Half A Dozen LBSU Men’s Volleyball Players Earn AVCA All-American Honors
4/29/2024 8:05:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
Mason Briggs, Sotiris Siapanis and Simon Torwie collect All-First Team accolades, while Aidan Knipe garners All-Second Team honors, and Clarke Godbold and Skyler Varga take earn Honorable Mention status
LONG BEACH, Calif. – On Monday morning, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), announced the 2024 AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball All-America Teams, and Long Beach State boasted half a dozen selections. Mason Briggs, Sotiris Siapanis, and Simon Torwie were named to the AVCA All-America First Team, while Aidan Knipe collected Second Team honors, and Clarke Godbold and Skyler Varga earned Honorable Mention status.
The list includes 24 players – 12 each on the first and second teams – from 11 schools. Long Beach State, along with Grand Canyon, lead the way with four players each on the first and second teams.
With the First Team honor, Briggs becomes a four-time All-American after receiving AVCA First Team Honors three times (2022-24) and Second Team honors in 2020. In 2021, he garnered Honorable Mention status. Briggs, a five-time All-Big West honoree, has led the Long Beach State defense all season. The senior libero leads The Big West, and ranks in the Top 10 in the nation, with 2.24 digs per set. This season he became the sixth player in LBSU Men's Volleyball history to record 800 digs in his career, then in The Big West Championships, moved into second place all-time at the Beach with 902 career digs, becoming just the second Long Beach State player to ever reach the 900-career dig milestone. This season, Briggs has led the Beach in digs 23 times and has recorded double-figure digs on eight separate occasions.
Siapanis took home AVCA All-American honors for the second time in his career with the Beach. Earlier this season, he earned All-Big West First Team honors for the second-straight season. The junior outside hitter ranks in the Top 10 in The Big West in kills (3.16), hitting percentage (.350), digs (1.45) and points per set (3.82). He has led Long Beach State in kills nine times this season and has recorded three double-doubles on the year. Siapanis owns 17 double-figure kill performances, including a pair of season-high 18-kill showings.
Torwie claims his second AVCA All-American honor, just a week after being named to the All-Big West First Team. Torwie is the nation's leader in blocks per set with 1.37. He has set the tone for the LBSU blocking defense that leads the country with 3.23 blocks per set. Additionally, Torwie contributes 0.34 aces per set to rank in The Big West Top 10. He has led the Beach in blocks 13 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 .417 (108-22-206) attack percentage.
After earning AVCA Honorable Mention status the last two season, Knipe garnered All-AVCA Second Team honors for the first time in his career. A 2024 All-Big West First Team selection, Knipe is in the midst of an excellent senior season in which he has led the Beach to a .346 attack percentage which is good for second in the conference and fifth in the nation. Knipe is averaging 10.23 assists per set to rank second in The Big West and seventh 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. With 3,085, Knipe 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.
Godbold collects AVCA Honorable Mention accolades for the first time in his career. He previously was named to the AVCA All-American Second Team in 2022 and 2023. The senior outside hitter saw action in 20 matches this season, and in that time averaged a team-leading 3.31 kills per set and 4.06 points per set, which ranked him fourth in The Big West. He also hit .342 on the year, to rank third in the conference and 17th in the nation, while also contributing 0.87 blocks per set which is good for ninth in the league. Godbold heads into the NCAA Tournament with 14 double-figure kills performances, including a season-high 21-kill performance at NJIT (1/20). He has led the Beach in kills 11 times this season including a pair of double-digit kill showings in The Big West Championships that helped the Beach capture their second conference tournament title, while Godbold took home MVP honors.
Varga is a sophomore opposite who earned AVCA Honorable Mention status for the first time in his collegiate career as well. He is the team-leader in aces per set (0.36) which ranks him in the Top 10 in The Big West. His 0.92 blocks per set, 3.75 points per set, and 2.92 kills per set are good for sixth, eighth, and ninth, respectively, in the league. This season, Varga las recorded 14 double-figure kill performances, while leading the Beach in kills on five separate occasions, and leading the team in blocks four times. He registered a double-double on March 1 against Penn State when he posted 14 kills and 10 digs, while hitting .444 in the match.
