Women's Volleyball Begins Postseason Wednesday From LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid
11/25/2025 12:51:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
The Big West Championship will be held throughout the week from Long Beach.
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State Women's Volleyball will be playing at home this week, earning the (3) seed in The Hawaiian Islands presents the 2025 Outrigger Big West Women's Volleyball Championship.
RIGHT AWAY
• The top six teams will be coming to the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid for five matches this week. The Beach tied for second place in the Big West, and after tiebreakers will host UC Irvine in the second of two first round matches. The winner will then advance to face Cal Poly in the semifinals at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 28.
• A win in the semifinals would send Long Beach State into the championship match, with the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2014 on the line.
ALL-BIG WEST
• Long Beach State had four players earn five awards as the Big West announced All-Big West honors on Tuesday. Opposite Logan King earned First Team honors, setter Madi Maxwell and outside hitter Elise Agi were both chosen for the second team, and Sidney Hamaker along with King were picked for the All-Freshman Team after an outstanding season.
MILESTONE PERFORMANCES
• In just her second season in charge of the Beach, Natalie Reagan has led Long Beach State to the program's first 20-win season for Long Beach State since the 2016 campaign.
• In Long Beach State's five-set comeback win over Cal State Bakersfield, sophomore Madi Maxwell led the way in a memorable all-around performance, finishing with 12 kills, 41 assists and 17 digs to record the first triple-double for Long Beach State since 2012. That effort came from Tara Roenicke, who finished with 11 kills, 43 assists and 14 digs against Cal State Fullerton 13 years ago.
• In less than a week, Maxwell repeated the feat in a 3-0 sweep against UC Irvine. Guiding Long Beach State to .270 hitting as a team, Maxwell finished with 10 kills on .529 hitting hersef while making 27 assists and 11 digs on November 1.
• Also against Cal State Bakersfield on October 25, senior Elise Agi led the team with 23 kills and 20 digs, becoming the first player since Nele Barber in 2016 to finish with a 20/20 night for Long Beach State.
FIRST YEAR PHENOM
• Redshirt freshman Logan King tied a Big West record with her seventh Big West Freshman of the Week award after leading Long Beach State to two final wins to close the regular season. King was the team's co-leader with 11 kills at UC San Diego, and then led the Beach with 18 kills on .359 hitting in the team's first win in Honolulu against Hawai'i since 2014. King tied the Big West record set by Adlee Van Winden of Cal Poly in 2025, and also twice won Offensive Player of the Week as well on October 6 and November 17.
• King was recognized in back-to-back weeks to start the season, and has now won the award in five of the last seven weeks. The opposite ranks among the Big West leaders in a number of offensive categories, and is first on Long Beach State in kills at 3.62 per set while adding 19 aces, 241 digs and 81 total blocks on the year.
• King was one of two freshmen selected as First Team All-Big West, and is the first freshman Firs Team selection from Long Beach State since Haleigh Hampton in 2010.
SETTER SPOTLIGHT
• Sophomore Madi Maxwell is making the most of her new opportunity, taking over as the team's primary setter in her second season with the program after earning Big West All-Freshman Team honors as an opposite in 2024, finishing the year averaging 1.89 kills per set with 19 service aces.
• Now a three-time Big West Setter of the Week, Maxwell has quickly adapted to her new role, leading Long Beach State in multiple areas. Maxwell is averaging 9.30 assists per set while leading the Beach with 25 aces and 280 digs on the year. She is also contributing 0.70 blocks per set and over a kill per set while guiding the Beach to .244 hitting as a team, third-best in the conference.
BLOCK PARTY
• Middle Blocker Nieko Thomas is another weekly award winner, selected for Defensive Player of the Week following a 2-0 week for the Beach on October 20 where she averaged 2.0 blocks per set in wins over UC San Diego and Hawai'i, including matching a career-high with 10 blocks against the Tritons.
• Thomas leads Long Beach State and the Big West in total blocks with 117, a tally that ranks just outside of the Top 100 in Division I. She ranks fourth in the Big West in blocks per set, averaging 1.10. She tied her career high with 10 blocks on Oct. 16 against UC San Diego.
• Rhiann Sheffie adds depth with 98 total blocks, ranking in the Top 10 in the Big West in total blocks, and is effective on offense as well, ranking in the league's Top 10 in hitting percentage at .315 on the year.
• As a team, LBSU is 47th in blocks per set nationally at 2.50 blocks per set, and defensively the Beach have been very strong, limiting teams to .187 hitting which ranks 76th in the country.
PLAYER NOTES
• Senior Elise Agi has been a veteran presence for the squad, averaging 2.93 kills per set, second-most on the team while adding 21 aces, 51 blocks and 2.50 digs per set as a consistent six-rotation presence for the Beach.
• Agi was named the Big West Offensive Player of the Week on September 22 after leading LBSU to a 3-0 record at the UniWyo Invite. Agi hit .326 while averaging 3.46 kills, 3.00 digs, and 3.88 points per set. She posted two double-doubles, including a career-high 16 digs vs. Wyoming and 24 kills vs. Idaho State.
