Friday, April 19
Manoa, Hawaii
7:30 PM
Long Beach State University
vs
CSUN
Photo by: John Fajardo
Top-Seeded Long Beach State Set For Big West Championship Semifinals
4/18/2024 3:11:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
The Beach will play on Friday, April 19 at 7:30 pm (PT) and will face the winner of the UCSD/CSUN match
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (23-2) vs. #4 UC SAN DIEGO (12-14) | #5 CSUN (12-15)
Date: Friday, April 19
Time: 7:30 p.m. (PT) / 4:30 p.m. (HT)
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Venue: SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
TV: Spectrum Sports (islands) / ESPN+ (mainland)
TV Talent: Kanoa Leahey & Chris McLachlin
Live Stats: BigWest.org/sidearmstats/mvball1
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Top-Seeded Long Beach State Set For Big West Championship Semifinals
After securing the top seed in The Big West Men's Volleyball Championships, Long Beach State earned a bye into the semifinals. The Beach will play Friday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. (PT) / 4:30 p.m. (HT). LBSU will face the winner of the No. 4 seed UC San Diego-No. 5 seed CSUN match.
Catch All The Action
The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2024 Outrigger Big West Men's Volleyball Championships will be broadcast live on Spectrum Sports on the islands and on ESPN+ on the mainland. This season, 13 of LBSU's 17 home contests were 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). Live stats for The Big West Championship matches will also be available at BigWest.org/sidearmstats/mvball1.Â
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 splitting the series with UC Irvine last weekend, Long Beach State slid into the No. 2 spot in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll. The Beach remained in first as they garnered 10 first-place votes for a total of 445 points to come in just five points behind No. 1 UCLA, which claimed 13 first-place votes. This season, LBSU went 13-2 against nationally ranked opponents.
• UC San Diego moved back into the rankings this week as the Tritons come in at No. 20. UCSD closed the regular season splitting the series with Hawaii as the Rainbow Warriors won the first match, 3-1, and the Tritons swept the second, 3-0.
• CSUN remains at No. 14 in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll this week. The Matadors split the final regualr season home series against UC Santa Barbara as the Gauchos took the first set, 3-1, before CSUN bounced back and earned a four-set win in the second match.
• The Big West is one of the most competitive Division I Men's Volleyball conferences as five of the six Big West schools are nationally ranked, with three of them sitting in the Top 5.
About The Beach
• No. 2 Long Beach State comes into The Big West Championships with a 23-2 overall record. The Beach earned the top seed in the tournament after closing the regular season with a 9-1 conference mark.Â
• The Beach have now won The Big West Regular Season Title the last three-consecutive seasons (22, 23, 24).
• LBSU is looking to secure its spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year and for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.Â
• The Beach have now reached 20-plus wins 23 times in program history.
• On Wednesday, The Big West announced the 2024 All-Conference Teams and Long Beach State saw half a dozen players earn recognition. Leading the way, Mason Briggs, Aidan Knipe, Sotiris Siapanis, and Simon Torwie claimed All-First Team accolades. Meanwhile Skyler Varga garnered Honorable Mention status, while Lazar Bouchkov was named to the All-Freshman Team.
• Briggs earned the honors for the fifth time his collegiate career after leading the Long Beach State defense all season. The senior libero leads The Big West, and ranks seventh in the nation, with 2.29 digs per set. This year, he became just the sixth player in LBSU Men's Volleyball history to record 800 digs in his career. He has led the Beach in digs 22 times and has recorded double-figure digs on eight separate occasions.
• With his First Team selection, Knipe is now a two-time All-Big West honoree. He is in the midst of an excellent senior season in which he has led the Beach to a .345 attack percentage which is good for second in the conference and fifth in the nation. Knipe is averaging 10.19 assists per set to rank second in The Big West and eighth in the country. He concluded the regular season dishing out his 3,000th career assist on the match-winning point as he led LBSU to its third-straight Big West Regular Season Title. He is just the eighth player in Long Beach State Men's Volleyball history to reach the 3,000-career assist milestone. On the year, Knipe has recorded a pair of double-doubles as he recorded 52 assists and 11 digs at UC Santa Barbara (3/9) before registering 39 assists and 11 digs versus Hawaii (3/16) a week later.
