Tuesday, April 30
Long Beach, Calif.
5 p.m.
Long Beach State University
vs
Belmont Abbey
No. 2 Long Beach State Opens 2024 National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Tournament Against No. 7 Belmont Abbey
4/29/2024 11:22:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
The Beach host the Crusaders in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Tuesday, April 30 at 5 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid
#2 LONG BEACH STATE (25-2) vs. #7 BELMONT ABBEY (21-4)
Date: Tuesday, April 30
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stream: NCAA.com
Talent: Daniel Gillman & Rob St. Claire
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
No. 2 Long Beach State Opens 2024 National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Tournament Against No. 7 Belmont Abbey
No. 2 Long Beach State is set to take on No. 7 Belmont Abbey in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Tuesday, April 30 at 5 p.m., at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. The Beach are making their 14th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and their seventh showing in the last eight seasons.
Catch All The Action
The 2024 National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be broadcast live on NCAA.com, while the Championship match will be on ESPN2. Fans can also follow the action on 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 winning The Big West Championship, Long Beach State moved back into the top spot in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll. The Beach garnered 19 first-place votes for a total of 455 points. This season, LBSU went 15-2 against nationally ranked opponents. Depsite being ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Poll, Long Beach State is the No. 2 seed in The NCAA Tournament.
• Belmont Abbey is unranked in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll, but comes into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 7 seed. The Crusaders are 21-4 overall and posted a 13-1 record in Conference Carolinas action.
• 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 brings a 25-2 overall record into the NCAA Tournament. The Beach closed the regular season with a 9-1 Big West mark.
• After winning The Big West Championship for the second time in program history, Long Beach State punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in program history.
• Long Beach State is 14-10 in the NCAA Tournament and has won three National Titles (1991, 2018, and 2019).
• LBSU secured its spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year and for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
• The Beach have now reached 20-plus wins 23 times in program history.
• On Monday morning, the AVCA announced the 2024 All-America Teams and Long Beach State boasted three on the First Team, one on the Second Team, and two Honorable Mention selections. Mason Briggs, Sotiris Siapanis, and Simon Torwie were LBSU's First Team honorees, while Aidan Knipe was named to the Second Team, and Clarke Godbold and Skyler Varga earned Honorable Mention status.
• Briggs, Knipe, Siapanis, and Torwie claimed Big West All-First Team accolades. Meanwhile Varga garnered Big West Honorable Mention status, while Lazar Bouchkov was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team.
• Also earning Big West accolades was Long Beach State Head Coach Alan Knipe who was named Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.
• With the AVCA 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.
• 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 .714 winning percentage.
Scouting Belmont Abbey
• No. 7 Belmont Abbey owns a 21-4 overall record heading into The NCAA Tournament. The Crusaders closed the regular season with a 13-1 record in Conference Carolinas.
• The Crusaders won both the Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament titles.
• Belmont Abbey defeated North Greenville, 3-1, to capture its second tournament title in the last four years.
• The Crusaders will be making their second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. In 2021, the No. 7 seed Abbey fell in straight sets to No. 6 seed Penn State.
• Zach Puentes leads the Crusaders with 3.46 kills per set on a .257 attack percentage. He also contributes 1.47 digs and 0.52 blocks per set on the year.
• Joseph Morris is the Crusaders' setter as he has led the team to a .279 attack percentage with his 9.52 assists per set.
• Alejandro Leon is the Crusaders' libero. He paces the back row with 2.30 digs per set.
• At the net, Jibriel Elhaddad has put up 109 total blocks to average 1.30 blocks per set. He also adds 1.68 kills per set on a .276 clip.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Crusaders
Long Beach State and Belmont Abbey will meet for the first time in program history.
AVCA All-Americans
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.
Big West Coach of the Year
The Big West announced its individual award winners on Tuesday morning and Long Beach State's Alan Knipe was named Big West Coach of the Year for the third time in his career after having taken home the award in 2018 and 2019.
Knipe, who is in his 21st year at the helm of the Beach, has led Long Beach State to a 25-2 overall record as the team heads into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed. In Big West action, Knipe's squad went 9-1 and won the regular season title for the third-straight year.
Long Beach State is making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Under Knipe's guidance, the Beach will be in the postseason for the ninth time, and for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
This season, Knipe mentored six Big West All-Conference selections. Mason Briggs, Aidan Knipe, Sotiris Siapanis, and Simon Torwie were all named to the First Team, while Skyler Varga earned Honorable Mention status, and Lazar Bouchkov was named to the All-Freshman Team. Throughout his career, Knipe has coached 96 All-Conference selections and 70 All-Americans.
