Long Beach State University
Grand Canyon
No. 1 LBSU Men’s Volleyball Has A Busy Weekend Hosting Three Games
2/19/2025 8:58:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
The No. 1 Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball team will play No. 8 Grand Canyon on Friday in the Walter Pyramid. They will then play Barton College on Saturday and Sunday in a back-to-back matchup.
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (11-0) vs. T#8 GRAND CANYON (9-1)
Friday, February 21 • 7:00 p.m. • Long Beach, Calif. • Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: beachlivestats.com
X: @LBSUMVB
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (11-0) vs. BARTON COLLEGE (8-5)
Saturday, February 22 • 7:30 p.m. • Long Beach, Calif. • Walter Pyramid
TV: None
Live Stats: beachlivestats.com
X: @LBSUMVB
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (11-0) vs. BARTON COLLEGE (8-5)
Sunday, February 23 • 4:00 p.m. • Long Beach, Calif. • Walter Pyramid
TV: None
Live Stats: beachlivestats.com
X: @LBSUMVB
No. 1 LBSU Men's Volleyball Has A Busy Weekend Hosting Three Games
The No. 1 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team will play No. 8 Grand Canyon on Friday in the Walter Pyramid. They will then play Barton College on Saturday and Sunday in a back-to-back matchup.
Catch All The Action
LB Nation can live stream Long Beach State's Friday match on ESPN+ and keep up with the live stats at beachlivestats.com. The matches against Barton College 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 five consecutive weeks and currently remain undefeated. The Beach garnered 460 total points and 23 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. 8 Grand Canyon, No. 12 CSUN No. 13 UC San Diego, No. 16 UC Santa Barbara, and No.20 Princeton. Additionally, the Beach will play one team that is receiving votes in NJIT (18).
• Grand Canyon comes into the match tied for the No. 8 spot in the AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Poll for four consecutive weeks and have only dropped one match to a ranked opponent.
Scouting Grand Canyon
• No. 8 Grand Canyon comes into the match against the Beach with a 9-1 overall record after a 3-2 win over No. 12 UC San Diego at home.
• The Lopes are averaging 11.7 kills per set on a .307 attack percentage. Additionally, Grand Canyon adds 8.3 digs per set and 2.4 blocks per set to go along with 1.4 aces per set.
• Trent Moser leads the Lopes with 2.74 kills per set on a .395 attack percentage. He also contributes to the defense with .94 digs per set and 13 blocks on the season.
• At setter, Jaxon Herr has distributed 288 assists for a 9 assists per set average on his way to guiding the Bruins to a .307 clip. He also contributes 1.72 digs per set.
• In the backrow, Cooper Herndon anchors the defense with 1.16 digs per set.
• At the net, Braeden Marquardt leads the way with 30 blocks to average 1.18 per set. He also contributes 1.65 kills per set on a .426 attack percentage.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Lopes
• Long Beach State and Grand Canyon will meet for the fourth time in program history after battling for a spot in the NCAA Championship in 2024, where the Beach reverse swept the Lopes 3-2.
• Grand Canyon is tied for eighth in the nation overall. They are ranked 14th in blocks with a 2.45 blocks per set average and 15th in hitting percentage with a .307 clip.
• Trent Moser leads the team in kills and hitting percentage, but Cole Ottmar is another heavy hitter to watch for the Lopes. He boasts a 2.55 kills per set average and a .281 hitting percentage.
• The block that Grand Canyon puts up is supported by veteran player Braeden Marquardt and newcomer Trevell Jordan, who is averaging .92 blocks per set. Jordan also contributes to the offense, grabbing 1.56 kills per set on a .346 attack percentage.
Scouting Barton College
• Barton College comes into the match against the Beach with an 8-5 overall record after their first conference loss to Belmont Abbey.
• The Bulldogs are averaging 10.7 kills per set on a .219 attack percentage. Additionally, Barton College adds 10.3 digs per set and 2.6 blocks per set to go along with 1.5 aces per set.
• Jack Sandahl leads the Bulldogs with 2.49 kills per set on a .194 attack percentage. He also contributes to the defense averaging .71 blocks per set with 25 on the season so far.
• At setter, Seth Deppe has distributed 373 assists for an 8.29 assists per set average on his way to guiding the Bulldogs to a .219 clip. He also contributes 1.71 digs per set.
• In the backrow, Jose Ruiz anchors the defense with 2.4 digs per set.
• At the net, Ben Wiechert leads the way with 40 blocks to average .91 per set. He also contributes 1.23 kills per set on a .176 attack percentage.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Bulldogs
• Long Beach State and Barton College will meet for the second time after meeting for the first time in North Carolina during the 2019 season. The Beach swept the Bulldogs on their way to an NCAA Championship.
• Barton College is ranked Top 5 in the two defensive categories. They are ranked 3rd in blocks per set with a 2.59 blocks per set average and 3rd in digs per set with a 10.72 per set average.
• Jack Sandahl leads the team in kills and hitting percentage, but Lawson Hink is another heavy hitter to watch for the Lopes. He boasts a 3.35 kills per set average and a .242 hitting percentage.
• The block that Barton College puts up is supported by veteran players Ben Wiechert and Ryan Geraci. Geraci is averaging 1.31 blocks per set. He also contributes to the offense, grabbing 1.18 kills per set on a .418 attack percentage.
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 lead the nation in hitting percentage (.416). They rank third in aces per set (2.09) and also in kills per set (13.18).
If that weren't enough, LBSU also ranks sixth in assists per set (11.97) and twelfth in blocks (2.57 per set). Individually, the Beach boasts four players who rank in the Top 50 in the nation in their respecive disciplines. Leading the way, setter Moni Nikolov ranks first in aces per set (1.09), as well as being ranked for assists (21st - 9.56) and digs (46th - 1.79). Three players are ranked in the Top 15 for hitting percentage. Sotiris Siapanis leads the way being ranked ninth (.429). Daniil Hershtynovich comes in 10th (.414) and Skyler Varga at 14th (.397). Daniil Hershtynovich is also ranked 41st for points per set (3.97)and 47th for kills per set (3.26).
Up Next
Long Beach State will have a week off at the end of February. They will open conference play at CSUN on Wednesday, March 5 and host Sacred Heart at home on Friday, March 7.