• Siapanis has earned All-Big West First Team honors for the second time in as many seasons. The junior outside hitter ranks in the Top 10 in The Big West in kills (3.13), hitting percentage (.341), and points per set (3.79). He has led Long Beach State in kills nine times this season and has recorded two double-doubles on the year. Siapanis owns 15 double-figure kill performances, including a pair of season-high 18-kill showings.
• Torwie earned the honors for the second time in his Long Beach State career. The senior middle blocker is the nation's leader in blocks per set with 1.34. He has set the tone for the LBSU blocking defense that leads the country with 3.26 blocks per set. Additionally, Torwie contributes 0.35 aces per set to rank in The Big West Top 10. He has led the Beach in blocks 11 times this season and recorded a season-high 10 blocks against Hawaii (3/16). Torwie has contributed on both sides of the ball averaging 1.32 kills per set on a .425 (98-19-186) attack percentage.
• Varga collected Honorable Mention status after turning in a solid sophomore campaign. Playing on the right side, Varga ranks in The Big West Top 10 in kills (2.92), blocks (0.95), aces (0.39), and points per set (3.79). This season, he has led Long Beach State in kills five times, while leading the team in blocks four times, and in digs twice. He has recorded 11 double-figure kill performances, including a career-high 19 kills on two separate occasions. He recorded a double-double (14 kills, 10 digs) earlier this season against Penn State (3/1).
• Bouchkov was named to The Big West All-Freshman Team after playing in 54 sets for the Beach. In just 15 matches of action, the freshman middle blocker averaged 1.37 blocks per set to go along with 1.28 kills per set on a .463 (69-13-121) attack percentage. In his time on the court, Bouchkov led Long Beach State in blocks seven times and recorded a career-high 11 blocks against NJIT (1/20).
• 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 .713 winning percentage.
Scouting UC San Diego
• No. 4 seed UC San Diego comes into The Big West Championships with a 12-14 overall record. The Tritons finished the regular season with a 4-6 conference ledger.
• The Tritons are ranked 20th in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll.Â
• As a team, the Tritons are hitting .257 and averaging 10.88 kills per set, while putting up 2.23 blocks per set.
• UCSD landed two players on the All-Big West Teams. Junior opposite Anthony Cherfan was selected to the All-First Team, while Sebastian Lara earned Honorable Mention recognition.
• Cherfan leads the Tritons with 3.13 kills per set on a .238 attack percentage. He also is the squad's leader with 35 aces, while adding 1.20 digs per set and 0.65 blocks per set.
• Lara has been solid all year contributing 2.53 kills per set on a .262 attack percentage, while adding 0.84 digs per set and 0.44 blocks per set.
• UCSD platoons two setters in Gabriel Dyer and Cameron Wurl. Dyer leads the team with 8.96 assists per set, while Wurl adds 7.20. Dyer also leads the team with 2.24 digs per set, while adding 0.42 blocks per set.
• Libero Evan Boyle has logged a team-leading 162 digs in the backcourt to average 1.78 per set on the year.
• Jim Garrison patrols the net with a team-best 1.04 blocks per set to go along with 1.26 kills per set on a .397 clip.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Tritons
Long Beach State and UC San Diego will meet for the 83rd time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 76-6 and have won the last four meetings. Earlier this season, Long Beach State swpet the series against UC San Diego as LBSU closed out the month of March with a pair of sweeps over UCSD. When playing each other on neutral ground, Long Beach State leads the series 3-0.Â
Scouting CSUN
• No. 5 seed CSUN brings a 12-15 overall record into The Big West Championships. The Matadors ended the regular season with a 3-7 Big West record.
• The Matadors are ranked 14th in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll.Â
• As a team, the Matadors are hitting .307 and averaging 12.19 kills per set, while putting up 2.29 blocks per set.
• CSUN boasted three players on The Big West All-Conference Team. Junior setter Donovan Constable and redshirt senior outside hitter Kyle Hobus garnered First Team accolades, while redshirt junior Jalen Phillips earned Honorable Mention selection and a nod to the All-Freshman Team.
• Hobus leads the Matadors with 3.71 kills per set on a .285 attack percentage. He also leads the team in blocks (80) and aces (43).Â
• Phillips is right behind Hobus with 3.15 kills per set, while hitting .290. He also contributes 1.00 digs per set and 0.53 blocks per set.
