Friday, April 12
Irvine, Calif.
6:00 p.m.
Long Beach State University
at
UC Irvine
Photo by: John Fajardo
No. 1 LBSU Faces No. 4 UC Irvine In A Battle For First In The Big West
4/11/2024 8:09:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
The Black and Blue Rivalry matches will take place on Friday at UC Irvine and Saturday at Long Beach State
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (22-1, 6-0 Big West) at #4 UC IRVINE (17-8, 6-2 Big West)
Location: Friday, April 12
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Venue: Bren Events Center
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Rob Espero
Live Stats: UCIrvineSports.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (22-1, 6-0 Big West) vs. #4 UC IRVINE (17-8, 6-2 Big West)
Location: Saturday, April 13
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
No. 1 LBSU Faces No. 4 UC Irvine In A Battle For First In The Big West
The final week of the regular season comes down to the two top conference teams in a battle for first place in The Big West. The top-ranked Beach and No. 4 UC Irvine will face off twice this weekend in the annual Black & Blue Rivalry. The first match of the week will be held at the Bren Events Center on Friday, April 12 at 6 p.m. The next night, the conference foes will face off at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, April 13 at 7 p.m. Last weekend, Long Beach State clinched at least a share of The Big West Regular Season title. One win over the Anteaters gives the Beach the title outright as well as the No. 1 seed in The Big West Championships next week.Â
Catch All The Action
Both Long Beach State-UCI 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
• Long Beach State moved back into the No. 1 spot in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll last month. For the fourth-straight week, the Beach remained in first as they garnered 21 first-place votes for a total of 458 points. This season, LBSU has earned wins over eight  separate nationally ranked teams in No. 16 George Mason (3-1), No. 9 Pepperdine (3-0), No. 2 UCLA (3-1), No. 15 Lewis (3-1), No. 8 Penn State (3-1), and twice against No. 19 UC Santa Barbara (3-1, 3-2), No. 5 Hawai (3-0, 3-2), No. 17 UC San Diego (3-0, 3-0), and No. 15 CSUN (3-0, 3-0).
• UC Irvine moved up to No. 4 in the rankings this week. The Anteaters split this series last week against No. 5 Hawaii in a 3-0 sweep, before falling in four to the Rainbow Warriors.
• This season, Long Beach State has faced 10 nationally ranked opponents in the regular season. In the non-conference season, the Beach faced No. 2 UCLA, No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 9 Penn State, No. 14 Lewis, and No. 16 George Mason. With Big West action underway, LBSU has gone up against nationally-ranked opponents No. 4 Hawaii, No. 5 UC Irvine, No. 15 CSUN, No.19 UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara which has popped in and out of the Top 20 throughout the season.
• The Big West is one of the most competitive Division I Men's Volleyball conferences as all four of the six Big West schools are nationally ranked, with three of them sitting in the Top 5.
About The Beach
• No. 1 Long Beach State comes into the week riding a 12-match winning streak. Overall, LBSU is 22-1 on the year and 8-0 in league play.
• Last week, with a pair of wins over CSUN, Long Beach State clinched at least a share of The Big West Regular Season Title and a bye into the conference tournament semifinals. The Beach have now won The Big West Regular Season Title the last three-consecutive seasons (22, 23, 24).
• With at least one win over UC Irvine this weekend, Long Beach State will win The Big West Regular Season Title outright and clinch the No. 1 seed in The Big West Championships next week in Hawaii.
• The Beach have now reached 20-plus wins 23 times in program history.
• LBSU comes into the final week of the regular season with a perfect 8-0 league record. Should Long Beach State earn two wins over the Anteaters this weekend, the Beach will finish the conference season undefeated with a perfect 10-0 record. Long Beach has reached that feat once before. The last time the Beach went undefeated in Big West action was in 2019. That squad went on to finish the season 28-2 and capture the program's third NCAA National Championship.
• 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 fourth in the conference in attack percentage (.342), while coming in fifth in kills per set (3.24). He is fifth in The Big West in points per set (3.94) and ninth in blocks per set (0.91).
• Knipe has been masterful this season leading the Long Beach State offense to a .344 attack percentage which is good for fifth in the nation. Knipe has recorded 10.19 assists per set this season, a mark that ranks him seventh in the country. He has guided the Beach to a .300 or higher attack percentage in 13-of-20 matches in which he has played thus far.
• Briggs anchors the defense with 2.41 digs per set which leads The Big West and ranks him eighth in the country. With Briggs' stout defense, the Beach has held their opponents to a .169 attack percentage, a mark that leads the nation.
• Siapanis has been solid for the Beach this season as he ranks 19th nationally with a .337 attack percentage. Meanwhile, he leads the team with 3.09 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.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 conference 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 nine 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 .714 winning percentage.
