thus far.
Double-Double Toil And Trouble
Three Beach players notched double-doubles in Long Beach State's season-opening weekend. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Spencer Olivier led the way with a career-effort as he registered 16 kills and 15 digs. Following Olivier's lead, freshmen Clarke Godbold and Simon Torwie recorded double-doubles of their own as Godbold finished Sunday's match with 13 kills and 10 digs, while Torwie concluded the game with 11 kills and 11 digs.
Hitting The Spot
Junior middle blocker Simon Andersen is leading the Beach with a .389 attack percentage this season. The product out of Middlefart, Denmark has knocked down 45 kills on 90 swings, while committing just 10 attack errors. His hitting percentage ranks him fourth in the conference and 12th in the nation.
Can You Dig It?
Freshman libero Mason Briggs has done an excellent job pacing the Long Beach State defense this season. The Valencia, Calif., native has racked up a total of 62 digs to average 2.38 digs per set which ranks him third in the Big West Conference and ninth in the nation. Briggs has logged three double-digit dig performances this season and has led LBSU in digs on four occasions.
Block Party
Junior middle blocker Simon Andersen has been a force at the net thus far. Last weekend at Hawaii, he put up a career-best 11 blocks to lead the Beach. His double-figure blocking effort marked the first time since 2015 a Long Beach State player has recorded 10-plus blocks in a single match. On the year, Andersen has accumulated a team-leading 37 blocks (4 solo blocks, 33 block assists) to average 1.42 blocks per set. That output is second in the Big West and third in the country.
Setting the Bar
Freshman setter Aidan Knipe started the season as the Beach's setter and after his first two weekends on the job, was leading the nation in assists per set, had a Big West Freshman of the Week honor under his belt, and had distributed a career-high 57 assists. However, Knipe suffered an injury and was sidelined mid-way through the match at UC Irvine. Enter Ryan Poole. Poole is a 6-foot-5 outside hitter from Enfield, England who stepped up and filled the setter role in Knipe's absence. With Poole setting for the first time in his career, he has shown his versatility and talent dishing out a career-best 55 assists and leading LBSU to a .307 attack percentage in a five-set loss to No. 1 Hawai'i. So far this season, Knipe is averaging 8.48 assists per set, while Poole is averaging 4.70 assists per set. As a team, Long Beach State is hitting .260 to rank third in the competitive Big West Conference and in the top 20 in the nation.
Quality Coaches
Long Beach State is led by three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, Alan Knipe, who has led the Beach to all three of its NCAA National Titles. With Knipe at the helm over the last 18 years, the Beach have an impressive winning percentage of nearly 70 percent (.694).
A four-time conference coach of the year who has coached six National Players of the Year, 1 AVCA Newcomer of the Year, 55 All-America selections, and more than 70 all-conference selections, Knipe is certainly among the best at the Beach.
However, he also surrounds himself with some of the top coaches in the country in associate head coach Nick MacRae, assistant coach McKay Smith, and volunteer assistant coach Jon Parry.
In May 2020, 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 record during the 2020 season.
In addition, 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.
Up Next
Long Beach State will close out the regular season with a pair of matches against CSUN. The Beach and the Matadors will meet on Friday, April 16 in Northridge, Calif., at 7 p.m., before facing off at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, April 17 at 7 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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OPP
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