Top-Ranked Long Beach Hosts No. 15 Lewis On Friday At The Walter Pyramid

Friday, February 23

Long Beach, Calif.

7:00 p.m.

Long Beach State University

Lewis

Top-Ranked Long Beach Hosts No. 15 Lewis On Friday At The Walter Pyramid

2/22/2024 4:14:00 PM | Men's Volleyball

LBSU Match Notes

Another Top 15 match up will be taking place in the Walter Pyramid on Friday, Feb. 23 as No. 1 LBSU hosts No. 15 Lewis

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

#1 LONG BEACH STATE (12-1) vs. #15 LEWIS (8-6)
Date: Friday, February 23
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown & Kyle Friend
Radio: 22 West
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com/Tickets

Top-Ranked Long Beach Hosts No. 15 Lewis On Friday At The Walter Pyramid
The Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team will be back in action on Friday, February 23 in another Top 15 matchup. The top-ranked Beach will host No. 15 Lewis at the Walter Pyramid. First serve is set for 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Matt Brown and Kyle Friend will be on the call.

Catch All The Action
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 the action via 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 moved into No. 1 in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll on January 29 and has held the top spot ever since. This week, Beach garnered 14 first-place votes for a total of 446 points. This season, the LBSU has earned wins over three separate nationally ranked teams in No. 17 George Mason (3-1), No. 10 Pepperdine (3-0), and No. 4 UCLA (3-1).
• Lewis comes into the week with a No. 15 ranking in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll. The Flyers dropped two spots after going 1-2 last week with losses to Loyola Chicago and Lindenwood, and a win at Quincy.
• This season, Long Beach State will face 10 nationally ranked opponents in the regular season. In the non-conference season, the Beach face No. 4 UCLA, No. 9 Penn State, No. 11 Pepperdine, No. 15 Lewis, and No. 17 George Mason. Once Big West action gets underway, LBSU will face nationally-ranked opponents No. 3 Hawaii, No. 5 UC Irvine, No. 16 CSUN, No. 18 UC Santa Barbara, and No. 20 UC San Diego.
• 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 10.

About The Beach
• No. 1 Long Beach State opened the 2024 season on a 10-match winning streak and has won 12 of its last 13 matches. Overall, LBSU is 12-1 on the year thus far.
• Last week, the Beach earned a pair of sweeps last week over Central State and Edward Waters.
• 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.
• Godbold has been incredible to start his senior campaign this season. The 6-foot-5 outside hitter ranks eighth in the nation in attack percentage (.395), while also coming in eighth, nationally, in kills per set (3.90). He is fifth in the country in points per set (4.82) and third in blocks per set (1.37).
• Knipe has been masterful this season leading the Long Beach State offense to a .369 attack percentage which is good for second in the nation. Knipe has recorded 9.74 assists per set this season, a mark that ranks him 12th in the country. He has guided the Beach to a .300 or higher attack percentage in 8-of-11 matches in which he has played thus far.
• Briggs anchors the defense with 2.27 digs per set which leads The Big West and ranks him 10th in the country. With Briggs' stout defense, the Beach has held their opponents to a .126 attack percentage, a mark that leads The Big West and ranks the squad fourth in the nation.
• Siapanis has been solid for the Beach this season as he ranks 18th nationally with a .355 attack percentage. Meanwhile, he is second on the team with 3.06 kills per set which is good for ninth in The Big West.
• In addition to returning a solid core group, the Beach also stacked their roster with nine newcomers highlighted by freshmen Lazar Bouchkov, Sebastiano Sani, and Daniil Hershtynovich, along with sophomore transfer Ben Braun.
• The 6-foot-6 Bouchkov is a six-time Junior National Champion, and a five-time Balkan Champion with the Bulgarian National Team. He is currently leading the nation in blocks per set with 1.69 as he has been unstoppable at the net for the Beach this season.
• Sani is a 6-foot-8 outside hitter who was selected to the U19 USA National Team and helped his squad to an eighth place finish at Nationals. Sani has seen action in seven matches for the Beach this season and made two starts. He recorded a season-high 10-kill performance, while hitting .375, and adding three aces and two blocks against Edward Waters on Feb. 17.
• Hershtynovich is a 6-foot-9 opposite from Toronto, Canada who played for the U19 and U21 National Team. He led his team to third place at Canadian Club Nationals and helped his squad to a third place showing at the U21 PanAm Cup. Hershtynovich has played in seven matches this season and made three starts at opposite. He is averaging 2.00 kills per set on a .442 (26-7-43) clip on the year. He also adds 0.62 blocks per set and 0.31 aces per set.
• Braun is a 6-foot-11 middle blocker to came to Long Beach State from Ohio State. Prior to his time with the Buckeyes, Braun was named to the Fab 50 by Volleyball Magazine in 2021. He was also named to the High Performance Team in 2020 for Men's Junior A1NTTP. Braun has come off the bench in four matches for LBSU this season and has earned one start. This year, he is averaging 1.43 blocks per set, 0.43 kills per set, and 0.29 aces per set.
• Last season, LBSU Head Coach Alan Knipe became the winningest coach in Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program history. Just last week, Knipe recorded his 400th career victory with a 3-0 sweep of King. During his 21-year head coaching career, Knipe boasts a .709 winning percentage.

