Thursday, October 23
Northridge, Calif.
6 p.m.
Long Beach State University
at
CSUN
Photo by: Kat Acosta @photosbyKatAcosta
Beach Looks To Keep Big West Momentum Rolling With Split Week Against CSUN, CSUB
10/22/2025 9:15:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Long Beach State hits the road Thursday before returning to the Walter Pyramid Saturday .
WHAT'S COMING UP FOR LBSU
MATCH 20
Long Beach State (14-5, 7-1 Big West) at CSUN (11-8, 4-4 Big West)
Thursday, Oct. 23 • 6 p.m. Â
Northridge, Calif. • Premier America Credit Union Arena
Live Stats • ESPN+
MATCH 21
Cal State Bakersfield (4-16, 1-7 Big West) at Long Beach State
Saturday, Oct. 25 • 6 p.m.
Long Beach, Calif. • Walter Pyramid
Live Stats • ESPN+
FIRST SERVE
Long Beach State has a split week ahead as the Beach travel to CSUN on Thursday before returning home to host Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday.
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Both matches begin at 6 p.m. and will air live on ESPN+. Matt Brown and Sarah Pavan will have the call Saturday from the Walter Pyramid.
SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN enters the week 11-8 overall and 4-4 in the Big West Conference. The Matadors have already surpassed their 2024 win total and are enjoying their best season since 2019, when they won 12 matches.
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Libero Paige Sentes, who became the 11th player in program history to record 1,000 career digs earlier this season, ranks second in the Big West at 4.43 digs per set. Her 332 total digs lead the conference and rank 48th nationally.
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Hayley Ogden ranks fourth in the league in hitting percentage at .338, while Julia Bazylevych is 10th in kills per set (3.12).
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Long Beach State leads the all-time series against CSUN, 65–25.
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
Cal State Bakersfield begins the week 4-16 overall and 1-7 in Big West play. The Roadrunners visit UC San Diego on Thursday before traveling to Long Beach.
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Julia Udell averages 3.83 digs per set, fifth-best in the Big West. Nicole Zake ranks eighth in kills per set (3.21) and ninth in points per set (3.55).
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The Beach lead the all-time series against CSUB, 9–2.
THOMAS NAMED BIG WEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Fifth-year senior middle blocker Nieko Thomas was named Big West Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 20 after a dominant weekend at the net that helped Long Beach State go 2-0 in conference play.
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Thomas averaged 2.00 blocks, 1.29 kills and 2.43 points per set in victories over UC San Diego and Hawai'i. She matched her career high with 10 total blocks in the 3-1 win over the Tritons on Oct. 16, then followed with four blocks, four kills and three digs in a 3-0 sweep of the Rainbow Wahine on Oct. 17.
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Thomas leads both LBSU and the Big West in total blocks (86), ranking 48th nationally. She is second in the Big West and 79th nationally in blocks per set (1.23).
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Rhiann Sheffie adds strength in the middle with 72 total blocks (fourth in the Big West) and ranks seventh in blocks per set (1.03). Offensively, she is hitting .302, fifth-best in the conference.
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As a team, the Beach rank 37th nationally in blocks per set (2.61) and 39th in total blocks (182.5). Defensively, Long Beach State is holding opponents to a .186 hitting percentage, 71st in Division I.
KING NAMED FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK FOR THE FOURTH TIME
Opposite Logan King earned Big West Freshman of the Week honors for the fourth time this season—and second straight week—on Oct. 13.
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King averaged 4.14 points, 3.29 kills, 3.29 digs and 1.14 blocks per set in a 1-1 week for the Beach. She tallied 11 kills, eight digs and five blocks in a sweep of UC Riverside, then notched her sixth double-double of the year with 12 kills and a season-high 15 digs at UC Davis.
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King is the eighth player since the Big West began presenting the award in 2014 to earn at least four honors in a season.
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She previously swept Big West Offensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week honors on Oct. 4 after averaging 4.88 points, 4.38 kills and 2.25 digs per set in wins over UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly.
