Friday, March 29
Long Beach, Calif.
7:00 p.m.
Long Beach State University
vs
UC San Diego
Photo by: John Fajardo
Top-Ranked Long Beach State Back In Action Against No. 17 UC San Diego
3/28/2024 3:34:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
The Beach and the Tritons face each other on Friday at the Walter Pyramid and Saturday at LionTree Arena
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (18-1, 4-0 Big West) vs. #17 UC SAN DIEGO (11-10, 3-2 Big West)
Date: Friday, March 29
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
Radio: 22 West
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com/Tickets
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (18-1, 4-0 Big West) at #17 UC SAN DIEGO (11-10, 3-2 Big West)
Date: Saturday, March 30
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: La Jolla, Calif.
Venue: LionTree Arena
TV:Â ESPN+
Live Stats: UCSDTritons.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Top-Ranked Long Beach State Back In Action Against No. 17 UC San Diego
The No. 1-ranked Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team is back in action this weekend against No. 17 UC San Diego. The Beach and the Tritons will face off on Friday, March 29 at 7 p.m. at Walter Pyramid, before going head-to-head on Saturday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at LionTree Arena in La Jolla, Calif.
Catch All The Action
Both Long Beach State-UCSD matches will be live streamed 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 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
• After earning a pair of wins over Hawaii two weeks ago, Long Beach State moved back into the No. 1 spot in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll. This week, Beach remained in first as they garnered all 23 first-place votes for a total of 460 points. This season, LBSU has earned wins over seven separate nationally ranked teams in No. 17 George Mason (3-1), No. 10 Pepperdine (3-0), No. 4 UCLA (3-1), No. 15 Lewis (3-1), No. 9 Penn State (3-1), and twice against No. 19 UC Santa Barbara (3-1, 3-2), and No.1 Hawai (3-0, 3-2).
• UC San Diego dropped one spot to No. 17 in the rankings this week. The Tritons are on a four-match winning streak after having defeated Saint Katherine (3-0), Harvard (3-1), and CSUN (3-1 and 3-2).
• This season, Long Beach State will face 10 nationally ranked opponents in the regular season. In the non-conference season, the Beach faced No. 2 UCLA, No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 10 Penn State, No. 14 Lewis, and No. 19 George Mason. With Big West action underway, LBSU faces nationally-ranked opponents No. 3 UC Irvine, No. 5 Hawaii, No. 16 CSUN, No.17 UC San Diego, and No. 20 UC Santa Barbara.
• 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. 1 Long Beach State opened the 2024 season on a 10-match winning streak and has won 18 of its last 19 matches as they have now won eight-straight contests. Overall, LBSU is 18-1 on the year and 4-0 in league play.
• Two weeks ago, the Beach picked up a pair of victories over then-top-ranked Hawaii. LBSU swept the Bows on Friday, March 15 at the Walter Pyramid, then took UH down in an epic five-setter the following night.Â
• 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.Â
• 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 15th in the nation in attack percentage (.342), while coming in 27th, nationally, in kills per set (3.37). He is 20th in the country in points per set (4.10) and 20th in blocks per set (0.94).
• Knipe has been masterful this season leading the Long Beach State offense to a .347 attack percentage which is good for fifth in the nation. Knipe has recorded 10.08 assists per set this season, a mark that ranks him eighth in the country. He has guided the Beach to a .300 or higher attack percentage in 10-of-16 matches in which he has played thus far.
• Briggs anchors the defense with 2.46 digs per set which leads The Big West and ranks him sixth in the country. With Briggs' stout defense, the Beach has held their opponents to a .170 attack percentage, a mark that leads the nation.
• Siapanis has been solid for the Beach this season as he ranks 17th nationally with a .336 attack percentage. Meanwhile, he is second on the team with 3.10 kills per set which is good for seventh 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.Â
• 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 1.37 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 eight matches this season and made three starts at opposite. He is averaging 1.86 kills per set on a .442 (26-7-43) clip on the year. He also adds 0.57 blocks per set and 0.29 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. On February 2, Knipe recorded his 400th career victory with a 3-0 sweep of King. During his 21-year head coaching career, Knipe boasts a .712 winning percentage.