No. 2 Long Beach State will begin action in the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday, April 30 against No. 7 Belmont Abbey. First serve is set for 5 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid. The match will be broadcast live on NCAA.com.
The list includes 24 players – 12 each on the first and second teams – from 11 schools. Long Beach State, along with Grand Canyon, lead the way with four players each on the first and second teams.
With the First Team honor, Briggs becomes a four-time All-American after receiving AVCA First Team Honors three times (2022-24) and Second Team honors in 2020. In 2021, he garnered Honorable Mention status. Briggs, a five-time All-Big West honoree, has led the Long Beach State defense all season. The senior libero leads The Big West, and ranks in the Top 10 in the nation, with 2.24 digs per set. This season he became the sixth player in LBSU Men's Volleyball history to record 800 digs in his career, then in The Big West Championships, moved into second place all-time at the Beach with 902 career digs, becoming just the second Long Beach State player to ever reach the 900-career dig milestone. This season, Briggs has led the Beach in digs 23 times and has recorded double-figure digs on eight separate occasions.
Siapanis took home AVCA All-American honors for the second time in his career with the Beach. Earlier this season, he earned All-Big West First Team honors for the second-straight season. The junior outside hitter ranks in the Top 10 in The Big West in kills (3.16), hitting percentage (.350), digs (1.45) and points per set (3.82). He has led Long Beach State in kills nine times this season and has recorded three double-doubles on the year. Siapanis owns 17 double-figure kill performances, including a pair of season-high 18-kill showings.
Torwie claims his second AVCA All-American honor, just a week after being named to the All-Big West First Team. Torwie is the nation's leader in blocks per set with 1.37. He has set the tone for the LBSU blocking defense that leads the country with 3.23 blocks per set. Additionally, Torwie contributes 0.34 aces per set to rank in The Big West Top 10. He has led the Beach in blocks 13 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 .417 (108-22-206) attack percentage.
After earning AVCA Honorable Mention status the last two season, Knipe garnered All-AVCA Second Team honors for the first time in his career. A 2024 All-Big West First Team selection, Knipe is in the midst of an excellent senior season in which he has led the Beach to a .346 attack percentage which is good for second in the conference and fifth in the nation. Knipe is averaging 10.23 assists per set to rank second in The Big West and seventh 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. With 3,085, Knipe 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.
Godbold collects AVCA Honorable Mention accolades for the first time in his career. He previously was named to the AVCA All-American Second Team in 2022 and 2023. The senior outside hitter saw action in 20 matches this season, and in that time averaged a team-leading 3.31 kills per set and 4.06 points per set, which ranked him fourth in The Big West. He also hit .342 on the year, to rank third in the conference and 17th in the nation, while also contributing 0.87 blocks per set which is good for ninth in the league. Godbold heads into the NCAA Tournament with 14 double-figure kills performances, including a season-high 21-kill performance at NJIT (1/20). He has led the Beach in kills 11 times this season including a pair of double-digit kill showings in The Big West Championships that helped the Beach capture their second conference tournament title, while Godbold took home MVP honors.
Varga is a sophomore opposite who earned AVCA Honorable Mention status for the first time in his collegiate career as well. He is the team-leader in aces per set (0.36) which ranks him in the Top 10 in The Big West. His 0.92 blocks per set, 3.75 points per set, and 2.92 kills per set are good for sixth, eighth, and ninth, respectively, in the league. This season, Varga las recorded 14 double-figure kill performances, while leading the Beach in kills on five separate occasions, and leading the team in blocks four times. He registered a double-double on March 1 against Penn State when he posted 14 kills and 10 digs, while hitting .444 in the match.
No. 2 Long Beach State will begin action in the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday, April 30 against No. 7 Belmont Abbey. First serve is set for 5 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid. The match will be broadcast live on NCAA.com.
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