Long Beach State University
Concordia Irvine
Men's Volleyball Returns Home To Face Concordia Before Playing at Pepperdine
1/22/2025 1:21:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
The No. 1 Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball team is back home in The Goldmine and will travel a short disctance to Malibu. The Beach will host Concordia on Friday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. On Sunday, Jan. 26 Long Beach will take on Pepperdine in Malibu at the Firestone Fieldhouse.
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (4-0) vs. CONCORDIA (4-1)
Friday, January 24 • 7:00 p.m. • Long Beach, Calif. • The Goldmine
TV:Â ESPN+
Live Stats:Â beachlivestats.comÂ
X:Â @LBSUMVB
#1Â LONG BEACH STATE (4-0) @Â PEPPERDINEÂ (3-0)
Sunday, January 26 • 5:00 p.m. • Malibu, Calif. • Firestone Fieldhouse
TV:Â Big10+
Live Stats:Â http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=561389Â
X:Â @LBSUMVB
LONG BEACH, Calif. --Â The No. 1 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team is back home in The Goldmine and will travel a short disctance to Malibu. The Beach will host Concordia on Friday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. On Sunday, Jan. 26 Long Beach will take on Pepperdine in Malibu at the Firestone Fieldhouse.
Catch All The Action
The Beach's match at home will be broadcast live on ESPN+. LB Nation can live stream Long Beach State's match at Pepperdine on Big10+. Live stats for all home games will be 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 X. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at @LBSU. And don't forget our hashtag #GoBeach.
About The Beach
• No. 2 Long Beach State opened the 2025 campaign with a dominant 3-0 sweep of Saint Francis on Friday, Jan. 10.Â
• The Beach are looking to build on a successful 2024 season which saw the post a 27-3 overall record in a season in which they were the National Runner Up. The Beach went 9-1 in Big West action winning their third-straight regular season title and second conference tournament title.
• Long Beach State Head Coach Alan Knipe returns to the helm for his 22nd season. The winningest coach in LBSU Men's Volleyball program history, Knipe owns a career record of 420-168 for a winning percentage of 714.
• Knipe's staff of Associate Head Coach Nick MacRae, Assistant Coach McKay Smith, Volunteer Assistant Coach Andy Read, and Technical Coordinator Jon Parry are also back for the Beach. The seasoned quartet have worked together for the last eight seasons helping Long Beach State capture two NCAA National Titles, two Big West Championships, and have led the Beach to six NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The Beach return 16 players from one year ago and welcome eight newcomers.Â
• Senior outside hitter Sotiris Siapanis and junior opposite Skyler Varga return to the court after having been named AVCA All-Americans last season. Siapanis garnered First Team accolades, while Varga earned Honorable Mention status.
• Siapanis and Varga, along with sophomore middle blocker Lazar Bouchkov earned All-Big West Honors. Siapanis led the way with a First Team nod, while Varga collected Honorable Mention recognition, and Bouchkov was named to the All-Freshman Team.
• Freshman setter Moni Nikolov leads a talented group of newcomers. Nikolov comes to LBSU from Sofia, Bulgaria where he was a nine-time national champion in his age group. A member of the Bulgarian National Team, Nikolov also played with the U19 squad and helped his team win the European Championship Bronze Medal.
• In addition to Nikolov, freshman liberos Kellen Larson and Ford Harman also highlight the newcomers on the roster. Larson was the starting libero on the USA Boys National Team, while Harman was a First Team All-American at AAU Junior Nationals.
In the Rankings
• Long Beach State is ranked No. 1 in the AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Poll after picking up three more wins on the road, two of them being sweeps over their opponents. The Beach garnered 459 total points and 22 first-place votes.
• Concordia comes into the match against Long Beach State unranked. The Golden Eagles are 4-1 this season and currently hold a two-win streak.
• Pepperdine opened the season ranked 10th in the AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Preseason Poll, and are currently undefeated.
• The Big West is one of the most competitive Division I Men's Volleyball conferences as all six Big West schools are nationally ranked, with three of them sitting in the Top 5.
• This season, Long Beach State will face 10 nationally ranked opponents in No. 3 UCLA, No. 2 UC Irvine, No. 4 Hawaii, No. 10 Grand Canyon, No. 11 Pepperdine, No. 13 Lewis, No. 15 CSUN, No. 16 UC Santa Barbara, No. 14 UC San Diego, and No. 18 Princeton. Additionally, the Beach will play five teams that are receiving votes in McKendree (18), NJIT (14), Belmont Abbey (5), and Saint Francis (7).
Scouting Concordia
• Concordia comes into the match against the Beach with a 4-1 overall record after sweeping D'Youville at home.
• The Golden Eagles are averaging 10.4 kills per set on a .275 attack percentage. Additionally, Concordia adds 7.50 digs per set and 2.50 blocks per set to go along with 2.40 aces per set.
• Ties Cornelissen leads the Golden Eagles with 3.17 kills per set on a .316 attack percentage.Â
• At setter, Colin Marks has distributed 151 assists for a 7.95 assists per set average on his way to guiding the Golden Eagles to a .275 clip. He also contributes .63 blocks per set on the year.
• In the backrow, Ryan Sears anchors the defense with 2.07 digs per set, while also chipping in .60 assists per set.Â
• At the net, Clement Osahon Jr. leads the way with 23 blocks to average 1.21 per set. He also adds 1.42 kills per set on a .477 clip.Â
The Series: The Beach vs. The Golden Eagles
Long Beach State and Concordia will meet for the seventh time in program history. Overall, the Beach lead the all-time series 6-0 as the Golden Eagles are looking for their first ever win over LBSU. When playing each other in Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach State holds the edge 4-0. The two teams will meet for the first time since January 27, 2024 when LBSU swept Concordia, 3-0 [25-15, 25-8, 25-9] in Long Beach, Calif.Â
Scouting Pepperdine
• Pepperdine comes into the match against the Beach with a 3-0 overall record after sweeping Emmanuel University at home. They are currently ranked 11th in the AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Poll.
• The Waves are averaging 14.22 kills per set on a .552 attack percentage. Additionally, Pepperdine adds 9.33 digs per set and 1.78 blocks per set to go along with 3.56 aces per set.
• Ryan Barnett leads the Waves with 4.50 kills per set on a .537 attack percentage.Â
• At setter, Gabriel Dyer has distributed 52 assists for a 7.43 assists per set average on his way to guiding the Waves to a .552 clip. He also contributes 2.29 digs per set on the year.
• In the backrow, Jacob Reilly anchors the defense with 1.44 digs per set, while also chipping in .56 assists per set.Â
• At the net, Cole Hartke leads the way with 7 blocks to average 1.17 per set. He also adds 3.00 kills per set on a .708 clip.Â
The Series: The Beach vs. The Waves
Long Beach State and Pepperdine will meet for the eighty ninth time in program history. Overall, the Beach lead the all-time series 45-43 as Pepperdine is looking for their first win over LBSU in ten years. When playing each other in Malibu, Calif., Pepperdine holds the edge 23-15. The two teams will meet for the first time since January 26, 2024 when LBSU swept Pepperdine, 3-0 [25-19, 25-13, 25-21] in Long Beach, Calif.
Up Next
Long Beach State will be on the road competing in the Silver State Showcase in Reno, Nevada. They will take on Fort Valley State at 4 p.m. on January 31. On February 1 at 4 p.m. they will take on Belmont Abbey.
