Larson And Nikolov Garner Big West Weekly Honors
4/7/2025 3:46:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
Freshman libero Kellen Larson Named Big West Defensive Player of the Week, while setter Moni Nikolov takes home Freshman of the Week accolades.
IRVINE, Calif. – The Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team had two players earn weekly conference honors as freshman Kellen Larson collected Big West Defensive Player of the Week accolades for the first time in his career, while Moni Nikolov garnered Big West Freshman of the Week honors for the sixth time in his career.
The pair helped lift the top-ranked Beach to a pair of conference wins last week over No. 16 UC Santa Barbara. With Nikolov running to offense, LBSU hit .385 on the week, while limiting the Gauchos to a .124 attack percentage thanks to Larson's solid defense.
Larson anchored the Long Beach State defense to a pair of wins against UCSB as he averaged 2.43 digs per set. In Thursday's four-set victory, the libero from Irvine, Calif., logged a career-high eight digs with a pair of assists on the road. On Friday, Larson came back with a new career-mark of nine digs with a kills in the three-set sweep at the Walter Pyramid.
Nikolov's sixth Big West Freshman Player of the Week honor brings his total to nine after having been named Big West Setter of the Week on three occasions. The rookie from Sofia, Bulgaria averaged 10.00 assists per set to go along with 1.43 digs, 1.29 kills, 0.43 blocks, and 0.43 aces per set. At UCSB, Nikolov led the Beach to a .412 hitting percentage as he dished out 43 assists. The all-around player also chipped in five kills on a .333 clip (5-1-12), five digs, two blocks, and two aces. In Long Beach's home contest, Nikolov distributed 27 assists to go along with five digs, four kills, and one block, and an ace. Nikolov currently leads the country in aces per set with 1.05 and ranks fifth in the conference with 9.71 assists per set.
The pair helped lift the top-ranked Beach to a pair of conference wins last week over No. 16 UC Santa Barbara. With Nikolov running to offense, LBSU hit .385 on the week, while limiting the Gauchos to a .124 attack percentage thanks to Larson's solid defense.
Larson anchored the Long Beach State defense to a pair of wins against UCSB as he averaged 2.43 digs per set. In Thursday's four-set victory, the libero from Irvine, Calif., logged a career-high eight digs with a pair of assists on the road. On Friday, Larson came back with a new career-mark of nine digs with a kills in the three-set sweep at the Walter Pyramid.
Nikolov's sixth Big West Freshman Player of the Week honor brings his total to nine after having been named Big West Setter of the Week on three occasions. The rookie from Sofia, Bulgaria averaged 10.00 assists per set to go along with 1.43 digs, 1.29 kills, 0.43 blocks, and 0.43 aces per set. At UCSB, Nikolov led the Beach to a .412 hitting percentage as he dished out 43 assists. The all-around player also chipped in five kills on a .333 clip (5-1-12), five digs, two blocks, and two aces. In Long Beach's home contest, Nikolov distributed 27 assists to go along with five digs, four kills, and one block, and an ace. Nikolov currently leads the country in aces per set with 1.05 and ranks fifth in the conference with 9.71 assists per set.
Players Mentioned
L
/ Men's Volleyball
S
/ Men's VolleyballNCAA National Collegiate Championship Post Match Press Conference (Finals)- #1 UCLA
Sunday, May 05
NCAA National Collegiate Championship Post-Match Press Conference (Finals) #2 Long Beach State
Sunday, May 05
#1 UCLA Practice Day 2024 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Press Conference
Friday, May 03
#2 Long Beach State Practice Day 2024 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Press Conference
Friday, May 03