Scouting Lewis
• No. 15 Lewis comes into the match against Long Beach State with an 8-6 overall record. The Flyers are 3-3 in MIVA action this season.
• The Flyers are coming off a 1-2 week in which they suffered a pair of setbacks to Loyola Chicago (3-0) and Lindenwood (3-1), before defeating Quincy (3-0) on the road.
• Max Roquet leads the Flyers in scoring as he averages 3.37 kills per set on a .311 attack percentage. He also leads the squad with 0.76 blocks per set, while adding 1.76 digs per set, and 10 aces.
• At setter, Tyler Morgan has led the team to a .305 team attack percentage as he has distributed 9.80 assists per set. Morgan also chips in 1.36 digs per set, 0.52 kills per set, and 0.48, while hitting .444.
• In the backrow, Nico Paula has logged 2.41 digs per set to lead Lewis.
• Joining Roquet at the net, is Michael Sack who averages 0.72 blocks per set.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Flyers
Long Beach State and Lewis will meet for the ninth time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 6-2 and have won the last three meetings against the Flyers. Lewis is looking for their first win over Long Beach State since 2012 when they earned a 3-1 win over LBSU in Long Beach, Calif. In their last meeting, the Beach downed the Flyers, 3-1, in Romeoville, Calif., on Jan. 21, 2022. When playing each other in Long Beach, Calif., the Beach lead the series, 4-2.

Numbers to Watch
Mason Briggs and Aidan Knipe are both closing in on some career marks. Briggs has accumulated 789 career digs as he jumped into seventh place all time at Long Beach State. Briggs is now ahead of Long Beach Legend TJ DeFalco who finished his illustrious collegiate career with 773 career digs. Briggs is just nine digs away from tying another LB Legend Jason Stimpfig with 798.

Aidan Knipe, meanwhile, has racked up 2,546 career assists as he sits ninth all-time at the Beach. He is now in the elite company of fellow Long Beach Legends Tyler Hildebrand (6,651 career assists), Josh Tuaniga (4, 607 career assists), and Conor Eaton (2,620 career assists) who rank first, fourth, and eighth, respectively.

Milestone Moment
In his 21st year at the helm of the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program, Head Coach Alan Knipe recorded his 400th career victory on February 2 with a 3-0 sweep of King. Last season, Knipe became the program's all-time winningest coach, and this year he surpassed the 400-career win milestone, and owns a .709 winning percentage. In his time leading the Beach, Knipe has coached six National Players of the Year, and led the program to 11 NCAA Championship appearances, including two National Titles. Knipe has coached 70 All-America selections and 90 All-Conference selections, while mentoring numerous players who have gone on to play professionally overseas and on the AVP circuit.

Block Party
The Beach started the 2024 season with a strong blocking defense presence at the net. Long Beach State is averaging a nation-leading 3.69 blocks per set. Individually, LBSU has four players in the Top 25 in the country in blocks per set. Freshman middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov leads the way with 1.69 blocks per set which leads the nation. Coming in behind Bouchkov are Clarke Godbold (1.37 bps), Simon Torwie (1.10 bps), and Skyler Varga (0.97 bps) who rank third, 11th, and 22nd, respectively, in the nation.

