Friday, January 12
Long Beach, Calif.
7:00 p.m.
Long Beach State University
vs
Long Island
Photo by: John Fajardo
No. 2 Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball Opens The 2024 Season Hosting Long Island and Saint Francis (Pa.)
1/11/2024 8:05:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
The Beach kick off the season against Long Island on Friday and Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid
MATCH 1: #2 LONG BEACH STATE (0-0) vs. LONG ISLAND (0-1)
Date: Friday, Jan. 12
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown & Tyler Kulakowski
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com/Tickets
MATCH 2: #2 LONG BEACH STATE (0-0) vs. SAINT FRANCIS (0-2)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 13
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com/Tickets
No. 2 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball Opens The 2024 Season Hosting Long Island and Saint Francis (Pa.)
Long Beach State kicks off the 2024 campaign with a pair of matches against NEC opponents. The No. 2 ranked Beach start the year against Long Island on Friday, January 12 at 7 p.m., before facing Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, January 13 at 7 p.m.
Catch All The Action
Long Beach State's season-opening match against Long Island will be broadcast live on ESPN+. This season, 13 of LBSU's 17 home contests will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ for $9.99 per month ($99.99 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 $14.99 per month (Hulu with ads) or $24.99 per month (Hulu without ads). Fans can also follow all Long Beach State home matches via stats at: 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 opens the 2024 season ranked second in the NVA/AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll. The Beach are coming off of a 2023 season in which they finished with a 21-5 overall record and an NCAA Final Four appearance.
• Long Island is receiving votes in the NVA/AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll. The Sharks opened the 2024 season last week and suffered a 3-0 loss at Concordia. LIU brings an 0-1 record into the match against Long Beach State.
• Saint Francis (Pa.) is also receiving votes in the NVA/AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll. The Red Flash are currently 0-2 after dropping matches at No. 5 Ohio State (3-1) and at No. 3 UC Irvine (3-0) last week to open the year.
• This season, Long Beach State will face 10 nationally ranked opponents in the regular season. In the non-conference season, the Beach will go up against No. 1 UCLA, No. 7 Penn State, No. 11 Pepperdine, No. 15 Lewis, and No. 19 George Mason. Once Big West action gets underway, LBSU will face nationally-ranked opponents No. 3 UC Irvine, No. 4 Hawaii, No. 14 UC Santa Barbara, No. 17 UC San Diego, and No. 18 CSUN.
• The Big West is one of the most competitive Division I Men's Volleyball conferences as all six Big West schools are nationally ranked, with three of them sitting in the Top 5.
About The Beach
• No. 2 Long Beach State opens the 2024 campaign looking to build on a successful 2023 season that saw the Beach finish the year ranked fourth nationally with a 21-5 overall record, as they advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
• In 2023 Big West action, the Beach posted a 9-1 league record and won a share of The Big West Regular Season Title.
• In the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll, Long Beach State was chosen to win the conference. The Beach garnered 23 points and three first-place votes to finish two points ahead of second-place Hawaii and four points ahead of third-place UC Irvine.
• In addition to being the preseason favorite, the Beach also led the way with three players on the Preseason Coaches' Team in senior libero Mason Briggs, redshirt senior setter Aidan Knipe, and junior outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis.
• Briggs and Siapanis were also joined by senior middle blocker Simon Torwie and senior opposite Clarke Godbold as Off the Block Preseason All-Americans.
• The Beach return a veteran squad from a year ago with 15 returning letterwinners and four returning starters, plus Briggs at libero.
• The five returning starters in Briggs, Knipe, Siapanis, Godbold, and Torwie were all named AVCA All-Americans last season as they look to continue to hone their craft on the court in 2024.
• In addition to returning a solid core group, the Beach also stacked their roster with nine newcomers highlighted by freshman middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov. The 6-foot-6 Bouchkov is a six-time Junior National Champion, and a five-time Balkan Champion with the Bulgarian National Team.
