Long Beach State University
Fort Valley State
No. 1 LBSU Men’s Volleyball To Compete In The Inaugural Silver State Showcase
1/28/2025 1:00:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
The No. 1 Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball team is set to compete in the Silver State Showcase against powerhouse teams, Final Four contender Grand Canyon, Elite Eight participant Belmont Abbey, and Ft. Valley from Georgia, an HBCU making waves in the sport.
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (6-0) @ FORT VALLEY STATE (2-4)
Friday, January 31 • 4:00 p.m. (PT) • Reno, Nev. • The Reno Event Center
Live Stream: Baller TV
Live Stats: TBA
X: @LBSUMVB
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (6-0) @ BELMONT ABBEY
Saturday, February 1 • 7:00 p.m. (PT) • Reno, Nev. • The Reno Event Center
Live Stream: Baller TV
Live Stats: TBA
X: @LBSUMVB
No. 1 LBSU Men's Volleyball to Compete in the Inaugural Silver State Showcase
The No. 1 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team is set to compete in the Silver State Showcase against powerhouse teams, Final Four contender Grand Canyon, Elite Eight participant Belmont Abbey, and Ft. Valley from Georgia, an HBCU making waves in the sport.
Catch All The Action
LB Nation can live stream Long Beach State's matches from the Silver State Showcase in Nevada at Baller TV. Live stats for the games will be announced later on.
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. 1 Long Beach State opened the 2025 campaign with a dominant 3-0 sweep of Saint Francis on Friday, Jan. 10.
• 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.
• 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 eaarned 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 a decisive 3-2 win at Pepperdine last weekend. The Beach garnered 459 total points and 22 first-place votes.
• 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. 11 Grand Canyon, No. 10 Pepperdine, No. 12 Lewis, No.16 CSUN, No. 14 UC Santa Barbara, No. 15 UC San Diego, and No. 18 Princeton. Additionally, the Beach will play one team that is receiving votes in NJIT (13).
• Belmont Abbey comes into the match against Long Beach State unranked. The Crusaders are 1-2 this season.
• Fort Valley State comes into the match against Long Beach State unranked. The Wildcats are 2-4 this season.
Scouting Fort Valley State
• Fort Valley State comes into the match against the Beach with a 2-4 overall record after sweeping Emmanuel University at home.
• The Wildcats are averaging 10.9 kills per set on a .256 attack percentage. Additionally, Fort Valley State adds 7.90 digs per set and 1.50 blocks per set to go along with 1.30 aces per set.
• Isaiah Fedd leads the Wildcats with 4.24 kills per set on a .388 attack percentage.
• At setter, Oshane Farquharson has distributed 146 assists for a 7.30 assists per set average on his way to guiding the Wildcats to a .256 clip. He also contributes 1.10 kills per set on a .348 attack percentage.
• In the backrow, Jaequon Henderson anchors the defense with .78 digs per set, while also chipping in .22 assists per set.
• At the net, Muhammad Mbaye leads the way with 9 blocks to average .64 per set.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Wildcats
Long Beach State and Fort Valley State will meet for the first time in program history after both making it to the NCAA Championship Tournament in 2024.
Scouting Belmont Abbey
• Belmont Abbey comes into the match against the Beach with a 1-2 overall record after losing to Queens University at home.
• The Crusaders are averaging 12 kills per set on a .154 attack percentage. Additionally, Belmont Abbey adds 9.4 digs per set and 2 blocks per set to go along with 1.3 aces per set.
• Jibriel Elhaddad leads the Crusaders with 2.27 kills per set on a .392 attack percentage.
• At setter, Joseph Morris has distributed 92 assists for a 8.36 assists per set average on his way to guiding the Crusaders to a .154 clip. He also contributes 1.18 kills per set on the year.
• In the backrow, Alejandro Leon anchors the defense with 2.55 digs per set, while also chipping in .55 assists per set.
• At the net, Ethan Rehmann leads the way with 10 blocks to average 0.91 per set. He also adds 1 kill per set on a .192 clip.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Crusaders
Long Beach State and Belmont Abbey will meet for only the second time in program history. The two teams will meet for the first time since April 30, 2024 when LBSU swept Belmont Abbey, 3-0 [25-18, 25-14, 25-11] in Long Beach, Calif. during the NCAA Championship Tournament.
Among The Nation's Best
Long Beach State is ranked in the Top 25 in in the country in half a dozen different statistical categories this season. The Beach are second in the nation in hitting percentage (.412), third in blocks per set (2.90) and fourth in kills per set (13.33). If that weren't enough, LBSU ranks sixth in assists per set (12.19) and seventh in aces (2.10 per set). Individually, the Beach boasts five players who rank in the Top 50 in the nation. Leading the way, setter Moni Nikolov ranks first in aces per set (1.05), as well as being ranked for assists (16th - 9.90) and digs (T21st - 2.10). Three players are ranked in the Top 20 for hitting percentage. Sotiris Siapanis leads the way being ranked sixth (.442). Daniil Hershtynovich comes in 10th (.418) and Skyler Varga at 14th (.405).
Up Next
Long Beach State will host #3 UCLA, the defending National Champions, on Friday, February 7th at 7:00 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid.
