No. 3 LBSU Men’s Volleyball Returns Home to Host No. 9 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State

Friday, January 28

Long Beach, Calif.

6:00 PM

Long Beach State University

Ohio State

Photo by: John Fajardo

No. 3 LBSU Men’s Volleyball Returns Home to Host No. 9 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State

1/27/2022 2:37:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

The Beach host a pair of Top 10 teams in the Walter Pyramid this week

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

MATCH #5: No. 3 LONG BEACH STATE vs. No. 9 OHIO STATE
Date: Friday, January 28
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Ticket Website: www.LongBeachState.com

MATCH #6: No. 3 LONG BEACH STATE vs. No. 4 PENN STATE
Date: Saturday, January 29
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Ticket Website: www.LongBeachState.com

COMPLETE LBSU MATCH NOTES (PDF)

No. 3 LBSU Men's Volleyball Returns Home to Host No. 9 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State
The No. 3 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team returns to the Walter Pyramid after a pair of road victories to host No. 9 Ohio State on Friday, January 28 at 6 p.m., and No. 4 Penn State on Saturday, January 29 at 7 p.m. Both matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Catch All The Action
Long Beach State home matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ for $5.99 per month ($59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com, or on the ESPN App. It is also available as part of the Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney +,ESPN+, and Hulu for $13.99 per month (Hulu with ads) or $19.99 per month (Hulu without ads). Fans can also follow stats updates on BeachLiveStats.com.

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 and has since moved up to No. 3 after kicking off the 2022 campaign with a 4-0 record.
• Ten of the Beach's opponents this season are among the Top 15 teams nationally ranked.
• This week's opponents, Ohio State and Penn State are also nationally ranked. No. 9 Ohio State moved up two spots from last week's rankings, while No. 4 Penn State dropped one spot.

About The Beach
• Long Beach State has opened the 2022 season with four-straight wins to bring its overall record to 4-0.
• The Beach have been dominant this season hitting over .300 in all their matches thus far. LBSU owns a team hitting percentage of .417 which ranks third in the nation.
• As a team, the Beach are ranked in the top 25 in every statistical category this season. Long Beach State is second in kills per set (12.77), third in hitting percentage (417), fourth in assists per set (11/92), fifth in blocks per set (2.77), sixth in aces per set (2/00), and 25th in digs per set (7.92).
• Leading the Beach's offense is sophomore setter Aidan Knipe who leads the nation in assists per set with 11.31. Knipe has piloted th Beach to at least a .309 attack percentage in each match this season.
• Knipe does a good job distributing the ball, as both Clarke Godbold and Alex Nikolov rank in the top 20 in the nation in kills per set. Godbold, a sophomore opposite, is averaging 3.69 kills per set to lead the Beach, rank fourth in the Big West, and 14th in the nation. Meanwhile, Nikolov, a freshman outside hitter is second on the squad with 3.62 kills per set as he ranks fifth in the league and 16th in the country.
• Nikolov has had an outstanding first two weeks to his collegiate career and he was rewarded by being named Big West Offensive Player and Freshman Player of the Week last week. Additionally, he garnered AVCA National Player of the Week honors as well. On the year, Nikolov is also hitting .412, while averaging 1.38 digs per set, and leads the squad with eight service aces.
• Godbold is the Beach's leading scorer (3.62 kills per set) and he also is hitting .446 on the season, while contributing 1.15 digs per set and 1.00 blocks per set.
• Sophomore libero Mason Briggs had a career day against No. 7 Lewis last week He logged a career-best 19 digs to help lead the defensive charge. He averages a team-leading 1.92 digs per set.
• At the net, middle blocker Shane Holdaway has been on point as he has posted 13 total blocks on the year to average 1.08 blocks per set, which ranks him sixth in the Big West and 21st in the nation.
• Junior outside hitter Spencer Olivier has also been a big contributor for the Beach this season. He is third on the squad with 2.58 kills per set, which ranks him in the top 10 in the Big West. Olivier is hitting .328 on the year and also has averaged 1.92 digs per set to go along with 0.75 blocks per set.
• Redshirt senior Marc Moody earned the start last week at No. 7 Lewis and has done a solid job on blocking defense. In just six sets played so far, he has racked up eight total blocks to average a team-best 1.33 blocks per set average.
• Sophomore Simon Torwie got the start at No. 9 Loyola and did a great job in the middle for the Beach. This year, Torwie has averaged 0.89 blocks per set, 0.56 kills per set, and it hitting a team-best .625 (5-0-8).
• Off the bench, junior Calvin Sanborn has been key. He's made big plays and has served up three aces in just seven sets to average 0.43 aces 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 Ohio State
• Ohio State brings a 4-1 overall record into the Walter Pyramid as the Buckeyes prepare to face the Beach.
• The Buckeyes went 1-1 last week with a five-set loss at No. 2 UCLA, before picking up a four-set win over No. 10 USC.
• As a team, Ohio State is hitting .255 on the year, while averaging 11.3 kills per set on 10.8 assists per set.
• Defensively, the Buckeyes average 8.2 digs per set and 2.0 blocks per set, while having served up 26 aces on the season.
• Jacob Pasteur is the team's leading scorer with 3.56 kills per set on a .208 clip. He also adds 1.44 digs per set and 0.78 blocks per set, while leading the Buckeyes with eight aces.
• Noah Platfoot is the squad's primary setter who averages 8.53 assists per set, while Luke Lentin contributes 2.92 assists per set.
• Justin Howard has been stout at the net this year, posting 17 total blocks to average a team-best 0.94 blocks per set.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Buckeyes
Long Beach State and Ohio State will meet for the 16th time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 13-2 and have won the last three meetings. When playing each other in Long Beach, Calif., LBSU owns a 7-1 record over Ohio State.