• Last season, LBSU Head Coach Alan Knipe became the winningest coach in Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program history. Knipe has now amassed 392 victories over his 21-year career at the helm boasting a .704 winning percentage as he is just eight wins shy of his 400th career victory.
Scouting Long Island
• Long Island comes into the match against Long Beach State with an 0-1 overall record after the Sharks dropped a 3-0 decision at Concordia on Tuesday night in their season opener.
• The Sharks are looking for their first win of the 2024 campaign as they have started the year on the road.
• In their first match of the year, LIU struggled as it hit .057, while averaging 7.00 kills per set, 6.67 assists per set, 1.67 aces per set, 8.33 digs per set, and 2.33 blocks per set.
• A member of the Northeast Conference (NEC), Long Island was chosen to win the league title.
• In 2023, the Sharks finished the year with a 19-11 overall record and a 10-4 conference clip as they won the inaugural NEC Championship.
• Returning to the court for LIU are Gio Collazo and Kasey Clouet.
• Collazo was the team's MVP last season as he finished the year with 170 digs, 48 kills, and 20 aces.
• Clouet is a 6-foot-6 middle blocker who led the NEC and ranked in the Top 10 nationally with 1.05 blocks per set. He also added 64 kills and 41 digs.
• Joining the Sharks this season is transfer Jack Sarnowski. He is a setter from King where he amassed 2,163 career assists to go along with 286 digs, 79 kills, and 111 blocks over his four seasons in Briston, Tenn.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Sharks
Long Beach State and Long Island will face each other for just the third time in program history. Overall, the Beach leads the all-time series 2-0. Last season, LBSU swept LIU in Fairfax, Va., at the George Mason Tournament on January 20, 2023.
Scouting Saint Francis (Pa.)
• Saint Francis (Pa.) comes into the week with an 0-2 overall record after having dropped road matches to No. 5 Ohio State (3-1) and No. 3 UC Irvine (3-0).
• The Red Flash are looking to secure their first victory of the 2024 season on their west coast road trip in which they face UC Irvine and Long Beach State.
• SFU is coming off of a successful 2023 campaign in which the Red Flash won the regular season NEC Title with a 12-2 conference record after going 16-12 overall.
• The Red Flash return 16 players from a year ago, while also welcoming nine newcomers to the mix.
• Key returners for the Red Flash are Ryan Parker and Andrew Deardoff who were each named to the All-NEC First Team last season.
• Parker is the squad's setter as he led the way with 760 assists to go along with a team-best 36 aces in 2023. This season, he is averaging 9.00 assists per set.
• Deardorff was the Red Flash's second-leading scorer with 223 kills last year. This season, he has picked up right where he left off averaging 4.17 kills per set on a .321 attack percentage.
• After two matches, SFU is averaging 12.00 kills per set on a .309 attack percentage, to go along with 11.00 assists per set, 0.71 aces per set, 6.57 digs per set, and 1.43 blocks per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Red Flash
Long Beach State and Saint Francis (Pa.) will face each other for the sixth time in program history. In the all-time series, the Beach leads the series 5-0. In their most recent contest, LBSU earned a 3-0 sweep [25-12, 25-21, 25-14] over the Red Flash back on March 9, 2019 in Long Beach, Calif.
Long Beach In Season Openers
Long Beach State has seen success in its season openers over the last 40 years. Since 1983, the Beach are 35-6 in season openers and 36-5 in home openers. This is the first time in program history, Long Beach State will open its season against Long Island. When opening the season at home, Long Beach State boasts a perfect 10-0 record.
Numbers to Watch
Heading into the 2024 season, Mason Briggs and Aidan Knipe are both closing in on some career marks. Briggs, comes into the year with 689 career digs under his belt which ranks him in the Top 10 at Long Beach State. He is just 19 digs shy of tying Long Beach Legend Brett Winslow for ninth in the all-time record book. Aidan Knipe, meanwhile, has racked up 2,205 career assists to sit in 11th place all-time at the Beach. He is 56 assists away from breaking into the Top 10 and tying LBSU alum Mark Ekins.