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This season, King ranks:
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Internationally, King was one of 12 players named to the Volleyball Canada U21 National Team, competing at the NORCECA Pan American Cup in Costa Rica and the FIVB U21 World Championship in Indonesia. She was named Best Opposite at the Pan Am Cup and ranked 20th overall at Worlds with 105 points (88 kills).
MAXWELL NAMED SETTER OF THE WEEK AGAIN
Sophomore setter Madi Maxwell earned Big West Setter of the Week honors for the second straight week on Sept. 29 after leading Long Beach State to a 2-0 start in conference play.
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Maxwell totaled 67 assists (11.17 per set), five blocks, three aces and two kills in the opening weekend. She also averaged 11.46 assists per set at the UniWyo Invite, including a career-high 57 assists vs. Idaho State.
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Maxwell leads the Big West with 653 assists (9.33 per set), ranking 66th nationally in total assists and 78th in assists per set. She is also the team leader in digs (177) and service aces (18).
AGI EARNS OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Senior outside hitter Elise Agi was named Big West Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 22 after leading the Beach to a 3-0 showing at the UniWyo Invite.
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Agi hit .326 while averaging 3.46 kills, 3.00 digs and 3.88 points per set, recording two double-doubles and a career-high 24 kills vs. Idaho State.
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She ranks second on the team in kills (199), digs (168) and service aces (16). Agi was also named to the All-Tournament Team at Santa Clara's Mission Classic.
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She was invited to participate in the USA Volleyball Women's National Team Open Program (Feb. 21–23, 2025, Colorado Springs), but did not participate due to injury.
DROPPING THE HAMAKER
Freshman outside hitter Sidney Hamaker recorded double-digit kills in five straight matches from Sept. 19–Oct. 3, highlighted by a season-high 14 vs. UC Santa Barbara.
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She has seven double-digit kill performances in 19 matches and ranks third on the team with 152 kills (2.53 per set).
DOUBLE LIBERO LOOK
The Beach are utilizing a double-libero rotation featuring Anna Jelinek and Izzy Mahaffey.
Jelinek ranks fourth on the team in digs (137) with five double-digit outings, including a season-high 13 vs. San Diego State (Sept. 13).
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Mahaffey ranks fifth in digs (110) and fourth in aces (8), recording double-digit digs three times, including 15 at Wyoming (Sept. 18) and again vs. Idaho State (Sept. 20).
STREAK SNAPPED
Long Beach State's nine-match winning streak, snapped Oct. 11 at UC Davis, was its longest since 2014, when the Beach won 17 straight en route to a Big West title and NCAA berth.
HITTING 70
The Beach tallied back-to-back 70-plus kill matches for the first time in nearly three years — 72 at Wyoming (Sept. 18) and 75 vs. Idaho State (Sept. 20). The last occurrence was Oct. 14, 2022.
THE FAMILY BUSINESS
Junior Tatum Hoff is the daughter of LBSU alum and U.S. Olympic gold medalist Tom Hoff, who starred for the Beach before a decorated international career. A three-time Olympian (2000, 2004, 2008), Tom Hoff helped Team USA win gold at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Tatum has become a regular contributor in the rotation and has recorded five service aces this season.
BREAKING 2,000
For the fourth time this season, Long Beach State drew more than 2,000 fans to the Walter Pyramid, highlighted by the 3-0 sweep of Hawai'i on Oct. 17.
LBSU ranks 33rd nationally in cumulative attendance (14,352) and 45th in average attendance (1,595), trailing only Hawai'i among Big West programs.
THE LONG BEACH TRADITION
With a 12-5 record this season, Long Beach State owns a record of 1,332-521-6.
The Beach's 1,332 victories are the ninth-most in Division I history, and their .719 winning percentage ranks 12th nationally.
BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL
Long Beach State was picked fifth in the 2025 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, released Aug. 21. The Beach earned 68 points, while Hawai'i (94) edged Cal Poly (92) for the top spot.