Scouting UCI
• No. 4 UC Irvine comes into the week against the Beach with a 17-8 overall record. The Anteaters are 6-2 in Big West action.
• The Anteaters currently sit in second place in the conference standings. With two wins this weekend over LBSU, UC Irvine would clinch a share of The Big West Regular Season Title and the No. 1 seed in next week's conference tournament.Â
• So far, UCI has lost just two league matches. The Anteaters suffered their first conference loss on March 29 at CSUN (3-1), before dropping a four-set decision to Hawaii last Saturday.
• Hilir Henno leads the Anteaters offensively with 4.73 kills per set on a .383 attack percentage. He also leads the squad with 43 aces, while contributing 1.38 digs, 0.55 blocks, and 0.31 assists per set.
• At setter, Brett Sheward runs the offense averaging 10.52 assists per set. He has piloted the Anteaters to a team hitting percentage of .327. He is second on the squad with 1.77 dogs per set.
• Cole Power is the Anteaters' libero. He has logged 196 digs in the backcourt to average 2.04 per set.
• At the net, Connor Campbell has put up 97 blocks (7 solos, 90 assists) to average a team-best 1.01 blocks per set. He also chips in 1.76 kills per set on a .408 clip to contribute on both sides of the ball.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Anteaters
Long Beach State and UC Irvine will meet for the 83rd and 84th time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 56-26. Last season, the Beach swept the regular season series with UCI, but the Anteaters came away with the win in The Big West Tournament on April 21 at the Bren Events Center. When playing each other in Irvine, Long Beach State holds s 21-15 advantage over the Anteaters. Meanwhile, when facing each other in Long Beach, LBSU owns a 28-8 record.Â
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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. Adding to the defensive honors, just this week, junior middle blocker DiAeris McRaven earned his first-ever Big West weekly honors.
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 884 career digs has he sits in third place all time at Long Beach State and is just three digs away from overtaking Zach Small for second. He is part of an elite group of Long Beach Legends as he is just one of five to have recorded 800 or more career digs. 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 2,939 career assists as he sits in eighth all-time at the Beach. He is now just 61 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 .714 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 as they head into the final week of the regular season, they haven't let up. Long Beach State is averaging a nation-leading 3.32 blocks per set. Individually, LBSU has two players in the Top 25 in the country in blocks per set. Senior middle blocker Simon Torwie leads the way with 1.34 blocks per set which leads the nation. Meanwhile, sophomore opposite Skyler Varga comes in 16th with 0.97 blocks per set.
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 2.41, a mark that is good for eighth 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 69 occasions. With his solid defense, Briggs has helped limit opponents to a .169 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 .344 attack percentage, which is good for second in the conference and fifth in the country. Knipe has dished out 10.19 assists per set to come in second in the league and seventh the nation. With 734 helpers on the year, Knipe has brought his career total to 2,939 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 (.169) and blocks per set (3.31). Additionally, LBSU comes in second in the league in hitting percentage (.344) and service aces per set (1.70).
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 2.41 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 16-0 this season. LBSU has not dropped a home match since February 10, 2023 against UCLA. The Beach are currently riding a 24-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
Welcome To The Beach
Long Beach State Head Men's Volleyball Coach Alan Knipe announced the signing of seven of the nation's top recruits as part of his 2024 signing class. The talented class of Ford Harman, Alex Kandev, Kellen Larson, Victor Loiola, Moni Nikolov, Jake Pazanti, and Isaiah Preuitt will join the Beach for the 2025 season.
Three players, in Larson, Loiola, and Preuitt, have played for the USA Boys National Team as Larson anchored the USA defense as libero, while Loiola was a top point scorer at outside hitter, and Preuitt was a stalwart at the net as a middle. Meanwhile, Nikolov is a member of the Bulgarian Boys National Team.Â
"We are excited to unite these young men and their families with our Long Beach community, athletic department, and men's volleyball family," said Knipe. "This signing class will assist Long Beach State with maintaining sustainable success for years to come.
"They have set the highest standards in our craft; set on a path of winning national championships, competing at the highest international level, and becoming Olympians. They join our family bringing a wealth of experience in the USA and International volleyball pipelines, many of them having played in some major tournaments thus far.
"They have set major aspirations in the classroom and for post-volleyball careers; looking to enter in our colleges of business, engineering, real estate, and the medical field.
"Just as important, they are all incredible, holistic people; they will join us ready to improve their physical, mental, and spiritual self. They look to becoming amazing fathers, husbands, and leaders that will make a positive impact in our world.
"It is with these traits of high volleyball standards, high academic goals, and being a holistic young man, that we are excited to announce your recruiting class of 2024!"