Scouting UC San Diego
• No. 17 UC San Diego comes into the week against the Beach with an 11-10 overall record. The Tritons are 3-2 in Big West action.
• The Tritons are riding a four-match winning streak and have won eight of their last 10 contests.Â
• In Big West action, UCSD has earned wins over UC Santa Barbara (3-1) and CUSN (3-1, 3-2). Their two league losses came at the hands of UC Irvine as the Anteaters swept the Tritons twice at the beginning of March.
• Anthony Cherfan is the Tritons' leading scorer with 3.07 kills per set on a .239 attack percentage. He also adds 1.19 digs per set and 0.65 blocks per ser, while leading the team with 30 aces.Â
• At setter, UC San Diego platoons Gabriel Dyer, Cameron Wurl, and Andrew Boyle. Dyer leads the way with 9.23 assists per set, while Wurl and Boyle contribute 7.59 and 5.84 assists per set, respectively.
• Evan Boyle is the team's libero as he has logged a team-leading 126 digs to average 1.73 per set. He also chips in 0.45 assists per set.
• On blocking defense, Peter Selcho has pit up 68 total blocks (4 solos, 64 assists) to average 0.91 blocks per set. He also posts 1.28 kills per set, while hitting .310.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Tritons
Long Beach State and UC San Diego will meet for the 81st time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 74-6. Last season, the Beach swept the series with the Tritons. LBSU earned a straight-set win on March 31 in La Jolla, then came home to the Walter Pyramid and earned a 3-0 sweep on April 1. When playing each other in Long Beach, Calif., LBSU leads the series 35-2. When playing each other in La Jolla, the Beach lead 36-3.
National Accolades
For the first time in his career, Long Beach State freshman middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov was named AVCA Men's National Collegiate Player of the Week on Tuesday, January 30.Â
Bouchkov was unstoppable at the net as he led Long Beach to a pair of sweeps over No. 10 Pepperdine and Concordia the week prior. With the straight-set wins, the Beach moved from No. 3 to No. 1 in the nation in this week's AVCA/NVA Poll. Bouchkov paced the blocking defense with an impressive 3.00 blocks per set, while also recording 2.75 points per set, to go along with 1.17 kills per set on a .636 attack percentage (7-0-11).
The product out of Sofia, Bulgaria kicked off the week with 10 blocks against the Waves on Friday night. The double-figure block performance is the second in his young career and just one off his career-best. Bouchkov also added four kills on six errorless swings for a .667 attack percentage, while dishing out one assist.
The next night, Bouchkov put up eight blocks against the Golden Eagles, while tallying three kills on five swings without committing an error en route to hitting .600. He also added a dig in the Beach's convincing sweep on Saturday night of Concordia.
Big West Honors
The Beach continue to rack up the Big West Weekly honors as Simon Torwie went back-to-back winning Offensive Player of the Week award on Monday, Feb. 26, then taking home Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday, March 4. He claimed his third honor of the season with a Defensively Player of the Week nod on Monday, March 19.
Libero Mason Briggs and middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov have each won the award twice on the Defensive side. Briggs, who leads The Big West in digs per set, captured the honors on January 15 and February 12, while Bouchkov, the nation's leader in blocks, won the award in back-to-back weeks on January 22 and 29.Â
If that weren't enough, senior outside hitter Clarke Godbold was recognized for his offensive prowess on January 22 as he was named Big West Offensive Player of the Week.
Numbers to Watch
Mason Briggs and Aidan Knipe are both closing in on some career marks. Briggs has accumulated 859 career digs as he jumped into third place all time at Long Beach State. He now joins an elite group of Long Beach Legends as he is just one of five to have recorded 800 or more career digs. Briggs is 27 digs away from tying Zach Small for second place all time with 886. Additionally, Briggs has racked up 42 double-figure dig matches over his career to rank third all-time at Long Beach State. He is just one 10-plus dig performance away from tying Long Beach Legend Dustin Watten with 43, and three double-digit dig matches away from jumping Andrew Sato as the new program record holder with 45.