• Long Beach State has another true freshman making an impact offensively in Sidney Hamaker. The freshman outside hitter posted double-digit kills in five straight matches earlier this season. Twice now Hamaker has set a season- and career-high in big matches with 14 against UC Santa Barbara and against UC Davis, and she ranks third on the team with an average of 2.28 kills per set.
• Two Division I transfers have also earned a role this season for the Beach. Sophomore Pola Bujnarowska has now played in 26 sets, averaging 0.69 blocks per set and hitting .235 after one season at Syracuse, while junior Anabel Kotzakov has played in 63 sets, averaging 1.37 kills per set and 1.33 digs per set after coming to the Beach from Boise State.
• Bringing even more versatility to the Beach, sophomore Madi Collins has added 75 assists and four aces this year, allowing Long Beach State to bring in a second setter to supplement the all-around skills of Madi Maxwell at the position.
• Redshirt freshman Preslie Yates saw her first significant time of the year at UC Santa Barbara on November 8 and rewarded the team with a strong performance, setting career highs in both blocks and kills with eight blocks and seven kills on .353 hitting.
DOUBLE LIBERO
• The Beach are utilizing a double libero rotation featuring Anna Jelinek and Izzy Mahaffey. Jelinek is fifth on the team in digs with 173 in total this season, with five double-digit efforts, including a season-high 13 vs. San Diego State on September 13. Mahaffey now has 198 digs and has made 11 aces on the year, with six double-digit digs performances including two straight against UC Davis and UC Riverside.
THIS AND THAT
• LBSU's nine-match winning streak, snapped Oct. 11 at UC Davis, marked its longest since 2014, when the Beach won 17 straight en route to a Big West title and NCAA berth.
• Long Beach State tallied back-to-back 70+ kill matches for the first time in nearly three years, putting up 72 at Wyoming (Sept. 18) and 75 vs. Idaho State (Sept. 20). The last time LBSU achieved this feat was Oct. 14, 2022.
• Junior Tatum Hoff is the daughter of Long Beach State 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 in Beijing (2008). Tatum has carved out a regular role in the rotation, contributing 13 service aces this season.
BREAKING 2,000
• For the fourth time this season, over 2,000 fans passed through the turnstiles at the Walter Pyramid when LBSU defeated Hawai'i 3-0 on Oct. 17. Long Beach State is 32nd in Division I in cumulative attendance (16,928) and is 41st in average attendance (1,693). The Beach trail only Hawai'i in both categories in the Big West.
THE LONG BEACH TRADITION
• With a 21-8 record this season, Long Beach State has amassed an all-time record of 1,341-524-6 record. The 1,341 victories are the ninth most in Division I history. The program's .719 winning percentage is the 12th highest in Division I.
RIGHT AWAY
• The top six teams will be coming to the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid for five matches this week. The Beach tied for second place in the Big West, and after tiebreakers will host UC Irvine in the second of two first round matches. The winner will then advance to face Cal Poly in the semifinals at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 28.
• A win in the semifinals would send Long Beach State into the championship match, with the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2014 on the line.
ALL-BIG WEST
• Long Beach State had four players earn five awards as the Big West announced All-Big West honors on Tuesday. Opposite Logan King earned First Team honors, setter Madi Maxwell and outside hitter Elise Agi were both chosen for the second team, and Sidney Hamaker along with King were picked for the All-Freshman Team after an outstanding season.
MILESTONE PERFORMANCES
• In just her second season in charge of the Beach, Natalie Reagan has led Long Beach State to the program's first 20-win season for Long Beach State since the 2016 campaign.
• In Long Beach State's five-set comeback win over Cal State Bakersfield, sophomore Madi Maxwell led the way in a memorable all-around performance, finishing with 12 kills, 41 assists and 17 digs to record the first triple-double for Long Beach State since 2012. That effort came from Tara Roenicke, who finished with 11 kills, 43 assists and 14 digs against Cal State Fullerton 13 years ago.
• In less than a week, Maxwell repeated the feat in a 3-0 sweep against UC Irvine. Guiding Long Beach State to .270 hitting as a team, Maxwell finished with 10 kills on .529 hitting hersef while making 27 assists and 11 digs on November 1.
• Also against Cal State Bakersfield on October 25, senior Elise Agi led the team with 23 kills and 20 digs, becoming the first player since Nele Barber in 2016 to finish with a 20/20 night for Long Beach State.
FIRST YEAR PHENOM
• Redshirt freshman Logan King tied a Big West record with her seventh Big West Freshman of the Week award after leading Long Beach State to two final wins to close the regular season. King was the team's co-leader with 11 kills at UC San Diego, and then led the Beach with 18 kills on .359 hitting in the team's first win in Honolulu against Hawai'i since 2014. King tied the Big West record set by Adlee Van Winden of Cal Poly in 2025, and also twice won Offensive Player of the Week as well on October 6 and November 17.
• King was recognized in back-to-back weeks to start the season, and has now won the award in five of the last seven weeks. The opposite ranks among the Big West leaders in a number of offensive categories, and is first on Long Beach State in kills at 3.62 per set while adding 19 aces, 241 digs and 81 total blocks on the year.