Next Up
Long Beach State will head to Hawaii to take part in the 2024 Outrigger Big West Men's Volleyball Championship which runs from Thursday, April 18 - Saturday, April 20 at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.Â
Location: Friday, April 12
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Venue: Bren Events Center
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Rob Espero
Live Stats: UCIrvineSports.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (22-1, 6-0 Big West) vs. #4 UC IRVINE (17-8, 6-2 Big West)
Location: Saturday, April 13
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown & Matt Prosser
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
No. 1 LBSU Faces No. 4 UC Irvine In A Battle For First In The Big West
The final week of the regular season comes down to the two top conference teams in a battle for first place in The Big West. The top-ranked Beach and No. 4 UC Irvine will face off twice this weekend in the annual Black & Blue Rivalry. The first match of the week will be held at the Bren Events Center on Friday, April 12 at 6 p.m. The next night, the conference foes will face off at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, April 13 at 7 p.m. Last weekend, Long Beach State clinched at least a share of The Big West Regular Season title. One win over the Anteaters gives the Beach the title outright as well as the No. 1 seed in The Big West Championships next week.Â
Catch All The Action
Both Long Beach State-UCI 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
• Long Beach State moved back into the No. 1 spot in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll last month. For the fourth-straight week, the Beach remained in first as they garnered 21 first-place votes for a total of 458 points. This season, LBSU has earned wins over eight  separate nationally ranked teams in No. 16 George Mason (3-1), No. 9 Pepperdine (3-0), No. 2 UCLA (3-1), No. 15 Lewis (3-1), No. 8 Penn State (3-1), and twice against No. 19 UC Santa Barbara (3-1, 3-2), No. 5 Hawai (3-0, 3-2), No. 17 UC San Diego (3-0, 3-0), and No. 15 CSUN (3-0, 3-0).
• UC Irvine moved up to No. 4 in the rankings this week. The Anteaters split this series last week against No. 5 Hawaii in a 3-0 sweep, before falling in four to the Rainbow Warriors.
• This season, Long Beach State has faced 10 nationally ranked opponents in the regular season. In the non-conference season, the Beach faced No. 2 UCLA, No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 9 Penn State, No. 14 Lewis, and No. 16 George Mason. With Big West action underway, LBSU has gone up against nationally-ranked opponents No. 4 Hawaii, No. 5 UC Irvine, No. 15 CSUN, No.19 UC San Diego, and UC Santa Barbara which has popped in and out of the Top 20 throughout the season.
• The Big West is one of the most competitive Division I Men's Volleyball conferences as all four of the six Big West schools are nationally ranked, with three of them sitting in the Top 5.
About The Beach
• No. 1 Long Beach State comes into the week riding a 12-match winning streak. Overall, LBSU is 22-1 on the year and 8-0 in league play.
• Last week, with a pair of wins over CSUN, Long Beach State clinched at least a share of The Big West Regular Season Title and a bye into the conference tournament semifinals. The Beach have now won The Big West Regular Season Title the last three-consecutive seasons (22, 23, 24).
• With at least one win over UC Irvine this weekend, Long Beach State will win The Big West Regular Season Title outright and clinch the No. 1 seed in The Big West Championships next week in Hawaii.
• The Beach have now reached 20-plus wins 23 times in program history.
• LBSU comes into the final week of the regular season with a perfect 8-0 league record. Should Long Beach State earn two wins over the Anteaters this weekend, the Beach will finish the conference season undefeated with a perfect 10-0 record. Long Beach has reached that feat once before. The last time the Beach went undefeated in Big West action was in 2019. That squad went on to finish the season 28-2 and capture the program's third NCAA National Championship.
• 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 fourth in the conference in attack percentage (.342), while coming in fifth in kills per set (3.24). He is fifth in The Big West in points per set (3.94) and ninth in blocks per set (0.91).
• Knipe has been masterful this season leading the Long Beach State offense to a .344 attack percentage which is good for fifth in the nation. Knipe has recorded 10.19 assists per set this season, a mark that ranks him seventh in the country. He has guided the Beach to a .300 or higher attack percentage in 13-of-20 matches in which he has played thus far.
• Briggs anchors the defense with 2.41 digs per set which leads The Big West and ranks him eighth in the country. With Briggs' stout defense, the Beach has held their opponents to a .169 attack percentage, a mark that leads the nation.
• Siapanis has been solid for the Beach this season as he ranks 19th nationally with a .337 attack percentage. Meanwhile, he leads the team with 3.09 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.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 conference 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 nine 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 .714 winning percentage.
Scouting UCI
• No. 4 UC Irvine comes into the week against the Beach with a 17-8 overall record. The Anteaters are 6-2 in Big West action.
• The Anteaters currently sit in second place in the conference standings. With two wins this weekend over LBSU, UC Irvine would clinch a share of The Big West Regular Season Title and the No. 1 seed in next week's conference tournament.Â
• So far, UCI has lost just two league matches. The Anteaters suffered their first conference loss on March 29 at CSUN (3-1), before dropping a four-set decision to Hawaii last Saturday.
