Long Beach State University
CSUN
No. 1 LBSU Men’s Volleyball Hosts Two Ranked Opponents
3/11/2025 11:26:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
The No. 1 Long Beach State Men’s Volleyball team will host No. 7 CSUN on Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid. The next day they will host No. 19 Princeton
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (16-0) vs. #7 CSUN (13-3)
Friday, March 14 • 7:00 p.m. • Long Beach, Calif. • Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: beachlivestats.com
X: @LBSUMVB
#1 LONG BEACH STATE (16-0) vs. #19 PRINCETON (6-7)
Saturday, March 715• 7:00 p.m. • Long Beach, Calif. • Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: beachlivestats.com
X: @LBSUMVB
No. 1 LBSU Men's Volleyball Hosts Two Ranked Opponents
The No. 1 Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team will host No. 7 CSUN on Friday at 7:00 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid. The next day they will host No. 19 Princeton
Catch All The Action
LB Nation can live stream both of Long Beach State's matches on ESPN+ and keep up with the live stats at 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 eight 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 UCLA, No. 3 Hawaii, No. 4 UC Irvine, No. 7 CSUN, No. 13 UC San Diego, No. 15 Grand Canyon, No. 18 UC Santa Barbara, and No. 19 Princeton. Additionally, the Beach will play one team that is receiving votes in NJIT (6).
• CSUN comes into the match at the No. 7 spot in the AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Poll, their highest ranking since 2018. The program has won eight straight games under third-year head coach, Theo Edwards.
•Princeton comes into the match tied for the 19th spot in the AVCA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Poll.
Scouting CSUN
• No. 7 CSUN comes into the match against the Beach with a 13-3 overall record after a 3-0 loss to Long Beach State at home.
• The Matadors are averaging 12.9 kills per set on a .315 attack percentage. Additionally, CSUN adds 8.1 digs per set and 2.4 blocks per set to go along with 2 aces per set.
• Jalen Phillips leads the Matadors with 4.46 kills per set on a .325 attack percentage. He also contributes to the defense with 1.10 digs per set and 29 blocks on the season.
• At setter, Donovan Constable has distributed 523 assists for a 10.46 assists per set average on his way to guiding the Matadors to a .315 clip. He also contributes 1.24 digs per set.
• In the backrow, Chris Karnezis anchors the defense with 1.86 digs per set.
• At the net, freshman Stilian Delibosov leads the way with 60 blocks to average 1.36 per set. Delibosov leads the nation in blocks per set. He also contributes 2.05 kills per set on a .530 attack percentage.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Matadors
• Long Beach State and CSUN will meet for the 93nd in program history after battling just a week ago to open conference play, where Long Beach State won the match 3-0.
• CSUN is ranked seventh in the nation overall. They are ranked fifth in aces per set with a 2.02 average and fifth in assists with an average 11.98 per set. They rank sixth in kills per set with a 12.83 average and seventh in blocks per set with a 2.48 average.
• Jalen Phillips leads the team in kills and hitting percentage, but Lorenzo Bertozzi is another heavy hitter to watch for the Matadors. He boasts a 3.0 kills per set average and a .339 hitting percentage.
• The block that Grand Canyon puts up is supported by newcomer Stilian Delibosov and another freshman, Joao Favarim, who is averaging .88 blocks per set. Favarim also contributes to the offense, grabbing 1.04 kills per set on a .372 attack percentage.
Scouting Princeton
• Princeton comes into the match against the Beach with a 6-7 overall record after a 3-1 loss in San Diego by the Tritons of UC San Diego on Monday night.
• The Tigers are averaging 11.3 kills per set on a .273 attack percentage. Additionally, Princeton adds 7.6 digs per set and 2.3 blocks per set to go along with 1.3 aces per set.
• Mason Rice leads the Tigers with 3.21 kills per set on a .302 attack percentage. He also contributes to the defense averaging .55 blocks per set.
• At setter, Henry Wedbush has distributed 389 assists for an 8.84 assists per set average on his way to guiding the Tigers to a .273 clip. He also contributes 1.20 digs per set.
• In the backrow, Roan Alviar anchors the defense with 1.77 digs per set.
• At the net, Ethan Wells leads the way with 17 blocks to average 1.13 per set. He also contributes .60 kills per set on a .222 attack percentage.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Tigers
• Long Beach State and Princeton will meet for the eighth time in program history. Long Beach State last swept the Tigers in the Goldmine, and will now face them on their new home court.
• Princeton is ranked in the Top 50 in multiple offensive categories including aces, assists and hitting percentage. They also rank in the Top 25 in blocks per set.
• Mason Rice leads the team in kills and hitting percentage, but Jameson Vacarro is another heavy hitter to watch for the Tigers. He holds a 1.61 kills per set average and a .114 hitting percentage.
• The block that Princeton puts up is supported by newcomer Ethan Wells and veteran player Tristan Whitfield. Whitfield is averaging .90 blocks per set. He also contributes to the offense, grabbing .78 kills per set on a .313 attack percentage.
first in aces (2.45) as well. The team ranks third in kills per set (13.35) and fourth in assists per set (12.14). If that weren't enough, LBSU also ranks sixth in blocks per set (2.53) and eighteenth in opponent hitting percentage, holding them to a .216 average.
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 (.418). They rank first in aces (2.45) as well. The team ranks third in kills per set (13.35) and fourth in assists per set (12.14). If that weren't enough, LBSU also ranks sixth in blocks per set (2.53) and eighteenth in opponent hitting percentage, holding them to a .216 average.
Individually, the Beach boasts five 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 (1.06), as well as being ranked for assists (22nd - 9.56). Three players are ranked in the Top 15 for hitting percentage. Daniil Hershtynovich leads the way being ranked ninth (.431). Skyler Varga comes in 11th (.414) and right behind him is Sotiris Siapanis at 12th (.407). Daniil Hershtynovich is also ranked 32nd for points per set (4.09) and 37th for kills per set (3.40). DiAeris McRaven ranks 31st in the nation with a .950 block per set average.
Up Next
Long Beach State will host NJIT for two games in the Walter Pyramid on March 21 and March 22 at 7 p.m.