UC Davis (75) and UCSB (73) rounded out the top four.
A LOOK BACK
Last week, Long Beach State got back on the winning track, defeating UC San Diego 3-1 and sweeping Hawai'i to improve to 7-1 in the Big West:
• [LBSU vs. UCSD]
• [LBSU vs. Hawai'i]
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MATCH 20
Long Beach State (14-5, 7-1 Big West) at CSUN (11-8, 4-4 Big West)
Thursday, Oct. 23 • 6 p.m. Â
Northridge, Calif. • Premier America Credit Union Arena
Live Stats • ESPN+
Cal State Bakersfield (4-16, 1-7 Big West) at Long Beach State
Saturday, Oct. 25 • 6 p.m.
Long Beach, Calif. • Walter Pyramid
Live Stats • ESPN+
Long Beach State has a split week ahead as the Beach travel to CSUN on Thursday before returning home to host Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday.
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Both matches begin at 6 p.m. and will air live on ESPN+. Matt Brown and Sarah Pavan will have the call Saturday from the Walter Pyramid.
CSUN enters the week 11-8 overall and 4-4 in the Big West Conference. The Matadors have already surpassed their 2024 win total and are enjoying their best season since 2019, when they won 12 matches.
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Libero Paige Sentes, who became the 11th player in program history to record 1,000 career digs earlier this season, ranks second in the Big West at 4.43 digs per set. Her 332 total digs lead the conference and rank 48th nationally.
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Hayley Ogden ranks fourth in the league in hitting percentage at .338, while Julia Bazylevych is 10th in kills per set (3.12).
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Long Beach State leads the all-time series against CSUN, 65–25.
Cal State Bakersfield begins the week 4-16 overall and 1-7 in Big West play. The Roadrunners visit UC San Diego on Thursday before traveling to Long Beach.
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Julia Udell averages 3.83 digs per set, fifth-best in the Big West. Nicole Zake ranks eighth in kills per set (3.21) and ninth in points per set (3.55).
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The Beach lead the all-time series against CSUB, 9–2.
Fifth-year senior middle blocker Nieko Thomas was named Big West Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 20 after a dominant weekend at the net that helped Long Beach State go 2-0 in conference play.
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Thomas averaged 2.00 blocks, 1.29 kills and 2.43 points per set in victories over UC San Diego and Hawai'i. She matched her career high with 10 total blocks in the 3-1 win over the Tritons on Oct. 16, then followed with four blocks, four kills and three digs in a 3-0 sweep of the Rainbow Wahine on Oct. 17.
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Thomas leads both LBSU and the Big West in total blocks (86), ranking 48th nationally. She is second in the Big West and 79th nationally in blocks per set (1.23).
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Rhiann Sheffie adds strength in the middle with 72 total blocks (fourth in the Big West) and ranks seventh in blocks per set (1.03). Offensively, she is hitting .302, fifth-best in the conference.
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As a team, the Beach rank 37th nationally in blocks per set (2.61) and 39th in total blocks (182.5). Defensively, Long Beach State is holding opponents to a .186 hitting percentage, 71st in Division I.
Opposite Logan King earned Big West Freshman of the Week honors for the fourth time this season—and second straight week—on Oct. 13.
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King averaged 4.14 points, 3.29 kills, 3.29 digs and 1.14 blocks per set in a 1-1 week for the Beach. She tallied 11 kills, eight digs and five blocks in a sweep of UC Riverside, then notched her sixth double-double of the year with 12 kills and a season-high 15 digs at UC Davis.
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King is the eighth player since the Big West began presenting the award in 2014 to earn at least four honors in a season.
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She previously swept Big West Offensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week honors on Oct. 4 after averaging 4.88 points, 4.38 kills and 2.25 digs per set in wins over UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly.