Closing In On 400
In his 21st year at the helm of the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program, Head Coach Alan Knipe is closing in on his 400th career victory. Last season, Knipe became the program's all-time winningest coach, and this year he comes into the season just eight wins shy of the milestone win.
Growing The Game
As the sport of boy's and men's volleyball continues to grow nation wide, the National Collegiate level has expanded adding the Northeast Conference (NEC) and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). In order to continue to grow the game, Long Beach State is playing four matches against NEC and SIAC members this season. The Beach open the year against NEC members Long Island and Saint Francis (Pa.), and also host a mid-season tournament which will feature SIAC members Central State and Edward Waters.
Expanding The Tournament
As the game grows, so does the NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament. This season, the tournament will feature eight teams in the field instead of seven. The expanded NCAA Tournament field is due to the SIAC being awarded an automatic bid. The SIAC will now join The Big West, Conference Carolinas, EIVA, MIVA, and MPSF as automatic bid conferences. With the expansion, there will now be NCAA Quarterfinal matches on Tuesday, April 30, before the NCAA Semifinals on Thursday, May 2. The NCAA Championship match will take place on Saturday, May 4. All NCAA Tournament match will be played at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.
Hotshots
VolleyballMag announced a list of the nation's top up-and-coming volleyball coaches across NCAA Division I women's, NCAA Division I-II men, and NCAA Collegiate beach programs. Long Beach State boasted three on the list in women's head volleyball coach Tyler Hildebrand, along with men's volleyball's associate head coach Nick MacRae and assistant coach McKay Smith.
VolleyballMag compiled the list of veterans who are taking their game to the next level to newcomers getting their feet wet from nominations by sports information directors.
Hildebrand earned the nod to the impressive group after taking the reins of the Long Beach State Women's Volleyball program and leading the team to The Big West Championship match in 2023. In just two years at the helm of the Beach, Hildebrand has totaled 40 wins and owns a winning percentage of .678. He was also instrumental in leading LBSU to its first 20-plus win season since 2016.
MacRae is the associate head coach of the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team and has been a part of the program for the last 10 years. In that time, MacRae has helped guide the Beach to 224 victories and a .780 winning percentage. If that weren't enough, he has been a key component to Long Beach State's six NCAA Semifinalist appearances in the last seven seasons, while also helping the Beach capture back-to-back National Championships in 2018 and 2019.
Smith has been an assistant coach for the Beach Men's Volleyball team for the last five years. In that span has helped Long Beach State win two National Championships in 2018 and 2019. Additionally, he has been an integral part of helping the Beach advance to four NCAA Semifinals. During Smith's time as an assistant coach at LBSU, he has coached 28 All-Americans, including National Players of the Year Josh Tuaniga (2018), TJ DeFalco (2019), and Alex Nikolov (2022).
Preseason Tune-Up
The Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team closed the year 2023 win a pair of exhibition victories over Alberta on Sunday at the Walter Pyramid. The Beach welcomed the Golden Bears from the Great White North and won the morning match, 4-0, before taking the afternoon contest, 3-0.
The two matches served as a tune up for the 2024 season for the Beach, which begins on Friday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid against Long Island. Meanwhile, the Golden Bears took a break from their regular season action to face the Beach in a southern California trip in which they will take on Pepperdine on Tuesday, Jan. 2. On the year, Alberta is 17-6, while owning a 9-3 record in Canada West action.
Long Beach State played almost its entire 31-man roster over the two contests, and did a solid job cruising to a pair of straight-set wins over one of the top Canadian teams in the country. The Beach played mostly reserves in the opening match, defeating the Golden Bears by set scores of 26-24, 25-21, 28-26, 25-18. In the second contest of the day, LBSU went with their starting core and came away with dominating first (25-12) and second set (25-15) wins, before taking the third set, 25-22, to complete the sweep.
Next Up
Long Beach State will hit the road for the first time this season as the Beach travel East to take on Merrimack, George Mason, and NJIT. LBSU will face Merrimack in North Andover, Mass., on Wednesday, January 17 at 2 p.m. (PST). Following that match, the Beach will head to Newark, N.J., to take part in the NJIT Tournament. Long Beach will open the tournament against George Mason on Friday, Jan. 19 at 1:30 p.m. (PST), before facing the hosts on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 4:30 p.m. (PST).
