Long Beach State University
UCLA
No. 1 LBSU Men’s Volleyball To Play Midweek Matchup In LA Before Returning Home
2/11/2025 10:57:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
The No. 1 Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball team will play No. 3 UCLA on Wednesday, coming off a 3-1 victory over the Bruins at home. They will then head back to the Walter Pyramid on Friday, February 14 to host Vanguard for the first time in program history.
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (9-0) vs. UCLA (6-2)
Wednesday, February 12 • 7:00 p.m. • Los Angeles, Calif. • Pauley Pavilion
TV: Big10+
Live Stats: uclalivestats.com
X: @LBSUMVB
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (9-0) vs. VANGUARD (2-3)
Friday, February 14 • 7:00 p.m. • Long Beach, Calif. • The Walter Pyramid
TV: None
Live Stats: beachlivestats.com
X: @LBSUMVB
No. 1 LBSU Men's Volleyball To Play Midweek Matchup In LA Before Returning Home
The No. 1 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team will play No. 3 UCLA on Wednesday, coming off a 3-1 victory over the Bruins at home. They will then head back to the Walter Pyramid on Friday, February 14 to host Vanguard for the first time in program history.
Catch All The Action
LB Nation can live stream Long Beach State's match in Los Angeles on Big10+ and keep up with the live stats at uclalivestats.com. The match at home will not be televised but 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. 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 has been ranked No. 1 in the AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Poll for four consecutive weeks and currently remain undefeated. 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. 2 UC Irvine, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Hawaii, No. 10 Grand Canyon, No. 12 UC San Diego, No.13 CSUN, No. 16 UC Santa Barbara, and No.19 NJIT. Additionally, the Beach will play one team that is receiving votes in Princeton (14).
• UCLA comes into the match ranked No. 3 in the AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Poll for four consecutive weeks and have dropped two matches to ranked opponents.
Scouting UCLA
• No. 3 UCLA comes into the match against the Beach with a 6-2 overall record after a 3-1 loss to No. 1 Long Beach in a championship level rematch.
• The Bruins are averaging 11.7 kills per set on a .361 attack percentage. Additionally, UCLA adds 6.8 digs per set and 2.8 blocks per set to go along with 2.4 aces per set.
• Zach Rama leads the Bruins with 3.5 kills per set on a .335 attack percentage. He also contributes 11 aces on the season with .46 aces per set.
• At setter, Andrew Rowan has distributed 237 assists for a 9.48 assists per set average on his way to guiding the Bruins to a .361 clip. He also contributes 1.16 digs per set.
• In the backrow, Matthew Aziz anchors the defense with 1.2 digs per set.
• At the net, Cameron leads the way with 33 blocks to average 1.32 per set. He also contributes 1.68 kills per set on a .500 attack percentage.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Bruins
• Long Beach State and UCLA will meet for the 105th time in program history after battling for the title in the NCAA Championship Match in 2024, where the Beach fell 3-1.
• UCLA is ranked third in the nation overall. They are ranked 3rd in blocks with a 2.76 blocks per set average, 5th in hitting percentage with a .361 clip and 6th in opponent hitting percentage, holding them to a .174 average hitting percentage.
• Zach Rama leads the team in kills and hitting percentage, but Cooper Robinson is another heavy hitter to watch for the Bruins. He boasts a 3.2 kills per set average and a .404 hitting percentage.
• The block that UCLA puts up is supported by veteran player Cameron Thorne and newcomer Thiago Zamprogno, who is averaging 1.09 blocks per set. Zamprogno also contributes to the offense, grabbing 1.18 kills per set on a .526 attack percentage.
Scouting Vanguard
• Vanguard comes into the match against the Beach with a 2-3 overall record after a 3-2 loss to No. 12 UC San Diego at home.
• The Lions are averaging 11.17 kills per set on a .260 attack percentage. Additionally, Vanguard adds 8.11 digs per set and .65 blocks per set to go along with 1.5 aces per set.
• Micah Sybesma leads the Lions with 2.5 kills per set on a .450 attack percentage. He also contributes to the defense averaging one block per set with 18 on the season so far.
• At setter, Brock Henderson has distributed 77 assists for a 6.42 assists per set average on his way to guiding the Bruins to a .260 clip. He also contributes .92 digs per set.
• In the backrow, Jacob Bayston anchors the defense with 1.47 digs per set.
• At the net, Grant Dvorak leads the way with 5 blocks to average .28 per set. He also contributes 3.11 kills per set on a .298 attack percentage.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Lions
• Long Beach State and Vanguard will meet for the first time in program history.
• Vanguard is ranked Top 50 in multiple categories. They are ranked 24th in aces with a 1.5 aces per set average, 28th in hitting percentage with a .260 and 34th in kills per set (11.17).
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 rank third in the nation in hitting percentage (.406), fourth in aces per set (2.11) and seventh in kills per set (13). If that weren't enough, LBSU also ranks ninth in blocks (2.66 per set) and twelfth in assists per set (11.89). Individually, the Beach boasts four players who rank in the Top 50 in the nation. Leading the way, setter Moni Nikolov ranks first in aces per set (1.13), as well as being ranked for assists (20th - 9.46) and digs (26th - 2.03). Three players are ranked in the Top 15 for hitting percentage. Sotiris Siapanis leads the way being ranked eighth (.435). Skyler Varga comes in 13th (.401) and Daniil Hershtynovich at 14th (.400). Daniil Hershtynovich is also ranked 39th for points per set (3.95)and 47th for kills per set (3.26).
Up Next
Long Beach State will play three games at home in the Walter Pyramid. They will host Grand Canyon on Friday, February 21st at 7:00 p.m. They will then host back to back matches against Barton College on Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd at 7:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. respectively.
