Four LBSU Men’s Volleyball Players Named 2024 Off The Block Preseason All-Americans
12/28/2023 12:05:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
Mason Briggs and Simon Torwie claim First Team honors, while Clarke Godbold and Sotiris Siapanis earn Second Team accolades
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Off the Block announced the 2024 Preseason All-American Team of 25 players, which were selected by a nationwide voting committee, and Long Beach State had four players on the squad. Mason Briggs and Simon Torwie were named to the First Team, while Clarke Godbold and Sotiris Siapanis earned Second Team honors.
Mason Briggs is a three-time AVCA All-American and was just named to The Big West Preseason Coaches' Team last week. The senior libero is coming off of an excellent junior campaign in which he led The Big West and ranked fifth in the nation with 2.38 digs per set. He led the Beach in digs 17 times and recorded double-figure digs 12 times in a season that culminated in him garnering All-Big West First Team honors and taking home the 2023 Off the Block Erik Shoji Award for the nation's top libero.
Simon Torwie was also named to the Off the Block Preseason First Team after an impressive junior season in which he led the nation with 1.60 blocks per set. The 6-foot-10 middle blocker was named to the 2023 AVCA All-America Second Team and Big West All-First Team after winning conference Defensive Player of the Week honors five times. He recorded a career-high 10 blocks at UC San Diego on March 31, and posted a career-best 13 kills on a .765 (13-0-17) hitting percentage against then-No. 12 Loyola Chicago on Feb. 3. He finished the season leading the Beach in blocks 19 times.
Clarke Godbold took home Off the Block Preseason Second Team honors to start his senior year. The product out of San Pedro, Calif., comes into the year after being named 2023 AVCA Second Team All-American and Big West Honorable Mention selection. He finished his junior year second on the squad with 1.09 blocks per set to rank third in The Big West and eighth in the nation. He also hit .287 on the year to come in second on the team and eighth in the league. Meanwhile, his 2.78 kills per set average was good for third on the Beach and 10th in The Big West. Godbold recorded a career-high 32 kills at then-No. 15 CSUN on April 7, becoming the first LBSU player since 2010 to record 30 kills in a single match.
Rounding out Long Beach State's Off the Block Preseason All-Americans is junior outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis. The Limassol, Cyprus native is coming off of a year in which he earned First Team All-Big West accolades and AVCA Second Team All-American honors in his first year at the Beach. In his sophomore campaign, Siapanis led the Beach in kills (3.21) and points per set (3.92), while ranking seventh in the conference in both categories. He also finished in the Top 10 in the league in aces per set (0.41), digs per set (1.64), and hitting percentage (.265).
The annual preseason All-American Teams recognize the players projected to be the best in the nation during the upcoming NCAA Division I-II Men's Volleyball season.
Player 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 about 20 NCAA Division I-II head coaches and men's volleyball media members around the nation.
The 12 players receiving the most votes were named Preseason First Team All-Americans, while the next top 12 vote-getters were selected as Preseason Second Team All-Americans. An additional player made the second team as a result of a tie in the voting.
Long Beach State will kick off the 2024 season with a pair of exhibition matches on Sunday, Dec. 31 against Alberta at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.
The season will officially begin on Friday, Jan. 12 when LBSU hosts Long Island at 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Mason Briggs is a three-time AVCA All-American and was just named to The Big West Preseason Coaches' Team last week. The senior libero is coming off of an excellent junior campaign in which he led The Big West and ranked fifth in the nation with 2.38 digs per set. He led the Beach in digs 17 times and recorded double-figure digs 12 times in a season that culminated in him garnering All-Big West First Team honors and taking home the 2023 Off the Block Erik Shoji Award for the nation's top libero.
Simon Torwie was also named to the Off the Block Preseason First Team after an impressive junior season in which he led the nation with 1.60 blocks per set. The 6-foot-10 middle blocker was named to the 2023 AVCA All-America Second Team and Big West All-First Team after winning conference Defensive Player of the Week honors five times. He recorded a career-high 10 blocks at UC San Diego on March 31, and posted a career-best 13 kills on a .765 (13-0-17) hitting percentage against then-No. 12 Loyola Chicago on Feb. 3. He finished the season leading the Beach in blocks 19 times.
Clarke Godbold took home Off the Block Preseason Second Team honors to start his senior year. The product out of San Pedro, Calif., comes into the year after being named 2023 AVCA Second Team All-American and Big West Honorable Mention selection. He finished his junior year second on the squad with 1.09 blocks per set to rank third in The Big West and eighth in the nation. He also hit .287 on the year to come in second on the team and eighth in the league. Meanwhile, his 2.78 kills per set average was good for third on the Beach and 10th in The Big West. Godbold recorded a career-high 32 kills at then-No. 15 CSUN on April 7, becoming the first LBSU player since 2010 to record 30 kills in a single match.
Rounding out Long Beach State's Off the Block Preseason All-Americans is junior outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis. The Limassol, Cyprus native is coming off of a year in which he earned First Team All-Big West accolades and AVCA Second Team All-American honors in his first year at the Beach. In his sophomore campaign, Siapanis led the Beach in kills (3.21) and points per set (3.92), while ranking seventh in the conference in both categories. He also finished in the Top 10 in the league in aces per set (0.41), digs per set (1.64), and hitting percentage (.265).
The annual preseason All-American Teams recognize the players projected to be the best in the nation during the upcoming NCAA Division I-II Men's Volleyball season.
Player 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 about 20 NCAA Division I-II head coaches and men's volleyball media members around the nation.
The 12 players receiving the most votes were named Preseason First Team All-Americans, while the next top 12 vote-getters were selected as Preseason Second Team All-Americans. An additional player made the second team as a result of a tie in the voting.
Long Beach State will kick off the 2024 season with a pair of exhibition matches on Sunday, Dec. 31 against Alberta at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.
The season will officially begin on Friday, Jan. 12 when LBSU hosts Long Island at 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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