Aidan Knipe, meanwhile, has racked up 2,810 career assists as he sits in eighth all-time at the Beach. He is now 190 assists away from reaching the 3,000 career assists milestone which has only been accomplished seven times in Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program history. Knipe is in the exclusive company of fellow Long Beach Legends Tyler Hildebrand (6,651 career assists), Josh Tuaniga (4,607 career assists), and Mike Klipsch (3,890 career assists) who rank first, fourth, and sixth, respectively. Â Â
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 .712 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.Â
Block Party
The Beach started the 2024 season with a strong blocking defense presence at the net and nearly 20 matches into year, they haven't let up. Long Beach State is averaging a nation-leading 3.36 blocks per set. Individually, LBSU has three players in the Top 25 in the country in blocks per set. Freshman middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov leads the way with 1.37 blocks per set which leads the nation. Coming in behind Bouchkov are Simon Torwie (1.34 bps), and Clarke Godbold (0.94 bps) who rank third and 20th, 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 2.46, a mark that is good for sixth in the nation. Briggs recorded a season-high 17-dig performance at No. 19 UC Santa Barbara on March 9. He has now recorded double figure digs 42 times in his career and has led LBSU in digs on 66 occasions. With his solid defense, Briggs has helped limit opponents to a .170 attack percentage, which leads both The Big West and the country.
Helping Hands
Senior setter Aidan Knipe has done an excellent job this season piloting the Beach to a .347 attack percentage, which is good for second in the conference and fifth in the country. Knipe has dished out 10.08 assists per set to come in second in the league and eighth the nation. With 605 helpers on the year, Knipe has brought his career total to 2,810 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 (.170) and blocks per set (3.36). Additionally, LBSU comes in second in the league in hitting percentage (.347).
Individually, LBSU has two players who lead the conference as Lazar Bouchkov sets the standard in blocks per set (1.37), and Mason Briggs owns a league-leading 2.46 digs per set average.
Mid Magic
This season, Long Beach State has done an incredible job playing at home at the Walter Pyramid. When playing in the 'Mid, the Beach are a perfect 14-0 this season. LBSU has not dropped a home match since February 10, 2023 against UCLA. The Beach are currently riding a 22-match home winning streak dating back to last season. That streak ranks third in the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball Record Book.Â
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.Â
Next Up
Long Beach State will face No. 16 CSUN next week. The Beach and the Matadors will play on Friday, April 5 at 7 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid, before heading to Northridge to face off at University Credit Union Arena on Saturday, April 6 at 6 p.m.
Date: Friday, March 29
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
Radio: 22 West
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com/Tickets
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (18-1, 4-0 Big West) at #17 UC SAN DIEGO (11-10, 3-2 Big West)
Date: Saturday, March 30
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: La Jolla, Calif.
Venue: LionTree Arena
TV:Â ESPN+
Live Stats: UCSDTritons.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Top-Ranked Long Beach State Back In Action Against No. 17 UC San Diego
The No. 1-ranked Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team is back in action this weekend against No. 17 UC San Diego. The Beach and the Tritons will face off on Friday, March 29 at 7 p.m. at Walter Pyramid, before going head-to-head on Saturday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at LionTree Arena in La Jolla, Calif.
Catch All The Action
Both Long Beach State-UCSD matches will be live streamed 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 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
• After earning a pair of wins over Hawaii two weeks ago, Long Beach State moved back into the No. 1 spot in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll. This week, Beach remained in first as they garnered all 23 first-place votes for a total of 460 points. This season, LBSU has earned wins over seven separate nationally ranked teams in No. 17 George Mason (3-1), No. 10 Pepperdine (3-0), No. 4 UCLA (3-1), No. 15 Lewis (3-1), No. 9 Penn State (3-1), and twice against No. 19 UC Santa Barbara (3-1, 3-2), and No.1 Hawai (3-0, 3-2).
• UC San Diego dropped one spot to No. 17 in the rankings this week. The Tritons are on a four-match winning streak after having defeated Saint Katherine (3-0), Harvard (3-1), and CSUN (3-1 and 3-2).
• This season, Long Beach State will face 10 nationally ranked opponents in the regular season. In the non-conference season, the Beach faced No. 2 UCLA, No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 10 Penn State, No. 14 Lewis, and No. 19 George Mason. With Big West action underway, LBSU faces nationally-ranked opponents No. 3 UC Irvine, No. 5 Hawaii, No. 16 CSUN, No.17 UC San Diego, and No. 20 UC Santa Barbara.
