Friday, January 21
Romeoville, Ill.
5:00 PM
Long Beach State University
at
Lewis
Photo by: John Fajardo
No. 5 Long Beach State Hits the Road to Face No. 7 Lewis, No. 9 Loyola Chicago
1/20/2022 11:32:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
The Beach face their first road test of the 2022 season
MATCH #3: No. 5 LONG BEACH STATE at No. 7 LEWIS
Date: Friday, January 21
Time: 5:00 p.m. (PT) / 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Location: Romeoville, Ill.
Venue: Neil Carey Arena
Live Stats: LewisFlyers.com
Stream: GLVCSN.com/Lewis
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
MATCH #4: No. 5 LONG BEACH STATE at No. 9 LOYOLA CHICAGO
Date: Saturday, January 22
Time: 5:00 p.m. (PT) / 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Venue: Gentile Arena
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
TV: NBC Sports Chicago
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
COMPLETE LBSU MATCH NOTES (PDF)
No. 5 Long Beach State Hits the Road to Face No. 7 Lewis, No. 9 Loyola Chicago
The No. 5 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team travels to Illinois for their first road trip of the season. The Beach kick off the road swing at No. 7 Lewis on Friday, January 21 at 5 p.m. (PT) / 7 p.m. (CT) in Romeoville, Ill. LBSU will then face No. 9 Loyola Chicago on Saturday, January 22 at 5 p.m. (PT) / 7 p.m. (CT) in Chicago, Ill.Â
Catch All The Action
The match at Lewis will be live streamed on GLVCSN.com/Lewis, while the match at Loyola Chicago will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Chicago.
Staying Social
Follow Long Beach State Men's Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram at @LBSUMVB. You can also stay up-to-date on all things Long Beach State by following @LBSUAthletics on Twitter. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at @LBSU. And don't forget our hashtag #GoBeach.
In the Rankings
• Long Beach State opened the season ranked fifth in the nation.
• Ten of the Beach's opponents this season are among the Top 15 teams nationally ranked.
• Additionally, LBSU will play three teams the year who are currently receiving votes.
• This week's opponents, Lewis and Loyola are both Nationally Ranked with the Flyers coming in at No. 7 and the Ramblers coming in at No. 9.
 About The Beach
• Long Beach State opened the 2022 campaign with a pair of home sweeps over Harvard and Erskine.
• The Beach have been dominant in their first two matches of the season hitting an impressive .413 against Harvard and .508 against Erskine.Â
• As a team, LBSU is hitting .459 on the year, while averaging 12.17 kills per set on 11.50 assists per set. Defensively, the Beach have racked up 2.33 blocks per set to go along with 6.00 digs per set, and 3.00 service aces per set.
• Freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov had an outstanding collegiate debut as the Sofia, Bulgaria native served up a career-high four aces to go along with eight kills on a .385 attack percentage, six digs, two assists, and a block en route to being named Off the Block National Freshman of the Week.
• Nikolov followed that performance with another solid showing as he led the Beach with 11 kills, six digs, and two aces, while hitting .500 (11-2-18) against Erskine.
• Sophomore setter Aidan Knipe has directed the Beach to strong offensive showings as he is averaging 11.00 assists per set, while leading the squad to a.459 attack percentage.
• Sophomore Clarke Godbold has earned the start at opposite and is currently leading the Beach with 3.83 kills per set on a .559 clip. He has also contributed 0.83 blocks per set, 0.67 aces per set, and 0.50 digs per set.
• Sophomore libero Mason Briggs was solid as he kept the Beach defense steady. He is averaging 0.83 digs per set.
• LBSU received several strong performances off the bench against Erskine as the Beach showed their depth. Senior Marc Moody led the Beach at the net as he posted five blocks to average 2.50 blocks per set.
• Long Beach State has officially changed the nickname for all sports other than baseball to Beach with the NCAA. Please do not refer to LBSU men's volleyball as the 49ers.
Scouting Lewis
• Lewis brings a 3-0 record into the week as the No. 7 Flyers had earned victories over Maryville (3-0), NJIT (3-1), and Saint Francis (3-0).
• The Flyers are hitting .412 on the year, while averaging 12.80 kills per set on 11.50 assists per set. Lewis' blocking defense has been solid averaging 2.85 blocks per set, while the Flyers are averaging 2.80 service aces per set.
• Tyler Mitchem is the team's leading scorer with 3.89 kills per set on a .640 attack percentage. He's third on the team with 1.11 blocks per set, while adding 0.67 digs per set and 0.44 aces per set.