• King was one of two freshmen selected as First Team All-Big West, and is the first freshman Firs Team selection from Long Beach State since Haleigh Hampton in 2010.
SETTER SPOTLIGHT
• Sophomore Madi Maxwell is making the most of her new opportunity, taking over as the team's primary setter in her second season with the program after earning Big West All-Freshman Team honors as an opposite in 2024, finishing the year averaging 1.89 kills per set with 19 service aces.
• Now a three-time Big West Setter of the Week, Maxwell has quickly adapted to her new role, leading Long Beach State in multiple areas. Maxwell is averaging 9.30 assists per set while leading the Beach with 25 aces and 280 digs on the year. She is also contributing 0.70 blocks per set and over a kill per set while guiding the Beach to .244 hitting as a team, third-best in the conference.
BLOCK PARTY
• Middle Blocker Nieko Thomas is another weekly award winner, selected for Defensive Player of the Week following a 2-0 week for the Beach on October 20 where she averaged 2.0 blocks per set in wins over UC San Diego and Hawai'i, including matching a career-high with 10 blocks against the Tritons.
• Thomas leads Long Beach State and the Big West in total blocks with 117, a tally that ranks just outside of the Top 100 in Division I. She ranks fourth in the Big West in blocks per set, averaging 1.10. She tied her career high with 10 blocks on Oct. 16 against UC San Diego.
• Rhiann Sheffie adds depth with 98 total blocks, ranking in the Top 10 in the Big West in total blocks, and is effective on offense as well, ranking in the league's Top 10 in hitting percentage at .315 on the year.
• As a team, LBSU is 47th in blocks per set nationally at 2.50 blocks per set, and defensively the Beach have been very strong, limiting teams to .187 hitting which ranks 76th in the country.
PLAYER NOTES
• Senior Elise Agi has been a veteran presence for the squad, averaging 2.93 kills per set, second-most on the team while adding 21 aces, 51 blocks and 2.50 digs per set as a consistent six-rotation presence for the Beach.
• Agi was named the Big West Offensive Player of the Week on September 22 after leading LBSU to a 3-0 record at the UniWyo Invite. Agi hit .326 while averaging 3.46 kills, 3.00 digs, and 3.88 points per set. She posted two double-doubles, including a career-high 16 digs vs. Wyoming and 24 kills vs. Idaho State.
• Long Beach State has another true freshman making an impact offensively in Sidney Hamaker. The freshman outside hitter posted double-digit kills in five straight matches earlier this season. Twice now Hamaker has set a season- and career-high in big matches with 14 against UC Santa Barbara and against UC Davis, and she ranks third on the team with an average of 2.28 kills per set.
• Two Division I transfers have also earned a role this season for the Beach. Sophomore Pola Bujnarowska has now played in 26 sets, averaging 0.69 blocks per set and hitting .235 after one season at Syracuse, while junior Anabel Kotzakov has played in 63 sets, averaging 1.37 kills per set and 1.33 digs per set after coming to the Beach from Boise State.
• Bringing even more versatility to the Beach, sophomore Madi Collins has added 75 assists and four aces this year, allowing Long Beach State to bring in a second setter to supplement the all-around skills of Madi Maxwell at the position.
• Redshirt freshman Preslie Yates saw her first significant time of the year at UC Santa Barbara on November 8 and rewarded the team with a strong performance, setting career highs in both blocks and kills with eight blocks and seven kills on .353 hitting.
DOUBLE LIBERO
• The Beach are utilizing a double libero rotation featuring Anna Jelinek and Izzy Mahaffey. Jelinek is fifth on the team in digs with 173 in total this season, with five double-digit efforts, including a season-high 13 vs. San Diego State on September 13. Mahaffey now has 198 digs and has made 11 aces on the year, with six double-digit digs performances including two straight against UC Davis and UC Riverside.
THIS AND THAT
• LBSU's nine-match winning streak, snapped Oct. 11 at UC Davis, marked its longest since 2014, when the Beach won 17 straight en route to a Big West title and NCAA berth.
• Long Beach State tallied back-to-back 70+ kill matches for the first time in nearly three years, putting up 72 at Wyoming (Sept. 18) and 75 vs. Idaho State (Sept. 20). The last time LBSU achieved this feat was Oct. 14, 2022.
• Junior Tatum Hoff is the daughter of Long Beach State 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 in Beijing (2008). Tatum has carved out a regular role in the rotation, contributing 13 service aces this season.
BREAKING 2,000
• For the fourth time this season, over 2,000 fans passed through the turnstiles at the Walter Pyramid when LBSU defeated Hawai'i 3-0 on Oct. 17. Long Beach State is 32nd in Division I in cumulative attendance (16,928) and is 41st in average attendance (1,693). The Beach trail only Hawai'i in both categories in the Big West.
THE LONG BEACH TRADITION
• With a 21-8 record this season, Long Beach State has amassed an all-time record of 1,341-524-6 record. The 1,341 victories are the ninth most in Division I history. The program's .719 winning percentage is the 12th highest in Division I.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
L/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
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