• Constable is the Matadors' libero as he averages 9.73 assists per set to go along with a team-best 1.25 digs per set, 0.61 blocks per set, and 0.59 kills per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Matadors
Long Beach State and CSUN will meet for the 92nd time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 57-34 and have won the last seven matches against the Matadors. Earlier this season, Long Beach State swept the series against CSUN as LBSU earned a pair of sweeps over teh Matadors on April 5 and April 6. When facing each other on neutral territory, CSUN holds the edge, 8-7 over the Beach.
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 fourth honor of the season with a Defensive Player of the Week nod on Monday, April 16.
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 legendary numbers. Briggs has accumulated 888 career digs has he sits in second place all time at Long Beach State and is just 12 digs away from becoming just the second Long Beach State Men's Volleyball player to record 900 career digs at the Beach. 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, reached the 3,000-career assist milestone in the final match of the regular seaosn. Knipe is eighth all-time at the Beach and is in elite company as only seven other Long Beach State Men's Volleyball players have accomplished that feat in program history. Knipe now joins 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 .713 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 Big West Championships, they haven't let up. Long Beach State is averaging a nation-leading 3.26 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 18th with 0.95 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 2.29, a mark that is good for seventh 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 .183 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 .345 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 eighth the nation. With 795 helpers on the year, Knipe became just the eighth Long Beach State Men's Volleyball player to reach 3,000 career assists. Earlier this season, Knipe recorded a season-best 52 assists on two separate occasions.
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 (.183) and blocks per set (3.26). Additionally, LBSU comes in second in the league in hitting percentage (.345) 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 2.29 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 17-0 this season. LBSU has not dropped a home match since February 10, 2023 against UCLA. The Beach are currently riding a 25-match home winning streak dating back to last season. That streak ranks third in the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball Record Book behind 45-straight home wins from 2016-20, and 32-consecutive home victories from 1998-00.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 with a win in The Big West Championship Semifinals, the Beach will advance to the championship match which is scheduled for Saturday, April 20 at 10 p.m. (PT) / 7 p.m. (HT) at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center. The match will be broadcast live on Spectrum Sports on the islands, and on ESPN+ on the mainland.
Date: Friday, April 19
Time: 7:30 p.m. (PT) / 4:30 p.m. (HT)
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Venue: SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center
TV: Spectrum Sports (islands) / ESPN+ (mainland)
TV Talent: Kanoa Leahey & Chris McLachlin
Live Stats: BigWest.org/sidearmstats/mvball1
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
Top-Seeded Long Beach State Set For Big West Championship Semifinals
After securing the top seed in The Big West Men's Volleyball Championships, Long Beach State earned a bye into the semifinals. The Beach will play Friday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. (PT) / 4:30 p.m. (HT). LBSU will face the winner of the No. 4 seed UC San Diego-No. 5 seed CSUN match.
Catch All The Action
The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2024 Outrigger Big West Men's Volleyball Championships will be broadcast live on Spectrum Sports on the islands and on ESPN+ on the mainland. This season, 13 of LBSU's 17 home contests were 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). Live stats for The Big West Championship matches will also be available at BigWest.org/sidearmstats/mvball1.Â
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 splitting the series with UC Irvine last weekend, Long Beach State slid into the No. 2 spot in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll. The Beach remained in first as they garnered 10 first-place votes for a total of 445 points to come in just five points behind No. 1 UCLA, which claimed 13 first-place votes. This season, LBSU went 13-2 against nationally ranked opponents.
• UC San Diego moved back into the rankings this week as the Tritons come in at No. 20. UCSD closed the regular season splitting the series with Hawaii as the Rainbow Warriors won the first match, 3-1, and the Tritons swept the second, 3-0.
• CSUN remains at No. 14 in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll this week. The Matadors split the final regualr season home series against UC Santa Barbara as the Gauchos took the first set, 3-1, before CSUN bounced back and earned a four-set win in the second match.
• The Big West is one of the most competitive Division I Men's Volleyball conferences as five of the six Big West schools are nationally ranked, with three of them sitting in the Top 5.