• Kevin Kauling and Tyler Morgan have both seen action at setter this season. Kauling leads the way with 7.50 assists per set, while Morgan adds 3.89 assists per set.
• The Flyers boast three players who average 1.00 or more blocks per set this season. Leading the way is Michael Sack with 1.44 blocks per set, while Morgan adds 1.33, and Mitchem owns 1.11.
• In the back row, Jason Gibbs has collected a team-best 17 digs to average 2.43 digs per set.
• Cole Brillhart is the team's leader in aces with nine as he averages 0.90 aces per set to go along with 2.70 kills per set, 1.40 digs per set, and 0.50 blocks per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Flyers
Long Beach State and Lewis will meet for the eighth time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 5-2 and have won the last two meetings. The Flyers are looking for their first win over the Beach since 2012 when they defeated the Beach in four sets at the Walter Pyramid.
Scouting Loyola Chicago
• Loyola Chicago comes into the week with a 2-2 overall record.
• The Ramblers opened the season with a pair of losses at Hawaii, before bouncing back with a sweep over Saint Francis (Pa.), followed by a 3-1 win over NJIT.
• LUC is averaging 12.07 kills per set on a .283 attack percentage. The Ramblers has posted 2.11 blocks per set, while averaging 8.21 digs per set in the back row.
• Parker Van Buren leads the Ramblers with 3.64 kills per set on a .303 hitting percentage. He also adds 1.21 digs per set, 1.00 blocks per set, and 0.29 aces per set.
• Garret Zolg and Dan Mangun have both seen action at setter this season with Zolg leading the way with 8.77 assists per set. Meanwhile, Mangun adds 4.14 assists per set.
• Andrew Lyons has posted 16 blocks on the year to average a team-leading 1.14 blocks per set, while adding 1.57 kills per set on a .410 attack percentage.Â
• Cole Schlothauer leads the team with 2.14 digs per set, although Colton Brooks has racked up the most digs on the squad with 26 for an average of 1.86 digs per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Ramblers
Long Beach State and Loyola Chicago will meet for the sixth time in program history. The Beach leads the all-time series 5-0 as the Ramblers are looking for their first-ever win over LBSU.
Doing It Right on the Right Side
Clarke Godbold has earned the start at the right side and is currently leading the Beach with 3.83 kills per set on a .559 attack percentage. The sophomore from San Pedro, Calif., has also contributed defensively with 0.83 blocks per set, 0.67 service aces per set, and 0.50 digs per set.
Aces Wild
Long Beach State has racked up a total of 18 aces in just two matches thus far to average 3.00 aces per set. Freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov leads the team with six total aces to average 1.00 aces per set, while Clarke Godbold and Simon Torwie have each tallied four aces this season. Torwie leads the squad with 1.33 aces per set.
Setting the Tone
Sophomore setter Aidan Knipe set the offensive tone for the Beach thus far as LBSU hit .413 in the season opener and followed that showing with a .508 attack percentage. As a team, the Beach are hitting .459 on the year as Knipe has dished out 11.00 assists per set.
Alex The Great
Freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov had a monster collegiate debut on Saturday, and continued to flex his muscles on Monday. After just two matches, he is averaging 3.17 kills per set on a .452 attack percentage, while adding 2.00 digs per set, and 1.00 aces per set. For his efforts, Nikolov was named Off the Block National Freshman of the Week.
Welcoming the No. Recruiting Class in the Nation
The Long Beach State men's volleyball team earned the No. 1 spot in VolleyballMag.com's Division I-II Men's Volleyball recruiting class rankings for the second year in a row. Long Beach State came in at the top spot, beating out the likes of rivals such as UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and Ohio State for the top spot in this year's rankings. The 2022 Long Beach State recruiting class is comprised of seven incoming student-athletes including five freshmen and two transfers. Highlighting the recruiting class is freshman Alex Nikolov, a 6-foot-7 outside hitter from Sofia, Bulgaria, who was a three-time Balkan League Champion with the U19 Bulgarian National Team. In addition to Nikolov, the Beach also welcome Josh Rosenblum (6-6, S, Fr., Newport Beach, Calif.), Connor Bloom (6-5, OH, Fr., Huntington Beach, Calif.), Dane Hillis (6-3, OH, Fr., San Clemente, Calif.), Eric Beebe (6-0, S, So., Boulder Creek HS/Orange Coast College), and Calvin Sanborn (6-4, OH, Jr., Harbor HS/Santa Barbara City College). The highly-touted recruiting class will join an already talented squad which returns a pair of AVCA All-Americans in Mason Briggs and Spencer Olivier, as well as four starters, and nine letterwinners.