• 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. 1 Long Beach State opened the 2024 season on a 10-match winning streak and has won 18 of its last 19 matches as they have now won eight-straight contests. Overall, LBSU is 18-1 on the year and 4-0 in league play.
• Two weeks ago, the Beach picked up a pair of victories over then-top-ranked Hawaii. LBSU swept the Bows on Friday, March 15 at the Walter Pyramid, then took UH down in an epic five-setter the following night.Â
• 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.Â
• 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 15th in the nation in attack percentage (.342), while coming in 27th, nationally, in kills per set (3.37). He is 20th in the country in points per set (4.10) and 20th in blocks per set (0.94).
• Knipe has been masterful this season leading the Long Beach State offense to a .347 attack percentage which is good for fifth in the nation. Knipe has recorded 10.08 assists per set this season, a mark that ranks him eighth in the country. He has guided the Beach to a .300 or higher attack percentage in 10-of-16 matches in which he has played thus far.
• Briggs anchors the defense with 2.46 digs per set which leads The Big West and ranks him sixth in the country. With Briggs' stout defense, the Beach has held their opponents to a .170 attack percentage, a mark that leads the nation.
• Siapanis has been solid for the Beach this season as he ranks 17th nationally with a .336 attack percentage. Meanwhile, he is second on the team with 3.10 kills per set which is good for seventh 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.Â
• 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 1.37 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 eight matches this season and made three starts at opposite. He is averaging 1.86 kills per set on a .442 (26-7-43) clip on the year. He also adds 0.57 blocks per set and 0.29 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. On February 2, Knipe recorded his 400th career victory with a 3-0 sweep of King. During his 21-year head coaching career, Knipe boasts a .712 winning percentage.
Scouting UC San Diego
• No. 17 UC San Diego comes into the week against the Beach with an 11-10 overall record. The Tritons are 3-2 in Big West action.
• The Tritons are riding a four-match winning streak and have won eight of their last 10 contests.Â
• In Big West action, UCSD has earned wins over UC Santa Barbara (3-1) and CUSN (3-1, 3-2). Their two league losses came at the hands of UC Irvine as the Anteaters swept the Tritons twice at the beginning of March.
• Anthony Cherfan is the Tritons' leading scorer with 3.07 kills per set on a .239 attack percentage. He also adds 1.19 digs per set and 0.65 blocks per ser, while leading the team with 30 aces.Â
• At setter, UC San Diego platoons Gabriel Dyer, Cameron Wurl, and Andrew Boyle. Dyer leads the way with 9.23 assists per set, while Wurl and Boyle contribute 7.59 and 5.84 assists per set, respectively.
• Evan Boyle is the team's libero as he has logged a team-leading 126 digs to average 1.73 per set. He also chips in 0.45 assists per set.
• On blocking defense, Peter Selcho has pit up 68 total blocks (4 solos, 64 assists) to average 0.91 blocks per set. He also posts 1.28 kills per set, while hitting .310.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Tritons
Long Beach State and UC San Diego will meet for the 81st time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 74-6. Last season, the Beach swept the series with the Tritons. LBSU earned a straight-set win on March 31 in La Jolla, then came home to the Walter Pyramid and earned a 3-0 sweep on April 1. When playing each other in Long Beach, Calif., LBSU leads the series 35-2. When playing each other in La Jolla, the Beach lead 36-3.
National Accolades
For the first time in his career, Long Beach State freshman middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov was named AVCA Men's National Collegiate Player of the Week on Tuesday, January 30.Â
Bouchkov was unstoppable at the net as he led Long Beach to a pair of sweeps over No. 10 Pepperdine and Concordia the week prior. With the straight-set wins, the Beach moved from No. 3 to No. 1 in the nation in this week's AVCA/NVA Poll. Bouchkov paced the blocking defense with an impressive 3.00 blocks per set, while also recording 2.75 points per set, to go along with 1.17 kills per set on a .636 attack percentage (7-0-11).
The product out of Sofia, Bulgaria kicked off the week with 10 blocks against the Waves on Friday night. The double-figure block performance is the second in his young career and just one off his career-best. Bouchkov also added four kills on six errorless swings for a .667 attack percentage, while dishing out one assist.