About The Beach
• No. 2 Long Beach State comes into The Big West Championships with a 23-2 overall record. The Beach earned the top seed in the tournament after closing the regular season with a 9-1 conference mark.Â
• The Beach have now won The Big West Regular Season Title the last three-consecutive seasons (22, 23, 24).
• LBSU is looking to secure its spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year and for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.Â
• The Beach have now reached 20-plus wins 23 times in program history.
• On Wednesday, The Big West announced the 2024 All-Conference Teams and Long Beach State saw half a dozen players earn recognition. Leading the way, Mason Briggs, Aidan Knipe, Sotiris Siapanis, and Simon Torwie claimed All-First Team accolades. Meanwhile Skyler Varga garnered Honorable Mention status, while Lazar Bouchkov was named to the All-Freshman Team.
• Briggs earned the honors for the fifth time his collegiate career after leading the Long Beach State defense all season. The senior libero leads The Big West, and ranks seventh in the nation, with 2.29 digs per set. This year, he became just the sixth player in LBSU Men's Volleyball history to record 800 digs in his career. He has led the Beach in digs 22 times and has recorded double-figure digs on eight separate occasions.
• With his First Team selection, Knipe is now a two-time All-Big West honoree. He is in the midst of an excellent senior season in which he has led the Beach to a .345 attack percentage which is good for second in the conference and fifth in the nation. Knipe is averaging 10.19 assists per set to rank second in The Big West and eighth in the country. He concluded the regular season dishing out his 3,000th career assist on the match-winning point as he led LBSU to its third-straight Big West Regular Season Title. He is just the eighth player in Long Beach State Men's Volleyball history to reach the 3,000-career assist milestone. On the year, Knipe has recorded a pair of double-doubles as he recorded 52 assists and 11 digs at UC Santa Barbara (3/9) before registering 39 assists and 11 digs versus Hawaii (3/16) a week later.
• Siapanis has earned All-Big West First Team honors for the second time in as many seasons. The junior outside hitter ranks in the Top 10 in The Big West in kills (3.13), hitting percentage (.341), and points per set (3.79). He has led Long Beach State in kills nine times this season and has recorded two double-doubles on the year. Siapanis owns 15 double-figure kill performances, including a pair of season-high 18-kill showings.
• Torwie earned the honors for the second time in his Long Beach State career. The senior middle blocker is the nation's leader in blocks per set with 1.34. He has set the tone for the LBSU blocking defense that leads the country with 3.26 blocks per set. Additionally, Torwie contributes 0.35 aces per set to rank in The Big West Top 10. He has led the Beach in blocks 11 times this season and recorded a season-high 10 blocks against Hawaii (3/16). Torwie has contributed on both sides of the ball averaging 1.32 kills per set on a .425 (98-19-186) attack percentage.
• Varga collected Honorable Mention status after turning in a solid sophomore campaign. Playing on the right side, Varga ranks in The Big West Top 10 in kills (2.92), blocks (0.95), aces (0.39), and points per set (3.79). This season, he has led Long Beach State in kills five times, while leading the team in blocks four times, and in digs twice. He has recorded 11 double-figure kill performances, including a career-high 19 kills on two separate occasions. He recorded a double-double (14 kills, 10 digs) earlier this season against Penn State (3/1).
• Bouchkov was named to The Big West All-Freshman Team after playing in 54 sets for the Beach. In just 15 matches of action, the freshman middle blocker averaged 1.37 blocks per set to go along with 1.28 kills per set on a .463 (69-13-121) attack percentage. In his time on the court, Bouchkov led Long Beach State in blocks seven times and recorded a career-high 11 blocks against NJIT (1/20).
• 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 .713 winning percentage.
Scouting UC San Diego
• No. 4 seed UC San Diego comes into The Big West Championships with a 12-14 overall record. The Tritons finished the regular season with a 4-6 conference ledger.
• The Tritons are ranked 20th in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll.Â
• As a team, the Tritons are hitting .257 and averaging 10.88 kills per set, while putting up 2.23 blocks per set.
• UCSD landed two players on the All-Big West Teams. Junior opposite Anthony Cherfan was selected to the All-First Team, while Sebastian Lara earned Honorable Mention recognition.
• Cherfan leads the Tritons with 3.13 kills per set on a .238 attack percentage. He also is the squad's leader with 35 aces, while adding 1.20 digs per set and 0.65 blocks per set.