The all-time winningest coach in Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program history, Knipe earned his 400th career victory earlier this season with a 3-0 sweep of King University on February 2. He owns a 417-167 overall record for a .714 winning percentage. During his career, Knipe has led the Beach to two NCAA National Championships (2018 and 2019), coached half a dozen National Players of the Year, and has been named Conference Coach of the Year five times, and National Coach of the Year three times.
In addition to having coached the Beach for more than two decades, Knipe also spent some time at the helm of the U.S. Men's National Team from 2009-12. During that time, he led the team to the 2012 Olympic Games where they won Pool B, after having won the Silver Medal at the 2012 FIVB World League, and the Gold Medal at the 2012 NORCECA Olympic Qualifier.
Earlier this season, USA Volleyball announced that Knipe would be recognized as an All-Time Great Coach at the 2024 Hall of Fame annual banquet and ceremony. Knipe will receive the Donald S. Shondell All-Time Great Coach Award on May 22 at the Hilton Polaris in Columbus, Ohio.
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.
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 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 902 career digs has he sits in second place all time at Long Beach State. He is 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 with 3,085 assists 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.
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 76 All-America selections and 96 All-Conference selections, while mentoring numerous players who have gone on to play professionally overseas and on the AVP circuit.
Block Party
The Beach started the 2024 season with a strong blocking defense presence at the net and as they head into The Big West Championships, they haven't let up. Long Beach State is averaging a nation-leading 3.23 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 1.37 blocks per set which leads the nation. Meanwhile, sophomore opposite Skyler Varga comes in 21st with 0.92 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 2.24, a mark that is good for 10th 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 70 occasions. With his solid defense, Briggs has helped limit opponents to a .189 attack percentage, which leads The Big West and ranks second in the country.
Helping Hands
Senior setter Aidan Knipe has done an excellent job this season piloting the Beach to a .346 attack percentage, which is good for second in the conference and fifth in the country. Knipe has dished out 10.23 assists per set to come in second in the league and seventh in the nation. With 880 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 (.189) and blocks per set (3.23). Additionally, LBSU comes in second in the league in hitting percentage (.346) and service aces per set (1.71).
Individually, LBSU has two players who lead the conference as Simon Torwie sets the standard in blocks per set (1.37), and Mason Briggs owns a league-leading 2.24 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.
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.
Next Up
Should Long Beach State defeat Belmont Abbey in the NCAA Quarterfinals, the Beach will advance to the Final Four. LBSU would play in the second Semifinal match on Thursday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m.
Date: Tuesday, April 30
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stream: NCAA.com
Talent: Daniel Gillman & Rob St. Claire
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUMVB
No. 2 Long Beach State Opens 2024 National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Tournament Against No. 7 Belmont Abbey
No. 2 Long Beach State is set to take on No. 7 Belmont Abbey in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Tuesday, April 30 at 5 p.m., at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. The Beach are making their 14th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and their seventh showing in the last eight seasons.
Catch All The Action
The 2024 National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be broadcast live on NCAA.com, while the Championship match will be on ESPN2. Fans can also follow the action on 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 winning The Big West Championship, Long Beach State moved back into the top spot in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll. The Beach garnered 19 first-place votes for a total of 455 points. This season, LBSU went 15-2 against nationally ranked opponents. Depsite being ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Poll, Long Beach State is the No. 2 seed in The NCAA Tournament.
• Belmont Abbey is unranked in the NVA/AVCA Coaches Poll, but comes into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 7 seed. The Crusaders are 21-4 overall and posted a 13-1 record in Conference Carolinas action.
• 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 brings a 25-2 overall record into the NCAA Tournament. The Beach closed the regular season with a 9-1 Big West mark.
• After winning The Big West Championship for the second time in program history, Long Beach State punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in program history.
• Long Beach State is 14-10 in the NCAA Tournament and has won three National Titles (1991, 2018, and 2019).
• LBSU secured its spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year and for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
• The Beach have now reached 20-plus wins 23 times in program history.
• On Monday morning, the AVCA announced the 2024 All-America Teams and Long Beach State boasted three on the First Team, one on the Second Team, and two Honorable Mention selections. Mason Briggs, Sotiris Siapanis, and Simon Torwie were LBSU's First Team honorees, while Aidan Knipe was named to the Second Team, and Clarke Godbold and Skyler Varga earned Honorable Mention status.
• Briggs, Knipe, Siapanis, and Torwie claimed Big West All-First Team accolades. Meanwhile Varga garnered Big West Honorable Mention status, while Lazar Bouchkov was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team.
• Also earning Big West accolades was Long Beach State Head Coach Alan Knipe who was named Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.
• With the AVCA 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.