Can You Dig It?
Senior Mason Briggs has established himself as one of the nation's top liberos over the last four years. Briggs currently leads The Big West in digs per set with 2.27, a mark that is good for 10th in the nation. Briggs recorded a season-high 16-dig performance at No. 4 UCLA on February 10. He has now recorded double figure digs 38 times in his career and has led LBSU in digs on 61 occasions. With his solid defense, Briggs has helped limit opponents to a .126 attack percentage, which leads The Big West and is fourth in the country.

Helping Hands
Senior setter Aidan Knipe has done an excellent job this season piloting the Beach to a .369 attack percentage, which is good for second in both the conference and the country. Knipe has dished out 9.74 assists per set to come in fourth in the league and 12th the nation. With 341 helpers on the year, Knipe has brought his career total to 2,546 which ranks him in the Top 10 in the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball Record Book.

The Best In The (Big) West
Long Beach State has established itself as one of the top teams, statistically speaking in The Big West. The Beach lead the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.126) and blocks per set (3.69). Additionally, LBSU comes in second in the league in hitting percentage (.369) and third in service aces per set (1.86).

Individually, LBSU has two players who lead the conference as Lazar Bouchkov sets the standard in blocks per set (1.69), and Mason Briggs owns a league-leading 2.27 digs per set average.

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.

Knipe An All-Time Great Coach
USA Volleyball announced that Long Beach State's Alan Knipe will be recognized as an All-Time Great Coach at the 2024 Hall of Fame annual banquet and ceremony on May 22 at the Hilton Polaris in Columbus, Ohio where Knipe will receive the Donald S. Shondell All-Time Great Coach Award.

"It's an absolute honor to receive this award," said Knipe. "It caught me completely by surprise. It was also really meaningful, for me, to get the call from Doug Beal. He was a three-time Olympic Coach himself and the president of USA Volleyball when I was the head coach. He's had a huge impact on volleyball world-wide, and he's had a huge impact on my coaching career, probably significantly bigger than he even knows. It's a tremendous honor and I'm very humbled by the whole thing."

Knipe is in his 21st season at the helm of his alma mater and is the winningest coach in Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program history as he has accumulated 402 career victories and owns a .708 winning percentage. He has created a culture of greatness at the Beach leading Long Beach State to 11 NCAA Final Four Appearances, and has guided his program to two NCAA National Championships in 2018 and 2019.

A three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, Knipe has coached 70 All-American selections and half a dozen National Players of the Year in Tyler Hildebrand (2006), Paul Lotman (2008), Taylor Crabb (2008), TJ DeFalco (2007, 2019), Josh Tuaniga (2018), and Alex Nikolov (2022).

Knipe took a brief hiatus from the Beach when he coached the U.S. Men's National Team from 2009-12 where he led the team to a 2012 World League Silver Medal. His squad also won the 2012 NORCECA Olympic Qualification Tournament. At the London Olympic Games, Knipe's team won its pool and advanced to the quarterfinals.

"Any time you get an award like this there is a large breadth of work that went into it and a lot of sacrifice. And when I say sacrifice, I don't just mean me. I mean the coaches that are coaching with you, the players who have played for you, the administrators who have supported you, and most importantly, for me, my family," said Knipe. "A huge thank you to my wife, Jennifer, for being amazing as a coach's wife – which is a whole unique club to be part of – and to my sons, Aidan and Evan."

The Hall of Fame ceremony will take place one day before the 2024 USA Volleyball Open National Championship starts at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The proceeds from the event will go to the USA Volleyball Foundation to provide funding to support the Olympic and Paralympic dreams of the athletes in USA Volleyball's national team programs.

The All-Time Great Coach Award recognizes coaches with a minimum of 10 years of coaching experience; the ability to develop consistently successful teams, as demonstrated by performances at the state, regional, national and/or international levels; a demonstrated ability to train athletes to their highest potential, and the ability to respond in a professional manner to the successes, pressures, and disappointments of competition.

The coach must also have shared their abilities and knowledge to education peers.

Next Up
Long Beach State is in the midst of five-match homestand with No. 9 Penn State coming to the Walter Pyramid next. The Beach and the Nittany Lions will face off on Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.