• Lara has been solid all year contributing 2.53 kills per set on a .262 attack percentage, while adding 0.84 digs per set and 0.44 blocks per set.
• UCSD platoons two setters in Gabriel Dyer and Cameron Wurl. Dyer leads the team with 8.96 assists per set, while Wurl adds 7.20. Dyer also leads the team with 2.24 digs per set, while adding 0.42 blocks per set.
• Libero Evan Boyle has logged a team-leading 162 digs in the backcourt to average 1.78 per set on the year.
• Jim Garrison patrols the net with a team-best 1.04 blocks per set to go along with 1.26 kills per set on a .397 clip.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Tritons
Long Beach State and UC San Diego will meet for the 83rd time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 76-6 and have won the last four meetings. Earlier this season, Long Beach State swpet the series against UC San Diego as LBSU closed out the month of March with a pair of sweeps over UCSD. When playing each other on neutral ground, Long Beach State leads the series 3-0.Â
Scouting CSUN
• No. 5 seed CSUN brings a 12-15 overall record into The Big West Championships. The Matadors ended the regular season with a 3-7 Big West record.
• The Matadors are ranked 14th in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll.Â
• As a team, the Matadors are hitting .307 and averaging 12.19 kills per set, while putting up 2.29 blocks per set.
• CSUN boasted three players on The Big West All-Conference Team. Junior setter Donovan Constable and redshirt senior outside hitter Kyle Hobus garnered First Team accolades, while redshirt junior Jalen Phillips earned Honorable Mention selection and a nod to the All-Freshman Team.
• Hobus leads the Matadors with 3.71 kills per set on a .285 attack percentage. He also leads the team in blocks (80) and aces (43).Â
• Phillips is right behind Hobus with 3.15 kills per set, while hitting .290. He also contributes 1.00 digs per set and 0.53 blocks per set.
• Constable is the Matadors' libero as he averages 9.73 assists per set to go along with a team-best 1.25 digs per set, 0.61 blocks per set, and 0.59 kills per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Matadors
Long Beach State and CSUN will meet for the 92nd time in program history. The Beach lead the all-time series 57-34 and have won the last seven matches against the Matadors. Earlier this season, Long Beach State swept the series against CSUN as LBSU earned a pair of sweeps over teh Matadors on April 5 and April 6. When facing each other on neutral territory, CSUN holds the edge, 8-7 over the Beach.
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 fourth honor of the season with a Defensive Player of the Week nod on Monday, April 16.
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 legendary numbers. Briggs has accumulated 888 career digs has he sits in second place all time at Long Beach State and is just 12 digs away from becoming just the second Long Beach State Men's Volleyball player to record 900 career digs at the Beach. 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, reached the 3,000-career assist milestone in the final match of the regular seaosn. Knipe is eighth all-time at the Beach and is in elite company as only seven other Long Beach State Men's Volleyball players have accomplished that feat in program history. Knipe now joins 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 .713 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 Big West Championships, they haven't let up. Long Beach State is averaging a nation-leading 3.26 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 18th with 0.95 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 2.29, a mark that is good for seventh 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 .183 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 .345 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 eighth the nation. With 795 helpers on the year, Knipe became just the eighth Long Beach State Men's Volleyball player to reach 3,000 career assists. Earlier this season, Knipe recorded a season-best 52 assists on two separate occasions.
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 (.183) and blocks per set (3.26). Additionally, LBSU comes in second in the league in hitting percentage (.345) 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 2.29 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 17-0 this season. LBSU has not dropped a home match since February 10, 2023 against UCLA. The Beach are currently riding a 25-match home winning streak dating back to last season. That streak ranks third in the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball Record Book behind 45-straight home wins from 2016-20, and 32-consecutive home victories from 1998-00.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 with a win in The Big West Championship Semifinals, the Beach will advance to the championship match which is scheduled for Saturday, April 20 at 10 p.m. (PT) / 7 p.m. (HT) at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center. The match will be broadcast live on Spectrum Sports on the islands, and on ESPN+ on the mainland.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's VolleyballNCAA National Collegiate Championship Post Match Press Conference (Finals)- #1 UCLA
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#2 Long Beach State Practice Day 2024 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Press Conference
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