The next night, Bouchkov put up eight blocks against the Golden Eagles, while tallying three kills on five swings without committing an error en route to hitting .600. He also added a dig in the Beach's convincing sweep on Saturday night of Concordia.
Big West Honors
The Beach continue to rack up the Big West Weekly honors as Simon Torwie went back-to-back winning Offensive Player of the Week award on Monday, Feb. 26, then taking home Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday, March 4. He claimed his third honor of the season with a Defensively Player of the Week nod on Monday, March 19.
Libero Mason Briggs and middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov have each won the award twice on the Defensive side. Briggs, who leads The Big West in digs per set, captured the honors on January 15 and February 12, while Bouchkov, the nation's leader in blocks, won the award in back-to-back weeks on January 22 and 29.Â
If that weren't enough, senior outside hitter Clarke Godbold was recognized for his offensive prowess on January 22 as he was named Big West Offensive Player of the Week.
Numbers to Watch
Mason Briggs and Aidan Knipe are both closing in on some career marks. Briggs has accumulated 859 career digs as he jumped into third place all time at Long Beach State. He now joins an elite group of Long Beach Legends as he is just one of five to have recorded 800 or more career digs. Briggs is 27 digs away from tying Zach Small for second place all time with 886. Additionally, Briggs has racked up 42 double-figure dig matches over his career to rank third all-time at Long Beach State. He is just one 10-plus dig performance away from tying Long Beach Legend Dustin Watten with 43, and three double-digit dig matches away from jumping Andrew Sato as the new program record holder with 45.
Aidan Knipe, meanwhile, has racked up 2,810 career assists as he sits in eighth all-time at the Beach. He is now 190 assists away from reaching the 3,000 career assists milestone which has only been accomplished seven times in Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program history. Knipe is in the exclusive company of fellow Long Beach Legends Tyler Hildebrand (6,651 career assists), Josh Tuaniga (4,607 career assists), and Mike Klipsch (3,890 career assists) who rank first, fourth, and sixth, respectively. Â Â
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 .712 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.Â
Block Party
The Beach started the 2024 season with a strong blocking defense presence at the net and nearly 20 matches into year, they haven't let up. Long Beach State is averaging a nation-leading 3.36 blocks per set. Individually, LBSU has three players in the Top 25 in the country in blocks per set. Freshman middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov leads the way with 1.37 blocks per set which leads the nation. Coming in behind Bouchkov are Simon Torwie (1.34 bps), and Clarke Godbold (0.94 bps) who rank third and 20th, 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 2.46, a mark that is good for sixth in the nation. Briggs recorded a season-high 17-dig performance at No. 19 UC Santa Barbara on March 9. He has now recorded double figure digs 42 times in his career and has led LBSU in digs on 66 occasions. With his solid defense, Briggs has helped limit opponents to a .170 attack percentage, which leads both The Big West and the country.
Helping Hands
Senior setter Aidan Knipe has done an excellent job this season piloting the Beach to a .347 attack percentage, which is good for second in the conference and fifth in the country. Knipe has dished out 10.08 assists per set to come in second in the league and eighth the nation. With 605 helpers on the year, Knipe has brought his career total to 2,810 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 (.170) and blocks per set (3.36). Additionally, LBSU comes in second in the league in hitting percentage (.347).
Individually, LBSU has two players who lead the conference as Lazar Bouchkov sets the standard in blocks per set (1.37), and Mason Briggs owns a league-leading 2.46 digs per set average.
Mid Magic
This season, Long Beach State has done an incredible job playing at home at the Walter Pyramid. When playing in the 'Mid, the Beach are a perfect 14-0 this season. LBSU has not dropped a home match since February 10, 2023 against UCLA. The Beach are currently riding a 22-match home winning streak dating back to last season. That streak ranks third in the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball Record Book.Â
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.Â
Next Up
Long Beach State will face No. 16 CSUN next week. The Beach and the Matadors will play on Friday, April 5 at 7 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid, before heading to Northridge to face off at University Credit Union Arena on Saturday, April 6 at 6 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's VolleyballNCAA National Collegiate Championship Post Match Press Conference (Finals)- #1 UCLA
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#1 UCLA Practice Day 2024 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Press Conference
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#2 Long Beach State Practice Day 2024 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Press Conference
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