• 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 .714 winning percentage.
Scouting Belmont Abbey
• No. 7 Belmont Abbey owns a 21-4 overall record heading into The NCAA Tournament. The Crusaders closed the regular season with a 13-1 record in Conference Carolinas.
• The Crusaders won both the Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament titles.
• Belmont Abbey defeated North Greenville, 3-1, to capture its second tournament title in the last four years.
• The Crusaders will be making their second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. In 2021, the No. 7 seed Abbey fell in straight sets to No. 6 seed Penn State.
• Zach Puentes leads the Crusaders with 3.46 kills per set on a .257 attack percentage. He also contributes 1.47 digs and 0.52 blocks per set on the year.
• Joseph Morris is the Crusaders' setter as he has led the team to a .279 attack percentage with his 9.52 assists per set.
• Alejandro Leon is the Crusaders' libero. He paces the back row with 2.30 digs per set.
• At the net, Jibriel Elhaddad has put up 109 total blocks to average 1.30 blocks per set. He also adds 1.68 kills per set on a .276 clip.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Crusaders
Long Beach State and Belmont Abbey will meet for the first time in program history.
AVCA All-Americans
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.
Big West Coach of the Year
The Big West announced its individual award winners on Tuesday morning and Long Beach State's Alan Knipe was named Big West Coach of the Year for the third time in his career after having taken home the award in 2018 and 2019.
Knipe, who is in his 21st year at the helm of the Beach, has led Long Beach State to a 25-2 overall record as the team heads into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed. In Big West action, Knipe's squad went 9-1 and won the regular season title for the third-straight year.
Long Beach State is making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Under Knipe's guidance, the Beach will be in the postseason for the ninth time, and for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
This season, Knipe mentored six Big West All-Conference selections. Mason Briggs, Aidan Knipe, Sotiris Siapanis, and Simon Torwie were all named to the First Team, while Skyler Varga earned Honorable Mention status, and Lazar Bouchkov was named to the All-Freshman Team. Throughout his career, Knipe has coached 96 All-Conference selections and 70 All-Americans.
The all-time winningest coach in Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program history, Knipe earned his 400th career victory earlier this season with a 3-0 sweep of King University on February 2. He owns a 417-167 overall record for a .714 winning percentage. During his career, Knipe has led the Beach to two NCAA National Championships (2018 and 2019), coached half a dozen National Players of the Year, and has been named Conference Coach of the Year five times, and National Coach of the Year three times.
In addition to having coached the Beach for more than two decades, Knipe also spent some time at the helm of the U.S. Men's National Team from 2009-12. During that time, he led the team to the 2012 Olympic Games where they won Pool B, after having won the Silver Medal at the 2012 FIVB World League, and the Gold Medal at the 2012 NORCECA Olympic Qualifier.
Earlier this season, USA Volleyball announced that Knipe would be recognized as an All-Time Great Coach at the 2024 Hall of Fame annual banquet and ceremony. Knipe will receive the Donald S. Shondell All-Time Great Coach Award on May 22 at the Hilton Polaris in Columbus, Ohio.
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.
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 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 902 career digs has he sits in second place all time at Long Beach State. He is 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 with 3,085 assists 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.
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 76 All-America selections and 96 All-Conference selections, while mentoring numerous players who have gone on to play professionally overseas and on the AVP circuit.
Block Party
The Beach started the 2024 season with a strong blocking defense presence at the net and as they head into The Big West Championships, they haven't let up. Long Beach State is averaging a nation-leading 3.23 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 1.37 blocks per set which leads the nation. Meanwhile, sophomore opposite Skyler Varga comes in 21st with 0.92 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 2.24, a mark that is good for 10th 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 70 occasions. With his solid defense, Briggs has helped limit opponents to a .189 attack percentage, which leads The Big West and ranks second in the country.
Helping Hands
Senior setter Aidan Knipe has done an excellent job this season piloting the Beach to a .346 attack percentage, which is good for second in the conference and fifth in the country. Knipe has dished out 10.23 assists per set to come in second in the league and seventh in the nation. With 880 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 (.189) and blocks per set (3.23). Additionally, LBSU comes in second in the league in hitting percentage (.346) and service aces per set (1.71).
Individually, LBSU has two players who lead the conference as Simon Torwie sets the standard in blocks per set (1.37), and Mason Briggs owns a league-leading 2.24 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.
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.
Next Up
Should Long Beach State defeat Belmont Abbey in the NCAA Quarterfinals, the Beach will advance to the Final Four. LBSU would play in the second Semifinal match on Thursday, May 2 at 6:30 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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NCAA National Collegiate Championship Post-Match Press Conference (Finals) #2 Long Beach State
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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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