Date: Friday, Jan. 12
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown & Tyler Kulakowski
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com/Tickets
MATCH 2: #2 LONG BEACH STATE (0-0) vs. SAINT FRANCIS (0-2)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 13
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com/Tickets
No. 2 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball Opens The 2024 Season Hosting Long Island and Saint Francis (Pa.)
Long Beach State kicks off the 2024 campaign with a pair of matches against NEC opponents. The No. 2 ranked Beach start the year against Long Island on Friday, January 12 at 7 p.m., before facing Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, January 13 at 7 p.m.
Catch All The Action
Long Beach State's season-opening match against Long Island will be broadcast live on ESPN+. This season, 13 of LBSU's 17 home contests will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ for $9.99 per month ($99.99 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 $14.99 per month (Hulu with ads) or $24.99 per month (Hulu without ads). Fans can also follow all Long Beach State home matches via stats at: 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 opens the 2024 season ranked second in the NVA/AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll. The Beach are coming off of a 2023 season in which they finished with a 21-5 overall record and an NCAA Final Four appearance.
• Long Island is receiving votes in the NVA/AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll. The Sharks opened the 2024 season last week and suffered a 3-0 loss at Concordia. LIU brings an 0-1 record into the match against Long Beach State.
• Saint Francis (Pa.) is also receiving votes in the NVA/AVCA Division I-II Coaches Poll. The Red Flash are currently 0-2 after dropping matches at No. 5 Ohio State (3-1) and at No. 3 UC Irvine (3-0) last week to open the year.
• This season, Long Beach State will face 10 nationally ranked opponents in the regular season. In the non-conference season, the Beach will go up against No. 1 UCLA, No. 7 Penn State, No. 11 Pepperdine, No. 15 Lewis, and No. 19 George Mason. Once Big West action gets underway, LBSU will face nationally-ranked opponents No. 3 UC Irvine, No. 4 Hawaii, No. 14 UC Santa Barbara, No. 17 UC San Diego, and No. 18 CSUN.
• The Big West is one of the most competitive Division I Men's Volleyball conferences as all six Big West schools are nationally ranked, with three of them sitting in the Top 5.
About The Beach
• No. 2 Long Beach State opens the 2024 campaign looking to build on a successful 2023 season that saw the Beach finish the year ranked fourth nationally with a 21-5 overall record, as they advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
• In 2023 Big West action, the Beach posted a 9-1 league record and won a share of The Big West Regular Season Title.
• In the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll, Long Beach State was chosen to win the conference. The Beach garnered 23 points and three first-place votes to finish two points ahead of second-place Hawaii and four points ahead of third-place UC Irvine.
• In addition to being the preseason favorite, the Beach also led the way with three players on the Preseason Coaches' Team in senior libero Mason Briggs, redshirt senior setter Aidan Knipe, and junior outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis.
• Briggs and Siapanis were also joined by senior middle blocker Simon Torwie and senior opposite Clarke Godbold as Off the Block Preseason All-Americans.
• The Beach return a veteran squad from a year ago with 15 returning letterwinners and four returning starters, plus Briggs at libero.
• The five returning starters in Briggs, Knipe, Siapanis, Godbold, and Torwie were all named AVCA All-Americans last season as they look to continue to hone their craft on the court in 2024.
• In addition to returning a solid core group, the Beach also stacked their roster with nine newcomers highlighted by freshman middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov. The 6-foot-6 Bouchkov is a six-time Junior National Champion, and a five-time Balkan Champion with the Bulgarian National Team.
• Last season, LBSU Head Coach Alan Knipe became the winningest coach in Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program history. Knipe has now amassed 392 victories over his 21-year career at the helm boasting a .704 winning percentage as he is just eight wins shy of his 400th career victory.
Scouting Long Island
• Long Island comes into the match against Long Beach State with an 0-1 overall record after the Sharks dropped a 3-0 decision at Concordia on Tuesday night in their season opener.