Next Up
Long Beach State returns home to host No. 11 Ohio State and No. 3 Penn State on Friday, January 28 and Saturday, January 29, respectively, at the Walter Pyramid. Both matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Date: Friday, January 21
Time: 5:00 p.m. (PT) / 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Location: Romeoville, Ill.
Venue: Neil Carey Arena
Live Stats: LewisFlyers.com
Stream: GLVCSN.com/Lewis
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
MATCH #4: No. 5 LONG BEACH STATE at No. 9 LOYOLA CHICAGO
Date: Saturday, January 22
Time: 5:00 p.m. (PT) / 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Venue: Gentile Arena
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
TV: NBC Sports Chicago
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
COMPLETE LBSU MATCH NOTES (PDF)
No. 5 Long Beach State Hits the Road to Face No. 7 Lewis, No. 9 Loyola Chicago
The No. 5 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team travels to Illinois for their first road trip of the season. The Beach kick off the road swing at No. 7 Lewis on Friday, January 21 at 5 p.m. (PT) / 7 p.m. (CT) in Romeoville, Ill. LBSU will then face No. 9 Loyola Chicago on Saturday, January 22 at 5 p.m. (PT) / 7 p.m. (CT) in Chicago, Ill.Â
Catch All The Action
The match at Lewis will be live streamed on GLVCSN.com/Lewis, while the match at Loyola Chicago will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Chicago.
Staying Social
Follow Long Beach State Men's Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram at @LBSUMVB. You can also stay up-to-date on all things Long Beach State by following @LBSUAthletics on Twitter. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at @LBSU. And don't forget our hashtag #GoBeach.
In the Rankings
• Long Beach State opened the season ranked fifth in the nation.
• Ten of the Beach's opponents this season are among the Top 15 teams nationally ranked.
• Additionally, LBSU will play three teams the year who are currently receiving votes.
• This week's opponents, Lewis and Loyola are both Nationally Ranked with the Flyers coming in at No. 7 and the Ramblers coming in at No. 9.
 About The Beach
• Long Beach State opened the 2022 campaign with a pair of home sweeps over Harvard and Erskine.
• The Beach have been dominant in their first two matches of the season hitting an impressive .413 against Harvard and .508 against Erskine.Â
• As a team, LBSU is hitting .459 on the year, while averaging 12.17 kills per set on 11.50 assists per set. Defensively, the Beach have racked up 2.33 blocks per set to go along with 6.00 digs per set, and 3.00 service aces per set.
• Freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov had an outstanding collegiate debut as the Sofia, Bulgaria native served up a career-high four aces to go along with eight kills on a .385 attack percentage, six digs, two assists, and a block en route to being named Off the Block National Freshman of the Week.
• Nikolov followed that performance with another solid showing as he led the Beach with 11 kills, six digs, and two aces, while hitting .500 (11-2-18) against Erskine.
• Sophomore setter Aidan Knipe has directed the Beach to strong offensive showings as he is averaging 11.00 assists per set, while leading the squad to a.459 attack percentage.
• Sophomore Clarke Godbold has earned the start at opposite and is currently leading the Beach with 3.83 kills per set on a .559 clip. He has also contributed 0.83 blocks per set, 0.67 aces per set, and 0.50 digs per set.
• Sophomore libero Mason Briggs was solid as he kept the Beach defense steady. He is averaging 0.83 digs per set.
• LBSU received several strong performances off the bench against Erskine as the Beach showed their depth. Senior Marc Moody led the Beach at the net as he posted five blocks to average 2.50 blocks per set.
• Long Beach State has officially changed the nickname for all sports other than baseball to Beach with the NCAA. Please do not refer to LBSU men's volleyball as the 49ers.
Scouting Lewis
• Lewis brings a 3-0 record into the week as the No. 7 Flyers had earned victories over Maryville (3-0), NJIT (3-1), and Saint Francis (3-0).
• The Flyers are hitting .412 on the year, while averaging 12.80 kills per set on 11.50 assists per set. Lewis' blocking defense has been solid averaging 2.85 blocks per set, while the Flyers are averaging 2.80 service aces per set.
• Tyler Mitchem is the team's leading scorer with 3.89 kills per set on a .640 attack percentage. He's third on the team with 1.11 blocks per set, while adding 0.67 digs per set and 0.44 aces per set.
• Kevin Kauling and Tyler Morgan have both seen action at setter this season. Kauling leads the way with 7.50 assists per set, while Morgan adds 3.89 assists per set.
