Eight Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball Players Earn All-Big West Accolades

Eight Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball Players Earn All-Big West Accolades

4/19/2023 2:05:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

The Beach take home four All-Big West First Team awards, three Honorable Mention selections, and one All-Freshman Team honor

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

IRVINE, Calif. – The Big West announced the 2023 Men's Volleyball All-Conference Teams on Wednesday afternoon and Long Beach State led the way with eight selections marking the most the Beach have ever had named to The Big West All-Conference awards ever. Mason Briggs, Spencer Olivier, Sotiris Siapanis, and Simon Torwie all earned First Team accolades, while Clarke Godbold, Shane Holdaway, and Aidan Knipe collected Honorable Mention status, and Connor Bloom was named to the All-Freshman Team.

Briggs is a four-time All-Big West honoree having been named to the First Team last year after having earned Honorable Mention status in 2021 and 2020. The junior libero has had an excellent season thus far as he leads The Big West in digs per set with 2.40 which ranks him fifth in the nation. The three-time AVCA All-American has led Long Beach State in digs 15 times this season with 11 double-figure dig performances. He recorded a season-high 18 digs at No. 15 CSUN on April 7 and has been an integral part of the LBSU defense that has limited their opponents to a .200 attack percentage this season, which leads The Big West and ranks seventh in the nation.

Olivier earned All-Big West First Team honors for the second time in his career after having collected Honorable Mention status in 2022 and 2020. He also earned AVCA All-America Honorable Mention status in 2021. A redshirt senior outside hitter, Olivier leads Long Beach State with a .367 attack percentage, which is good for second in The Big West and 17th in the nation. He is second on the squad with 2.82 kills per set as he comes in ninth in the conference, while his points per set (3.39) rank him 10th. This season, Olivier has led the Beach in kills six times, while reaching double-figures 11 times. He recorded a season-high 16 kills on two separate occasions, and posted a season-best .714 attack percentage (10-0-14) at George Mason on Jan. 21. He also put up a career-high eight blocks in the Beach's win over UC San Diego on April 1.

Siapanis is a sophomore outside hitter who, in his first year at Long Beach State, has garnered All-Big West First Team accolades. The Limassol, Cyprus native leads the team in kills per set (3.24) and aces per set (0.46). His kills per set average ranks him seventh in The Big West, while his aces per set are good for second in the league and 11th in the nation. He also ranks in the top 10 in the conference in digs per set (1.70) and points per set (4.03). He has recorded double-figure kills on 14 occasions and logged four double-doubles this season. Siapanis knocked down a season-high 19 kills at No. 1 Hawaii on March 17 and posted a career-best five blocks versus NJIT on Feb. 17. He etched his name into the Long Beach State annals earlier this season when he served up a career-high eight aces against Long Island on Jan. 20 to rank second in the single-match record book.

For the first time in his collegiate career, Torwie was named to the All-Big West First Team. The product out of Artà, Balearic Islands, Spain by way of Frankfurt, Germany has turned in an excellent junior season at middle blocker. Torwie leads the nation with 1.62 blocks per set, while also ranking in The Big West top 10 in aces per set with 0.28. A five-time Big West Defensive Player of the Week honoree, Torwie has led the Beach in blocks 16 times, including a career-high 10-block performance at UC San Diego on March 31. He tallied a career-high 13 kills versus No. 12 Loyola Chicago, while hitting a season-best .765 (13-0-17).

Godbold earned All-Big West Honorable Mention status after an all-around solid junior campaign. This is his third All-Big West nod after having been named to the First Team a year ago and to the All-Freshman Team in 2021. The junior opposite from San Pedro, Calif., is second on the team in hitting percentage (.302), blocks per set (1.10), and points per set (3.63), while all figures put him in the top 10 in The Big West and his blocking average ranks him sixth in the nation. Godbold is third on the Beach in kills per set (2.80) and aces per set (0.24). An AVCA National Player of the Week on Jan. 31, Godbold has led LBSU in kills seven times, while recording 20-plus kills twice, and registering a career-high 32 kills at No. 15 CSUN on April 7. Additionally, he has led the team in blocks four times, while posting a career-best eight blocks against UC Santa Barbara on March 11.

Holdaway picks up his first Big West All-Conference award as an Honorable Mention selection in his senior season. The middle blocker from Huntington Beach, Calif., has been an integral part of the Beach's success this season as he ranks third on the squad with 0.81 blocks per set. Holdaway has recorded three double-figure kill performances, while leading the Beach in blocks three times, and in kills once. He registered a career-high 14 kills at No. 15 CSUN on April 7, while hitting a season-best .722 (14-1-18). He tied his career-high in blocks twice with a seven-block showing against Lindenwood on Jan. 14, then again versus UC San Diego on April 1.

Knipe earns his first Big West All-Conference honor with an Honorable Mention selection after turning in an excellent junior season. The 6-foot-3 setter is averaging 9.61 assists per set to rank second in The Big West and 18th in the nation. With his solid passing, Long Beach State is hitting .348 on the year, which is good for second in the conference and fourth in the nation. Earlier this season, Knipe distributed a career-high 66 assists at No. 15 CSUN on April 7 on his way to becoming just the 11th Long Beach State Men's Volleyball player in program history to record 2,000 career assists. In that match, Knipe logged 10 digs to record a double-double. He also posted a season-high four blocks at No. 4 Penn State on Jan. 25.

Bloom rounds out Long Beach State's All-Big West selections as he was named to the All-Freshman Team. An outside hitter/opposite out of Huntington Beach, Calif., Bloom has been a key component to the Beach's success this season coming off the bench in 21 matches this season, mostly as a serving sub. During 54 sets played, Bloom has logged five aces, three digs, one kill, and one assist, while totaling 6.0 points. More than numbers on a stats sheet, Bloom has provided a spark off the bench in every match and has led the Beach on several serving runs, which have earned LBSU a number of important victories on their way to capturing a share of The Big West Regular Season Title.

The three individual awards – Player, Coach, and Freshman of the Year – will be announced on Tuesday, April 25.