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This season, King ranks:
- 3rd in the Big West in kills per set (3.59)
- 3rd in total kills (251)
- 3rd in total points (296)
- 4th in points per set (4.23)
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Internationally, King was one of 12 players named to the Volleyball Canada U21 National Team, competing at the NORCECA Pan American Cup in Costa Rica and the FIVB U21 World Championship in Indonesia. She was named Best Opposite at the Pan Am Cup and ranked 20th overall at Worlds with 105 points (88 kills).
Sophomore setter Madi Maxwell earned Big West Setter of the Week honors for the second straight week on Sept. 29 after leading Long Beach State to a 2-0 start in conference play.
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Maxwell totaled 67 assists (11.17 per set), five blocks, three aces and two kills in the opening weekend. She also averaged 11.46 assists per set at the UniWyo Invite, including a career-high 57 assists vs. Idaho State.
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Maxwell leads the Big West with 653 assists (9.33 per set), ranking 66th nationally in total assists and 78th in assists per set. She is also the team leader in digs (177) and service aces (18).
Senior outside hitter Elise Agi was named Big West Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 22 after leading the Beach to a 3-0 showing at the UniWyo Invite.
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Agi hit .326 while averaging 3.46 kills, 3.00 digs and 3.88 points per set, recording two double-doubles and a career-high 24 kills vs. Idaho State.
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She ranks second on the team in kills (199), digs (168) and service aces (16). Agi was also named to the All-Tournament Team at Santa Clara's Mission Classic.
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She was invited to participate in the USA Volleyball Women's National Team Open Program (Feb. 21–23, 2025, Colorado Springs), but did not participate due to injury.
Freshman outside hitter Sidney Hamaker recorded double-digit kills in five straight matches from Sept. 19–Oct. 3, highlighted by a season-high 14 vs. UC Santa Barbara.
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She has seven double-digit kill performances in 19 matches and ranks third on the team with 152 kills (2.53 per set).
The Beach are utilizing a double-libero rotation featuring Anna Jelinek and Izzy Mahaffey.
Jelinek ranks fourth on the team in digs (137) with five double-digit outings, including a season-high 13 vs. San Diego State (Sept. 13).
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Mahaffey ranks fifth in digs (110) and fourth in aces (8), recording double-digit digs three times, including 15 at Wyoming (Sept. 18) and again vs. Idaho State (Sept. 20).
Long Beach State's nine-match winning streak, snapped Oct. 11 at UC Davis, was its longest since 2014, when the Beach won 17 straight en route to a Big West title and NCAA berth.
The Beach tallied back-to-back 70-plus kill matches for the first time in nearly three years — 72 at Wyoming (Sept. 18) and 75 vs. Idaho State (Sept. 20). The last occurrence was Oct. 14, 2022.
Junior Tatum Hoff is the daughter of LBSU alum and U.S. Olympic gold medalist Tom Hoff, who starred for the Beach before a decorated international career. A three-time Olympian (2000, 2004, 2008), Tom Hoff helped Team USA win gold at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Tatum has become a regular contributor in the rotation and has recorded five service aces this season.
For the fourth time this season, Long Beach State drew more than 2,000 fans to the Walter Pyramid, highlighted by the 3-0 sweep of Hawai'i on Oct. 17.
LBSU ranks 33rd nationally in cumulative attendance (14,352) and 45th in average attendance (1,595), trailing only Hawai'i among Big West programs.
With a 12-5 record this season, Long Beach State owns a record of 1,332-521-6.
The Beach's 1,332 victories are the ninth-most in Division I history, and their .719 winning percentage ranks 12th nationally.
Long Beach State was picked fifth in the 2025 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, released Aug. 21. The Beach earned 68 points, while Hawai'i (94) edged Cal Poly (92) for the top spot.
UC Davis (75) and UCSB (73) rounded out the top four.
Last week, Long Beach State got back on the winning track, defeating UC San Diego 3-1 and sweeping Hawai'i to improve to 7-1 in the Big West:
- Defeated UC San Diego, 3-1
- Defeated Hawai'i, 3-1Â
• [LBSU vs. UCSD]
• [LBSU vs. Hawai'i]
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~#LongBeachBuilt~
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
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