• Hilir Henno leads the Anteaters offensively with 4.73 kills per set on a .383 attack percentage. He also leads the squad with 43 aces, while contributing 1.38 digs, 0.55 blocks, and 0.31 assists per set.
• At setter, Brett Sheward runs the offense averaging 10.52 assists per set. He has piloted the Anteaters to a team hitting percentage of .327. He is second on the squad with 1.77 dogs per set.
• Cole Power is the Anteaters' libero. He has logged 196 digs in the backcourt to average 2.04 per set.
• At the net, Connor Campbell has put up 97 blocks (7 solos, 90 assists) to average a team-best 1.01 blocks per set. He also chips in 1.76 kills per set on a .408 clip to contribute on both sides of the ball.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Anteaters
Long Beach State and UC Irvine will meet for the 83rd and 84th time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 56-26. Last season, the Beach swept the regular season series with UCI, but the Anteaters came away with the win in The Big West Tournament on April 21 at the Bren Events Center. When playing each other in Irvine, Long Beach State holds s 21-15 advantage over the Anteaters. Meanwhile, when facing each other in Long Beach, LBSU owns a 28-8 record.Â
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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. Adding to the defensive honors, just this week, junior middle blocker DiAeris McRaven earned his first-ever Big West weekly honors.
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 884 career digs has he sits in third place all time at Long Beach State and is just three digs away from overtaking Zach Small for second. He is part of an elite group of Long Beach Legends as he is just one of five to have recorded 800 or more career digs. 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 2,939 career assists as he sits in eighth all-time at the Beach. He is now just 61 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 .714 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 as they head into the final week of the regular season, they haven't let up. Long Beach State is averaging a nation-leading 3.32 blocks per set. Individually, LBSU has two players in the Top 25 in the country in blocks per set. Senior middle blocker Simon Torwie leads the way with 1.34 blocks per set which leads the nation. Meanwhile, sophomore opposite Skyler Varga comes in 16th with 0.97 blocks per set.
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 2.41, a mark that is good for eighth 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 69 occasions. With his solid defense, Briggs has helped limit opponents to a .169 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 .344 attack percentage, which is good for second in the conference and fifth in the country. Knipe has dished out 10.19 assists per set to come in second in the league and seventh the nation. With 734 helpers on the year, Knipe has brought his career total to 2,939 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 (.169) and blocks per set (3.31). Additionally, LBSU comes in second in the league in hitting percentage (.344) and service aces per set (1.70).
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 2.41 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 16-0 this season. LBSU has not dropped a home match since February 10, 2023 against UCLA. The Beach are currently riding a 24-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
Welcome To The Beach
Long Beach State Head Men's Volleyball Coach Alan Knipe announced the signing of seven of the nation's top recruits as part of his 2024 signing class. The talented class of Ford Harman, Alex Kandev, Kellen Larson, Victor Loiola, Moni Nikolov, Jake Pazanti, and Isaiah Preuitt will join the Beach for the 2025 season.
Three players, in Larson, Loiola, and Preuitt, have played for the USA Boys National Team as Larson anchored the USA defense as libero, while Loiola was a top point scorer at outside hitter, and Preuitt was a stalwart at the net as a middle. Meanwhile, Nikolov is a member of the Bulgarian Boys National Team.Â
"We are excited to unite these young men and their families with our Long Beach community, athletic department, and men's volleyball family," said Knipe. "This signing class will assist Long Beach State with maintaining sustainable success for years to come.
"They have set the highest standards in our craft; set on a path of winning national championships, competing at the highest international level, and becoming Olympians. They join our family bringing a wealth of experience in the USA and International volleyball pipelines, many of them having played in some major tournaments thus far.
"They have set major aspirations in the classroom and for post-volleyball careers; looking to enter in our colleges of business, engineering, real estate, and the medical field.
"Just as important, they are all incredible, holistic people; they will join us ready to improve their physical, mental, and spiritual self. They look to becoming amazing fathers, husbands, and leaders that will make a positive impact in our world.
"It is with these traits of high volleyball standards, high academic goals, and being a holistic young man, that we are excited to announce your recruiting class of 2024!"
Next Up
Long Beach State will head to Hawaii to take part in the 2024 Outrigger Big West Men's Volleyball Championship which runs from Thursday, April 18 - Saturday, April 20 at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.Â
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's VolleyballNCAA National Collegiate Championship Post Match Press Conference (Finals)- #1 UCLA
Sunday, May 05
NCAA National Collegiate Championship Post-Match Press Conference (Finals) #2 Long Beach State
Sunday, May 05
#1 UCLA Practice Day 2024 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Press Conference
Friday, May 03
#2 Long Beach State Practice Day 2024 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Press Conference
Friday, May 03
