Long Beach Has Six Players Named to the Men’s Volleyball Nations League Roster

Mason Briggs, Alex Nikolov, Spencer Olivier, TJ DeFalco, Kyle Ensing, Josh Tuaniga

Long Beach Has Six Players Named to the Men’s Volleyball Nations League Roster

5/13/2022 10:15:00 AM | Men's Volleyball

The Beach have five players named to the U.S.A roster, and one named to the Bulgarian roster

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

2022 USA VNL Roster | 2022 Bulgaria VNL Roster

LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Volleyball Nations League (VNL) announced the 2022 rosters for competition this summer and Long Beach State had half a dozen players selected. Current LBSU men's volleyball players Mason Briggs and Spencer Olivier will join alums TJ DeFalco, Kyle Ensing, and Josh Tuaniga on the U.S.A. roster, while Alex Nikolov was named to the Bulgarian National Team.

The VNL enters its fourth edition as the top athletes in the sport will compete May 31 to July 24. The Finals will take place in Bologna, Italy from July 20-24.

Briggs made the roster after an impressive sophomore campaign at Long Beach State in which he was named an NVA/AVCA Frist Team All-American and All-Big West First Team selection. He also earned two of Off the Block's national awards as he took home the Erik Shoji Award for the nation's top libero and the Steve Shondell award for the nation's top passer. Briggs paced the LBSU defense with 2.51 digs per set, which led the Big West and ranked him in the Top 5 in the country. He also led the Beach in digs 19 times and logged 12 double-digit dig performances. He also boasts a 95.8-percent successful pass rating after having collected more than 500 receptions.

Olivier earned a spot on the 25-man U.S.A. roster after a successful junior season at LBSU where he was an NVA/AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection, and named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. The 6-foot-6 outside hitter finished the year as Long Beach State's second leading scorer as he averaged 3.25 kills per set to rank in the Top 10 in the Big West. He hit .328 on the year which was good for ninth in the conference and 28th in the country. Olivier led the Beach in kills four times, while recording 18 double-digit kill performances, and one 20-plus kill showing. He recorded three double-doubles, including one in the National Championship match (11 kills, 10 digs).

Nikolov, the first-ever AVCA National Player of the Year, finished his rookie season with a slew of awards and honors under his belt. The NVA/AVCA First Team All-American made history becoming the first player in AVCA history to win the National Player of the Year as a freshman, while also picking up AVCA National Freshman of the Year accolades. Additionally, Nikolov was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team, the Big West All-First Team, and Big West Freshman of the Year, while also garnering three Off the Block national awards in the Karch Kiraly Award for the nation's top outside hitter, the Nicolas Szerszen Award for best international player, and the National Server of the Year award. The Sofia, Bulgaria native concluded his freshman season with 0.58 aces per set to rank second in the nation, while registering 4.63 kills per set to lead the Big West and rank third in the NCAA. He also owns a .386 attack percentage which ranked him second in the league and 16th in the country.

Briggs and Olivier join former Long Beach State standouts TJ DeFalco, Kyle Ensing, and Josh Tuaniga on the U.S.A roster. The trio concluded their collegiate careers in 2019 as one of the most decorated classes in Long Beach State Men's Volleyball history as they led the Beach to a 108-15 (.878) record over four years, two NCAA National Championships, four-straight NCAA Final Four appearances, and a perfect 43-0 record inside the Walter Pyramid. Individually, DeFalco, Ensing, and Tuaniga were equally impressive.

DeFalco was a two-time AVCA National Player of the Year and four-time AVCA First Team All-American, who finished his LBSU career as the program's all-time service aces leader (183) and is ranked fifth all-time with 1,661 career kills.

Ensing was the 2019 Big West Conference Player of the Year and two-time AVCA First Team All-American. He concluded his career at Long Beach State with 1,421 career kills to rank 10th all-time at the Beach.

Tuaniga was the 2018 AVCA National Player of the Year and a three-time AVCA First Team All-American. He was named NCAA Tournament MVP in 2018, and finished his career at the Beach with 4,607 career assists to rank fourth all-time in program history.