• The Sharks are looking for their first win of the 2024 campaign as they have started the year on the road.
• In their first match of the year, LIU struggled as it hit .057, while averaging 7.00 kills per set, 6.67 assists per set, 1.67 aces per set, 8.33 digs per set, and 2.33 blocks per set.
• A member of the Northeast Conference (NEC), Long Island was chosen to win the league title.
• In 2023, the Sharks finished the year with a 19-11 overall record and a 10-4 conference clip as they won the inaugural NEC Championship.
• Returning to the court for LIU are Gio Collazo and Kasey Clouet.
• Collazo was the team's MVP last season as he finished the year with 170 digs, 48 kills, and 20 aces.
• Clouet is a 6-foot-6 middle blocker who led the NEC and ranked in the Top 10 nationally with 1.05 blocks per set. He also added 64 kills and 41 digs.
• Joining the Sharks this season is transfer Jack Sarnowski. He is a setter from King where he amassed 2,163 career assists to go along with 286 digs, 79 kills, and 111 blocks over his four seasons in Briston, Tenn.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Sharks
Long Beach State and Long Island will face each other for just the third time in program history. Overall, the Beach leads the all-time series 2-0. Last season, LBSU swept LIU in Fairfax, Va., at the George Mason Tournament on January 20, 2023.
Scouting Saint Francis (Pa.)
• Saint Francis (Pa.) comes into the week with an 0-2 overall record after having dropped road matches to No. 5 Ohio State (3-1) and No. 3 UC Irvine (3-0).
• The Red Flash are looking to secure their first victory of the 2024 season on their west coast road trip in which they face UC Irvine and Long Beach State.
• SFU is coming off of a successful 2023 campaign in which the Red Flash won the regular season NEC Title with a 12-2 conference record after going 16-12 overall.
• The Red Flash return 16 players from a year ago, while also welcoming nine newcomers to the mix.
• Key returners for the Red Flash are Ryan Parker and Andrew Deardoff who were each named to the All-NEC First Team last season.
• Parker is the squad's setter as he led the way with 760 assists to go along with a team-best 36 aces in 2023. This season, he is averaging 9.00 assists per set.
• Deardorff was the Red Flash's second-leading scorer with 223 kills last year. This season, he has picked up right where he left off averaging 4.17 kills per set on a .321 attack percentage.
• After two matches, SFU is averaging 12.00 kills per set on a .309 attack percentage, to go along with 11.00 assists per set, 0.71 aces per set, 6.57 digs per set, and 1.43 blocks per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Red Flash
Long Beach State and Saint Francis (Pa.) will face each other for the sixth time in program history. In the all-time series, the Beach leads the series 5-0. In their most recent contest, LBSU earned a 3-0 sweep [25-12, 25-21, 25-14] over the Red Flash back on March 9, 2019 in Long Beach, Calif.
Long Beach In Season Openers
Long Beach State has seen success in its season openers over the last 40 years. Since 1983, the Beach are 35-6 in season openers and 36-5 in home openers. This is the first time in program history, Long Beach State will open its season against Long Island. When opening the season at home, Long Beach State boasts a perfect 10-0 record.
Numbers to Watch
Heading into the 2024 season, Mason Briggs and Aidan Knipe are both closing in on some career marks. Briggs, comes into the year with 689 career digs under his belt which ranks him in the Top 10 at Long Beach State. He is just 19 digs shy of tying Long Beach Legend Brett Winslow for ninth in the all-time record book. Aidan Knipe, meanwhile, has racked up 2,205 career assists to sit in 11th place all-time at the Beach. He is 56 assists away from breaking into the Top 10 and tying LBSU alum Mark Ekins.
Closing In On 400
In his 21st year at the helm of the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program, Head Coach Alan Knipe is closing in on his 400th career victory. Last season, Knipe became the program's all-time winningest coach, and this year he comes into the season just eight wins shy of the milestone win.