• The Flyers boast three players who average 1.00 or more blocks per set this season. Leading the way is Michael Sack with 1.44 blocks per set, while Morgan adds 1.33, and Mitchem owns 1.11.
• In the back row, Jason Gibbs has collected a team-best 17 digs to average 2.43 digs per set.
• Cole Brillhart is the team's leader in aces with nine as he averages 0.90 aces per set to go along with 2.70 kills per set, 1.40 digs per set, and 0.50 blocks per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Flyers
Long Beach State and Lewis will meet for the eighth time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 5-2 and have won the last two meetings. The Flyers are looking for their first win over the Beach since 2012 when they defeated the Beach in four sets at the Walter Pyramid.
Scouting Loyola Chicago
• Loyola Chicago comes into the week with a 2-2 overall record.
• The Ramblers opened the season with a pair of losses at Hawaii, before bouncing back with a sweep over Saint Francis (Pa.), followed by a 3-1 win over NJIT.
• LUC is averaging 12.07 kills per set on a .283 attack percentage. The Ramblers has posted 2.11 blocks per set, while averaging 8.21 digs per set in the back row.
• Parker Van Buren leads the Ramblers with 3.64 kills per set on a .303 hitting percentage. He also adds 1.21 digs per set, 1.00 blocks per set, and 0.29 aces per set.
• Garret Zolg and Dan Mangun have both seen action at setter this season with Zolg leading the way with 8.77 assists per set. Meanwhile, Mangun adds 4.14 assists per set.
• Andrew Lyons has posted 16 blocks on the year to average a team-leading 1.14 blocks per set, while adding 1.57 kills per set on a .410 attack percentage.Â
• Cole Schlothauer leads the team with 2.14 digs per set, although Colton Brooks has racked up the most digs on the squad with 26 for an average of 1.86 digs per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Ramblers
Long Beach State and Loyola Chicago will meet for the sixth time in program history. The Beach leads the all-time series 5-0 as the Ramblers are looking for their first-ever win over LBSU.
Doing It Right on the Right Side
Clarke Godbold has earned the start at the right side and is currently leading the Beach with 3.83 kills per set on a .559 attack percentage. The sophomore from San Pedro, Calif., has also contributed defensively with 0.83 blocks per set, 0.67 service aces per set, and 0.50 digs per set.
Aces Wild
Long Beach State has racked up a total of 18 aces in just two matches thus far to average 3.00 aces per set. Freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov leads the team with six total aces to average 1.00 aces per set, while Clarke Godbold and Simon Torwie have each tallied four aces this season. Torwie leads the squad with 1.33 aces per set.
Setting the Tone
Sophomore setter Aidan Knipe set the offensive tone for the Beach thus far as LBSU hit .413 in the season opener and followed that showing with a .508 attack percentage. As a team, the Beach are hitting .459 on the year as Knipe has dished out 11.00 assists per set.
Alex The Great
Freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov had a monster collegiate debut on Saturday, and continued to flex his muscles on Monday. After just two matches, he is averaging 3.17 kills per set on a .452 attack percentage, while adding 2.00 digs per set, and 1.00 aces per set. For his efforts, Nikolov was named Off the Block National Freshman of the Week.
Welcoming the No. Recruiting Class in the Nation
The Long Beach State men's volleyball team earned the No. 1 spot in VolleyballMag.com's Division I-II Men's Volleyball recruiting class rankings for the second year in a row. Long Beach State came in at the top spot, beating out the likes of rivals such as UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and Ohio State for the top spot in this year's rankings. The 2022 Long Beach State recruiting class is comprised of seven incoming student-athletes including five freshmen and two transfers. Highlighting the recruiting class is freshman Alex Nikolov, a 6-foot-7 outside hitter from Sofia, Bulgaria, who was a three-time Balkan League Champion with the U19 Bulgarian National Team. In addition to Nikolov, the Beach also welcome Josh Rosenblum (6-6, S, Fr., Newport Beach, Calif.), Connor Bloom (6-5, OH, Fr., Huntington Beach, Calif.), Dane Hillis (6-3, OH, Fr., San Clemente, Calif.), Eric Beebe (6-0, S, So., Boulder Creek HS/Orange Coast College), and Calvin Sanborn (6-4, OH, Jr., Harbor HS/Santa Barbara City College). The highly-touted recruiting class will join an already talented squad which returns a pair of AVCA All-Americans in Mason Briggs and Spencer Olivier, as well as four starters, and nine letterwinners.
Next Up
Long Beach State returns home to host No. 11 Ohio State and No. 3 Penn State on Friday, January 28 and Saturday, January 29, respectively, at the Walter Pyramid. Both matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
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