Scouting Penn State
• Penn State comes into the week with a 4-2 overall record after having suffered a pair of four-set losses last week to No. 10 USC and No. 2 UCLA.
• The Nittany Lions are hitting .314 on the year, while averaging 12.25 kills per set on 11.70 assists per set.
• Penn State has posted 1.80 blocks per set, 8.70 digs per set, and 2.00 aces per set on the defensive end.
• Cal Fisher leads the Nittany Lions with 3.80 kills per set, while hitting .344. He also contributes 2.00 digs per set, 0.55 blocks per set, and leads the team with 13 aces.
• At setter, Cole Bogner has distributed 10.35 assists per set, while also averaging 1.50 digs per set, and 0.45 blocks per set.
• Toby Ezeonu is the team's leader in blocking defense with a total of 15 total blocks to average 0.75 blocks per set. Additionally, Ezeonu also averages 1.70 kills per set, while hitting .381.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Nittany Lions
Long Beach State and Penn State will face off for the 27th time in program history. The Beach leads the all-time series 19-7 and have won the last match ups. When playing each other in Long Beach, the Beach owns a 12-6 overall record over the Nittany Lions.

Weekly Honors
The No. 3 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team went 3-0 last week and swept the Big West Conference Weekly Awards as freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov was named Offensive Player of the Week as well as Freshman of the Week, and sophomore opposite Clarke Godbold claimed Defensive Player of the Week accolades.

Nikolov, a true freshman, led the Beach to three victories last week against Erskine (3-0), No. 7 Lewis (3-1), and No. 9 Loyola Chicago (3-0) en route to claiming his first set of Big West weekly awards. The product out of Sofia, Bulgaria finished the week averaging 3.90 kills per set on a .417 attack percentage to go along with 1.20 digs per set and 0.40 aces per set.

He kicked off the week with an 11-kill performance against Erskine at home in which he hit .500 (11-2-18), while adding six digs and two aces. Nikolov continued his hot hitting on the road as he led the Beach with 16 kills on a .364 clip (16-4-33) in a four-set battle with Lewis. He finished the week with 12 kills on .429 hitting (12-2-21) at Loyola Chicago, while also adding five digs and an ace.

Godbold was named Defensive Player of the Week as he was a force at the net with a total of 13 blocks to average 1.30 blocks per set, while also adding 1.40 digs per set. Godbold played well on both sides of the ball averaging 3.40 kills per set on a .406 attack percentage.

The sophomore opposite posted five blocks against Erskine, four at Lewis, and another four at Loyola Chicago. With Godbold patrolling the net, the Beach kept their opponents off balance all week as they were only able to muster a combined .159 hitting percentage.

National Honors
Long Beach State freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov was named AVCA Men's Division I-II Player of the Week after turning in an outstanding performance last week. Nikolov averaged 3.90 kills per set on a .417 attack percentage, while adding 1.20 digs per set and 4.40 points per set.

Doing It Right on the Right Side
Clarke Godbold has earned the start at the right side and is currently leading the Beach with 3.69 kills per set on a .446 attack percentage. The sophomore from San Pedro, Calif., has also contributed defensively with 1.15 digs per set, 1.00 blocks per set, and 0.31 service aces per set. Last week Godbold was solid defensively as he was named Big West Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career.

Aces Wild
Long Beach State has racked up a total of 26 aces in just four matches thus far to average 2.00 aces per set. Freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov leads the team with eight total aces to average 0.62 aces per set, which is good for second in the Big West and 15th in the nation.

Setting the Tone
Sophomore setter Aidan Knipe has set the offensive tone for the Beach thus far as LBSU has not hit lower than .309 in a single match this season. Knipe has piloted the Beach to a .417 attack percentage which is good for second in the Big West and third in the nation. Individually, Knipe leads the nation with 11.31 assists per set.

Alex The Great
Freshman outside hitter Alex Nikolov had a monster collegiate debut and has not let up since. He is currently second on the squad with 3.62 kills per set, while hitting .412, and leading the team with 0.62 aces per set. In just two weeks in Black and Gold, Nikolov has been named Off the Block Freshman of the Week, Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Week, Big West Conference Freshman of the Week, and AVCA National Player of the Week.

Next Up
Long Beach State continues its homestand when the Beach host No. 10 USC on Friday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. inside the Walter Pyramid. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Matt Brown and LBSU Men's Volleyball alumni, Matt Prosser, on the call.