Growing The Game
As the sport of boy's and men's volleyball continues to grow nation wide, the National Collegiate level has expanded adding the Northeast Conference (NEC) and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). In order to continue to grow the game, Long Beach State is playing four matches against NEC and SIAC members this season. The Beach open the year against NEC members Long Island and Saint Francis (Pa.), and also host a mid-season tournament which will feature SIAC members Central State and Edward Waters.
Expanding The Tournament
As the game grows, so does the NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament. This season, the tournament will feature eight teams in the field instead of seven. The expanded NCAA Tournament field is due to the SIAC being awarded an automatic bid. The SIAC will now join The Big West, Conference Carolinas, EIVA, MIVA, and MPSF as automatic bid conferences. With the expansion, there will now be NCAA Quarterfinal matches on Tuesday, April 30, before the NCAA Semifinals on Thursday, May 2. The NCAA Championship match will take place on Saturday, May 4. All NCAA Tournament match will be played at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.
Hotshots
VolleyballMag announced a list of the nation's top up-and-coming volleyball coaches across NCAA Division I women's, NCAA Division I-II men, and NCAA Collegiate beach programs. Long Beach State boasted three on the list in women's head volleyball coach Tyler Hildebrand, along with men's volleyball's associate head coach Nick MacRae and assistant coach McKay Smith.
VolleyballMag compiled the list of veterans who are taking their game to the next level to newcomers getting their feet wet from nominations by sports information directors.
Hildebrand earned the nod to the impressive group after taking the reins of the Long Beach State Women's Volleyball program and leading the team to The Big West Championship match in 2023. In just two years at the helm of the Beach, Hildebrand has totaled 40 wins and owns a winning percentage of .678. He was also instrumental in leading LBSU to its first 20-plus win season since 2016.
MacRae is the associate head coach of the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team and has been a part of the program for the last 10 years. In that time, MacRae has helped guide the Beach to 224 victories and a .780 winning percentage. If that weren't enough, he has been a key component to Long Beach State's six NCAA Semifinalist appearances in the last seven seasons, while also helping the Beach capture back-to-back National Championships in 2018 and 2019.
Smith has been an assistant coach for the Beach Men's Volleyball team for the last five years. In that span has helped Long Beach State win two National Championships in 2018 and 2019. Additionally, he has been an integral part of helping the Beach advance to four NCAA Semifinals. During Smith's time as an assistant coach at LBSU, he has coached 28 All-Americans, including National Players of the Year Josh Tuaniga (2018), TJ DeFalco (2019), and Alex Nikolov (2022).
Preseason Tune-Up
The Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team closed the year 2023 win a pair of exhibition victories over Alberta on Sunday at the Walter Pyramid. The Beach welcomed the Golden Bears from the Great White North and won the morning match, 4-0, before taking the afternoon contest, 3-0.
The two matches served as a tune up for the 2024 season for the Beach, which begins on Friday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid against Long Island. Meanwhile, the Golden Bears took a break from their regular season action to face the Beach in a southern California trip in which they will take on Pepperdine on Tuesday, Jan. 2. On the year, Alberta is 17-6, while owning a 9-3 record in Canada West action.
Long Beach State played almost its entire 31-man roster over the two contests, and did a solid job cruising to a pair of straight-set wins over one of the top Canadian teams in the country. The Beach played mostly reserves in the opening match, defeating the Golden Bears by set scores of 26-24, 25-21, 28-26, 25-18. In the second contest of the day, LBSU went with their starting core and came away with dominating first (25-12) and second set (25-15) wins, before taking the third set, 25-22, to complete the sweep.
Next Up
Long Beach State will hit the road for the first time this season as the Beach travel East to take on Merrimack, George Mason, and NJIT. LBSU will face Merrimack in North Andover, Mass., on Wednesday, January 17 at 2 p.m. (PST). Following that match, the Beach will head to Newark, N.J., to take part in the NJIT Tournament. Long Beach will open the tournament against George Mason on Friday, Jan. 19 at 1:30 p.m. (PST), before facing the hosts on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 4:30 p.m. (PST).
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Men's Volleyball
L
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
OPP
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